Eat Better, Lead Better: How You Eat May Impact How You Lead
It is easy to fall into a fast food mindset. In retail, especially as Store Managers or District Managers, days are full and jammed packed with activity. It is easy to believe that we don’t have enough time to eat. So, Door Dash seems like the answer. Or the easiest access fast food place in the shopping center. I lived that for years. You end up eating purely for convenience and not for your health. Healthy eating is always a trend at the beginning of a new year, but I also see more and more people becoming more conscious about what they eat all-year long. Heathy lifestyles are something more and more people are taking notice of, not as a diet fad or trend, but a way of life. What we eat affects so many other parts of our lives. Our ability to lead is one of the most impacted elements driven by our health.
Here, I would like to explore what impact different food choices can have on our cognitive abilities as well as our mood. How we think and how we act are essential foundations for how we lead. You may be surprised how food choices can impair decision-making or how we engage with those around us. I was shocked to see the impact that it had on me and my body last year.
Your Diet Has Big Effects
Last year I was suffering from a painful back situation. It had all the symptoms of sciatica. I was visiting a chiropractor regularly, doing different stretches, adjusting other exercise routines simply because I was in pain. I visited multiple doctors, and the only solution that was offered beyond what I was doing at the time, was to get a cortisone shot into my lower back and hip joint. That sounded like zero fun, not to mention a little risky, and I knew it would only provide temporary relief. I was starting to think I may have to accept this as something I’d have for the rest of my life. At the same time, I was really challenging myself to engage differently with my team. There were signs of malaise and some feelings of being stuck in a rut, so I wanted to shake things up a bit. One thing I had realized at the time was that those same issues had made it easy for me to rationalize some of my poor eating habits. I was letting a lot of sugar make its way back into what I chose to eat. And, after really getting into a cocktail habit, I was consistently drinking more than I usually would (more over time than in a sitting). In other words, I never drank a lot in a single sitting, but I was drinking cocktails much more frequently than before. I wanted to try new mixes and combinations, and that required sampling. Anyway, the point was, I had let go of what I knew was impacting my diet and how I felt.
I made a change. I began logging food intake again, cut out alcohol entirely for a month (and still only have a drink or two a month right now) and watched what I ate. I became much more disciplined about eating low carb, higher protein foods, and maintaining a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. Not only did a lot of weight start coming off (mostly water weight), but I began to feel much better. My mood was brighter, I had more energy, and I just felt happier in general. The biggest physical change, though, was my back. It was clearly getting better. The pain was subsiding, I could exercise longer and with more vigor. Two months after making this transition, I was in a place I started to do a little running again. I was shocked. This was a tremendous win and a big relief for sure. Almost certainly the change in diet reduced inflammation in my body, especially in my lower back, and relieved the nerve pain I was feeling in my back and radiating down my legs. It was such a wake-up call to the importance of what I was eating and drinking. Every bit of research supported this conclusion.
In these next two sections, I want to just touch on the high-level impacts of food and your mood, as well as your cognitive skills. These are meant to be introductions to the topics, as something we will explore more in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll also add some links to the end of this article if you want to continue your own research sooner versus later.
How Diet Affects Your Mood
Believe it or not, what you eat affects your mood and how you act. Being ‘hangry’ is a real thing, not just something from a commercial. We all know that how the leader’s mood goes, so does the team (remember you’re a leader too, we’re not just talking about your boss). What you eat impacts the neurotransmitters in your body and will generate feelings of well-being and happiness, or not. Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants from fruits and veggies will help maintain consistent levels of the neurotransmitter production. That keeps you more level-headed, friendlier, and helps to manage stress as well. All things that will boost mood and ultimately productivity for the entire team.
Balance is the key here (and you’ll see with everything). You want steady stores of things like glucose, and most vitamins and minerals, versus spikes. Drinking a highly caffeinated soda with lots of sugar is usually a recipe for bad things in multiple ways. We’ve all felt the sudden boost of energy that can actually make it harder to concentrate and think, and just as quickly feel the crash that comes after that. Now you’ve amped yourself up for a short period and then feel like you’ve been hit by a truck the next. That will not help you or those around you.
How Your Diet Impacts Your Cognitive Skills
The commonality across any of these is taking a balanced approach and doing things in moderation. Eating too much or too little can have a significant impact on how you think and process information. Being dehydrated in more extreme cases can have similar effects to being drunk. Same with lack of sleep. Staying hydrated is important for a multitude of reasons. Needs vary based on each individual and your activity levels, but the adage of eight glasses a day is probably a minimum need for most semi-active leaders. If you’re a Store Manager constantly walking around your building and interacting with people, you’re going to need more hydrating liquids than someone sitting behind a desk all day. Here, I would encourage you to do some research to find out the right amount of water or other ‘good’ hydrating liquids you require. Coffee, soda, and even many of the sports drinks are not the best source for hydrating. Many contain a lot of sugar or other ingredients that work against you instead of helping. When in doubt, stick with water.
Nutrition plays a vital role in stress management, with certain foods helping to regulate stress hormones. A well-nourished leader is better equipped to handle pressure, make sound decisions, and guide the team through busy periods. The roles we play are complex and demanding. Providing the right sources of nourishment to your body can help you lead more effectively and support your team better. Plus, you will feel better, stronger, and healthier along the way. The better you eat, the better you lead.
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