“I think… a concern that many of us run into is we are playing as hard as we are working and it’s crushing our body,” says Olly Wood in today’s episode of Brilliant Thoughts. His knowledge and advice on the trifecta of physical, digestive and psychological health doesn’t just come from book smarts and research, but from a place of personal experience. After a motorbike accident that caused him to need multiple surgeries, he was forced to confront the realities of his life and the lack of care he was showing to himself, something he refers to as his “hit-by-a-truck moment.”
He and host Tristan Ahumada discuss the need to focus on what’s important in our lives instead of only looking at what’s urgent. Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and salespeople in particular have trouble taking the time to not only engage in wellness activities, but to do so with the knowledge of how it will help them instead of just looking at it as another checkbox on their list.
“The main shift that I’ve focused on with a lot of these business owners is [that] your health can either be a liability or an asset to your business,” Wood says. If you don’t focus on maintaining your health, you’ll only end up dealing with your own “hit-by-a-truck moment.” Equally harmful, however, is the other end of the spectrum—an “all-or-nothing” attitude which demands unattainable perfection. Instead of expecting to plan around a two-hour block of exercise each day, Wood discusses the importance of finding 10-minute pockets that allow you to take a break from your computer.
Wood also shares how to create a plan for your health and well-being, tips for deep breathing and beginning to make changes in your life and how our physical, digestive and psychological health all affect each other—and, in turn, our ability to function.
Olly Wood, founder of The Meta Project, got his start in the trenches of the health world as a personal trainer in a big box gym. After 7 years of working with primarily high-performing business owners he saw the extent to which stress, inflammation, and a lack of focus on recovery was ruining any progress they were making, and, worse still, was leaving them burnt out and unproductive mentally as well. Find him on Instagram at @ollywoodnz.
Brilliant Thoughts with Tristan Ahumada is no longer releasing new episodes on the SUCCESS Podcast Network, but you can still listen to the full conversation below.
