By: The New York Times/ Jennifer Walzer
I recently lost a longtime client, who was also a dear friend and valuable mentor, to prostate cancer. He was 52 years old and left behind his wife and two children. The other day I learned that another good friend was found to have skin cancer that had progressed to the point where he had to have glands removed. He was so busy running his company, he didn’t notice the moles that had started to look different. My friend is only 38 years old.
Like many entrepreneurs, I’m often too busy to breathe. I try not to put work ahead of friends or family, but I often end up with little time to take care of myself. When I started my business, I was in great shape from years of dance and regular exercise. As my business flourished, however, working out was replaced by simply working. And let’s not even think about the decline of my eating habits and sleep schedule. My business became my life.
After watching my close friends battle health issues and after dealing with a few of my own, I’m starting to look at things differently.
First, I realized that by not getting any exercise and not watching what I was eating, I was sapping myself of the energy I need to run my business. If you are like me (and I know I’m not alone here) you will get that energy artificially from coffee, Red Bull, sugar, candy or any other weapon of choice (my personal favorite is sugary gum and licorice along with hazelnut coffees and caramel apple ciders from Starbucks).
Next, regular checkups. There have been times when I felt I couldn’t afford two hours out of my day to see a doctor. I’ve canceled many appointments over the years because I felt I needed to go to that client meeting (and then it would take me months to get the doctor visit back on the calendar). Now I realize that I can’t afford NOT to go to those appointments.
Finally, I’m trying to listen to my body. As hard as it is, I know that when I’m feeling sick or run down, I need to try to rest for a day. If something persists, hurts, looks weird, or just doesn’t feel right, get it checked out. I know that sounds obvious, but so often we let things go. Now, I think about my friend who has skin cancer.
I turned 36 on Sept. 11, and I’ll be getting married in less than two months. I want to have the energy to continue running Backup My Info! for years to come. My fiancé, Brad, and I have started getting up together at 5:30 in the morning to go on our “workout dates.” I’ve started running and even participated in a few road races in Central Park. The difference in my energy level and the way that I feel has been incredible. Now, I’m only slightly tired from getting up early to run.
My team is in on it, too. One of my engineers has lost almost 50 pounds. Now, we try to make smart choices when we order our lunches or buy snacks to keep in the office. Not only does everyone look great, I have noticed that they are getting sick less often and are more enthusiastic and energetic.
Having my own business has some great perks but it’s also about making sacrifices. I just know that my health can’t be one of those sacrifices anymore.
Jennifer Walzer is founder and chief executive of Backup My Info!, which is based in New York. You can also follow her on Twitter: @BackupMyIn
