Why is Breakfast Part of a Very Important Business?
September is better breakfast month. If you’re a successful business owner, chances are that you eat a healthy breakfast no matter what month it is. But what could breakfast possibly have to do with being a successful entrepreneur?
Breakfast is important for your brain
Most Americans think of food as fuel for the body … but it’s also key for the brain. High-quality food helps your body and your brain fuel up for work. Whether that’s the “thinky” work you do in your business, your daily gym or exercise session, or anything that requires energy.
Processed, over-fatty and over-sugary food are known causes for inflammation in the body. Inflammation doesn’t just wreak havoc on your cardiovascular, immune, and other “body” systems, though. It can also affect your brain. Poor nutrition is also linked to the misfolding of proteins that cause plaques associated with neurological diseases like Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s, and the like.
Here in the US (and elsewhere in the West) we tend to think of the brain and body as two different systems. But they’re not. One doesn’t function without the other, science-fiction authors and certain billionaires notwithstanding. If it’s good for your brain, it’s good for your body. And vice versa.
It’s a two-way street between brain and body: your brain does send top-down signals, but your body also sends a lot of information back up. Treating yourself as a whole organism instead of arbitrarily cutting it into two independent systems is more accurate – and helps ensure that you get the right kinds of unproductive time in that boosts your productivity.
As a business leader, you’re doing a lot of “thinky” work
No matter what kind of business you run, you’ve still got to use your brain. Putting together your business strategies, determining whether or not you need to hire another employee, figuring out how you’ll reach your next milestone in terms of revenue or profit -- all require a healthy brain in good working order.
You’ve got plenty of decisions to make every day. Thinking through the consequences of each action and determining which path you want to take is best done with a clear head that’s functioning at its best.
Nutrition is the first line of defense for a healthy brain. Good food helps it work optimally, though there are lots of other things that are good for it, such as exercise and play.
Nutrition is critical for productivity
Want to get more accomplished in any given day? Working with your brain instead of fighting it is the best way to boost your efficiency, as I’ve written about before. For example, doing your “thinky work” at the time your brain is best able to tackle it, leaving admin and emails and other tasks for different times of the day.
But a tired brain that doesn’t get enough rest, oxygenated blood (from exercise), and nutrition isn’t a productive brain. First it wants to get energy, so it might direct you towards sugary treats for a quick boost of energy that will let you down later.
If you’re dependent on coffee or energy drinks to get through the day, your brain isn’t working optimally. Getting a good breakfast (as well as other meals throughout the day) helps you fill up your productivity tank so you can get the most out of each 24 hours.
Feel like you need another hour or two each day? Maybe it’s because you can’t get everything done in the morning that you need or want to. It could be that you’re not waking up at the right time for your sleep chronotype, or that you’re not going to bed early enough … or that you’re tired because you’re not feeding yourself in the right way for mental and physical health. (It could also be a combo of one or more of these things.)
Nutrition is one of those “unproductive” issues that are actually necessary for making the most out of every workday. If it’s good for the brain, it’s good for productivity!
Recap:
Your brain is a huge factor in business success and productivity. Treat it right (one thing it needs is good food!) and feel less tired and accomplish more in your business.