Every entrepreneur is driven by strong passion, focus and a desire for great achievement throughout every stage of the business. Its also easy for them to forget about their health whilst pursuing their dreams. As a crafts entrepreneur and blogger I know how easily one can get wrapped up in trying to stay up late to meet orders, take photos and meet deadlines for stocking shops that its so easy to forget about your health. Some jobs are more sedentary than others for eg. coding and photography. But both still expose the business owner to serious health risks which if not decapitated in the early stages can lead to chronic illnesses and even death. Some of these health risks are listed below:

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Some entrepreneurs are involved in works which involve having to sit for long periods of time or being in awkward positions. Lets think of the photographer, blogger, developer, artist, crafter, sculptor.  Its either they sit for long sessions editing or writing or are bent in an awkward position trying to capture the perfect photo or image. At the end of the day, their backs, necks, arms, eyes and fingers feel achy, painful and strained.  Numerous researches done indicates that the longer you sit at work the more you expose your body to musculoskeletal injuries which in simple English means injuries affecting your ligaments, nerves, tendons , muscles and whatever else that goes to support your limbs. If you are experiencing ; stiffness or pain from joints and inability to straighten or bend those joints,  aches and pains, tenderness, stiffness, weakness, tingling, numbness, cramp and swelling to the muscles of your arms or your neck then get yourself checked by a physiotherapist. You are aren’t getting any younger you know.

Hypertension

Entrepreneurs work longer hours than an employee who does the regular 8-5 and enjoys another regular 8 hours of sleep. Sleeping less to work on customer orders or producing enough for a fair sales increases an entrepreneurs stress level. High stress levels are risk factors which  goes to  increase blood pressure as you rush around chasing delaying suppliers and contractors. Drinking or smoking away the pressure will not help either . Have regular check-ups on your blood pressure to avoid a lifetime of taking pills.

Abdominal Obesity

It’s no secret that most entrepreneurs have late night eating habits. Ask any entrepreneur you know and tell me what their response was. ‘Working late forces me to eat late’ is usually their response  whenever I query the ever increasing size of their bellies.  Eating in this case refers to Banku and Tilapia, Fried yam with pork, rice, yam, etc. A lot of carbs! Here in Ghana, a man with a huge pot-belly is called or seen as a rich man by family and friends, whether in jest or in seriousness. The bigger your stomach, the heavier your bank account. And very often the common comment is , ‘Ei, you are looking well oh!’ That mindset is slowly changing. This fallacy is costing us the men in our lives. In women, abdominal obesity is usually caused by menopause as more of the belly fat moves downwards to the abdomen. Complications of obesity from this article lists diabetes, stroke, erectile dysfunction and sexual health issues as some of the issues arising from having a pot belly.

These health risks are real, you may be young as an entrepreneur now but the earlier you nip these in the bud, the better for your business, family and yourself.