Layoff Lesson 5 – Be the Healthiest Version of Yourself

Full disclosure – I am not in the running for being on the cover of Men’s Health. More to the point, I am not much in to running and I have been hitting the Oreos way to hard. But universal truths are universal truths regardless of the source, so here we go: live a healthy lifestyle starting now.

About sixty days before getting laid off I started making small adjustments to my lifestyle: cutting out empty calories, cutting out fast foods, and exercising. I had lost ten pounds by the time I was laid off. I still have a long way to go to be at a healthy weight but losing those ten pounds had already given me a boost that I believe has helped me in multiple ways.

An outlet for stress. When I start to feel stressed and overwhelmed (which is more than I would like to admit), I am able to go for a walk or a run. Being in moderately-okay shape allows me to turn to a healthy outlet for dealing with stress instead of my old standby which was stress eating. 90 days ago, a walk or run around the block would have been its own stressful event as I sucked wind in front of all the neighbors. Going through a career transition and being able to jog for a couple of miles after an interview or in the morning has been vital to clearing my head and maintaining a positive attitude.

More energy. A run in the morning wakes me up and helps me feel revitalized. I have more energy throughout the day. I am better equipped to endure the stressors of a day looking for a job. It takes a surprising amount of energy to search for jobs, revise cover letters and resumes, talk to recruiters, answer LinkedIn messages, etc. A little exercise in the morning helps me power through.

Routine is everything. Not having a job means not having my normal routine. My biggest concern for being laid off was wasting time. I did not want to lose a moment sleeping in or binging on Netflix. My approach to finding my next job was to treat unemployment like a job. I am determined to put in at least an eight-hour day, plan my days to maximize my effectiveness, build a strategy, and execute on that strategy. Kicking the day off with some exercise helps me get a jump on the day. It has always been easy for me to roll out of bed and onto a couch to scroll through Facebook or Instagram, and I wanted to be sure that as soon as I had taken the kids to school I was at my computer and ready to rock and roll.

Chronic health issues are expensive. I worked for three years in the mortgage industry and chronic health issues were generally one of two underlying reasons that created financial instability in a household. Life is tough and people get sick and have health issues but living the healthiest version of yourself is important in keeping your health costs down as you age.

Financial independence. Most of the individuals that I meet that are interested in real estate are motivated to achieve a level of financial independence. Being healthy means that you can take advantage of the financial independence you have worked so hard achieve. Once you can quit the daily grind you probably want to travel, spend time playing catch with kids or grandkids, etc. Being the healthiest version of yourself helps ensure that you give yourself plenty of time to check those adventures off the bucket list.

Confidence. Losing weight feels great. Being in shape feels great. Going on my three-mile run and setting a new personal best or adding on an extra mile to a run without collapsing at the end is a big win. Winning is important, especially after a big loss. Winning builds momentum, boosts confidence, and sets you up to conquer new and bigger challenges. Exercise also gives you control over part of your day and your body. In times when many things feel out of control, exercise is a great outlet for finding your center of gravity.

When large life events occur, it takes the locus of control away from us which can lead to a lot of negative emotions like fear and anger. Exercise helps bring that locus of control back to you. It can serve as a regulator for positive and negative emotions, and exercise helps you gain control of your day because it is a positive event that you get to control (see the ‘Make your Bed’ speech from Admiral McRaven).