From the Desk of Janet Barclay

The Online International Virtual Assistants Convention was this weekend, and it was excellent! It was a little tiring, even though I was able to attend from the comfort of my home office, but it was worth it, for both learning and networking opportunities. I learned so much that I would like to share with my readers, but I thought I would start with this topic, since it ties in with my recent posting, Kick Start Your Day. 

Gillian Hood-Gabrielson of Healthier Outcomes delivered a presentation called "Grow Your Business, Not Your Waistline!" which began with a discussion of how proper nutrition and exercise can save you money. When you are self-employed, no one is going to pay you for sick days or time off for medical appointments, yet despite this fact, so many of us are not eating properly or feel we can’t take time away from work for exercise.

Gillian teaches a system called "intuitive eating" which is based on the theory that our bodies know what we need, so rather than obsessing over calories, carbs, and points, we should listen to our bodies and eat when we’re hungry and stop when we are satisfied.

Other recommendations she offered for busy home-based business owners included:

• take time on weekends to prepare food for the rest of the week
• go for a networking walk instead of lunch
• walk around while on the telephone, if you don’t have to be reading or writing notes
• use exercise time for continuing education, by reading business books (if you are using exercise equipment) or listening to audio classes

Gillian is currently offering a free report called "6 Simple Steps for Guilt Free Eating" to anyone who signs up for her Healthier Outcomes newsletter, so if you’re interested in learning more, you may wish to sign up.