Physical Fitness and its Correlation to Entrepreneurship

In a recent podcast episode of Bizgrow with Tricia D. Young, Tricia sat down with businessman, professional boxer, and trainer George Foreman III to talk about  physical fitness (the idea of being fit) and how it can translate to success for entrepreneurs. The two discussed strategies for staying fit with a busy schedule and the benefits that fitness holds for small business owners and entrepreneurs. For George, he says that appearance very rarely equals a healthy lifestyle. For him, being “fit” means being “fit to live a healthy, long life,” and being “fit to respond to stress and danger in a way that you would be proud of.” Though this is a unique way to think about fitness, viewing being fit as more than just appearing as such can be extremely beneficial for business owners and entrepreneurs in the long run, because this kind of fitness directly correlates with success. Physical fitness can help improve blood flow to the brain, which can increase one’s stamina for willpower and overall mental strength, all of which can be extremely helpful in the business world. As George puts it, working out and developing the willpower to do just one more rep in the gym, can help you develop the willpower to hold on for just one more business meeting in the office. In addition to improving one’s mental strength and willpower, physical fitness can do wonders for increasing creativity, which as an entrepreneur or small business owner, can contribute significantly to your success. While the benefits of physical fitness remain clear, how to get into this kind of lifestyle is often the struggle that many busy entrepreneurs face. George’s advice for people who are just starting to take physical fitness seriously is to develop a routine. By getting into the habit of exercising at the same time everyday, the body will begin to get used to the feeling and it will get much easier as time goes on. He says to “schedule your workout like you schedule your calls.” By carving out that time just for you, you can make sure that your workout remains free of interruptions and it can be a time to just focus on yourself. During the discussion, George made sure to mention fitness programs that were currently trending and the benefits behind these types of workouts. George emphasized experiential fitness as what is currently trending in the fitness world. This kind of program focuses on the overall experience rather than just the workout itself; the music, the smile, the trainer, the lights, all of these components go into this kind of workout. Examples of this can look like cycling classes or yoga classes. These experience based fitness classes have become super popular as well because they place an emphasis on community. These classes are great for mental health because they incorporate additional factors than just the workout to get different parts of the brain stimulated, and furthermore they are done with other people which can really help to motivate the athlete. For George, it is important to jump into things head first, giving it your all. By asserting something will work out, he has found that it more than often happens to work in your favor. Especially after going through all the pain of a setback, picking yourself up, going after your goals with 100% effort, then succeeding will make you more resilient in the long run. This philosophy applies to both business and fitness, having the strength to keep going, despite any troubles along the way leads to a more successful business and life in the long run. If you would like to hear more of George Foreman III’s interview with Tricia D. Young,  you can tune in to the Bizgrow podcast found on Spotify.