Ever think about what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? For the thrill seeker, that may mean taking that big step over the edge for the ultimate rush. For the entrepreneurial minded, that may entail taking the risk of starting up and running their own business. But is there really a difference between the two? Wouldn't it be correct to say that to be an entrepreneur one has also got to be a risk taker or perhaps even a thrill seeker? What if you could run a business that was truly unique, no one else could duplicate, gives a return on investment directly proportional to the capital put in, and no one can ever be the boss but you? Certainly sounds like a good proposition and whether or not you think you're a risk taker or entrepreneurial minded, you're already deeply invested in a business. In fact, we are all in the same business together. Take a look in the mirror and you're looking right at that business. That business is our body, and unfortunately most of us take our bodies for granted. 

We generally live in the comfort of knowing we're supposed to get up in the morning, work/play all day, eat, go to sleep and then hit the repeat cycle. Only until something unplanned happens such as an illness do we start to recognize that something's not right and we take measures to counter the attack on our bodies in the hopes that it's not too late. Now step back for a moment and think, is that any way to run a successful business? React instead of strategize? Stumble instead of move forward? Go through the day-to-day motions without any real plan for what to do when things don't start going according to plan. Nothing in our life is a guarantee except that someday we will be closed for business.  How soon and how quickly our shop closes depends on a lot of things, but even the most successful businesses find a way of extending their tenure.

Take a look around. Things are bigger, bigger, and even bigger. Big stores, big cars, big business, big portion sizes — after all, it's the American way! You don't need to be a doctor, nutritionist or even a research scientist to figure out what's going on. Our society is expanding in every sense of the word and the only business that really suffers and struggles is our own. Health care costs are at an all time high with no indication of them ever coming down. The number of preventable illnesses rises each year as well as the amount spent on pharmaceutical drugs.  Furthermore, people seem to always be on the go and have little to show for it other than a lack of sleep, recurrence of illness, and being overwhelmingly stressed.  This formula coupled with an increasing level of physical inactivity and your business is operating in the red — not a formula for success and longevity. For those of you who crunch numbers or perhaps own your own business, perhaps a simple accounting analogy should set a clear image of the blunder America has purchased its way into.

For a moment, consider your body as a business. It costs money to run a business — you must purchase goods and services such as supplies, electricity, water, waste disposal, and of course, you must pay your employees. If your business doesn't bring in enough money to pay your expenses, including adequate money for you to make a living, the business will go bankrupt.  Your body is just like any business. In fact as previously stated, it’s purely unique because it’s a business no one else will ever have or ever have the chance to operate. The body has about 100 trillion cells, all of which are like little employees working for you around the clock. To keep your body running, it needs water, oxygen, and energy (calories) in the form of nutrition. The business of running a body can be a bit tricky though. While you may have unproductive employees in a business that you may want to lay off or terminate, you simply can't do that to your cells. If you don't supply your cells with adequate nutrition to repair them, they get sick, produce less, and start to die. If this goes on long enough, your business will go bankrupt and shop closes up. It’s really quite simple. So is the solution.

Running your body is a 24/7, 365 days a year business. Not all the days are going to be perfect and not all the days are going to be bad. A little bit of good here and a little bit of good there aren't going to work either.  Consistency is the key to success. Consistency in making healthier lifestyle decisions; consistency in better food choices; consistency in keeping physical activity a regular, not accessory, part of your schedule. Lack luster decisions lead to lack luster performance and outcomes.  And just as in business, a history of too many poor decisions will ultimately lead to a business going belly up. So what shape is your business in?