[esessoms]

I realize this is just having fun, but I'm often reading this-or-that to the effect that startups are bad for your health. And, I just don't get it. Or rather, I suppose, I expect that anyone who thinks startups are bad for your health has never worked for corporate america.

Working a job was the worst thing I ever did for my health. Now that I'm at a startup, I get plenty of sleep and exercise and eat healthy, home-cooked vegetarian meals. And the stress involved in working for myself is so much less that that of working for a PHB... I could never go back.

In the last two years, I've lost 50 pounds. I recently completed my first century. I'm in the best shape of my adult life. I sincerely attribute all this to being my own boss and setting my own schedule. Am I really the only one who finds the startup life superior???

[SwellJoe]

It's a balance thing. A lot of startup founders get into bad habits--all-nighters because they've just gotta launch that new feature (which they rush into production, it breaks everything, and then they have to stay up even longer to roll it back, or fix the problems), eating nothing but ramen and cheap takeout, because they imagine cooking takes too long (though I've found making simple meals at home is more time-effective, generally), etc. Everything takes a back seat to working, which I think is counter-productive. You can't sustain that kind of thing, and when you burn out, you'll burn out hard. If you don't sell the company within the "candle at both ends" phase (however long you can maintain that), you'll hit a brick wall and slow to a crawl for a while (you'll also probably look back on your code and wonder WTF you were thinking).

In short, I agree. You probably should view having your own company as an opportunity to live right, rather than an excuse to live terribly. Maximizing health and happiness is probably not a bad way to work towards success, as long as "happiness" does not involve lots of vacations and living beyond your (probably very limited) means.

[mattmaroon]

Those bad habits would probably exist for most of those people no matter where they worked. Startup founders are a tiny portion of the overall population and in my relatively small, unscientifically counter sample don't appear to suffer any more from obesity than the rest of the population.

Obesity comes from people allowing themselves excuses. "I'm not going to work out today because I have to get this code shipped" would just as easily become "I'm going to just eat at McDonalds today because I have to get home to take the kids to baseball practice" if they switched professions/lifestyles.

[mattmaroon]

I second that. Lost 25 lbs this year. Working from home gives me the ability to make my own food and therefore take complete control of my diet.

[Goladus]

I didn't have any trouble staying in shape at my previous corporate job. Although the sitting around all day was really bad, it wasn't too hard to get into a daily routine that included 2 hours in the gym. Diet was only a problem until I found a place nearby that sold huge subs for $3, for whenever I didn't prepare my own lunch.

Sickness (eg influenza), alcohol, and lost sleep have had a far greater impact than work of any kind. YMMV though, I've never been overweight in my life and have never been a heavy/frequent drinker. Ultimately I think it depends on how you manage time and whether you prioritize exercise and diet.

[randallsquared]

"And the stress involved in working for myself is so much less that that of working for a PHB... I could never go back."

I found this to be exactly the reverse in my case. Even when the company I work for has problems with payroll, the stress is trivial compared to the stress of running my own business. I'm working an 8-5 job right now after years of startup/small-business life, and ~45 hours a week feels like a constant vacation.

[swombat]

Absolutely agree. My health has gotten quite a bit better since I started my own business.