Stress. One just can't avoid it. Whether it's time to close the deal between two parties, whether it's (in my case) finding time to make my calls (which would be in between the baby's nap and picking up my 6-year-old daughter from school), finding time to coordinate an interview, finding time to visit a client, finding time to keep up with the books & ledgers (if you're a contractor). I've had days where no one is satisfied or get rejection call after rejection call, and even the best salesperson will feel that effect; don't let anyone tell you "the stress doesn't bother me." Sure, I can agree that persistence is key to dealing with the stress.

And so is time for yourself.

Yes, we all know this. Stress, if you let it build up, can affect your immune system. But how many times do we really say to ourselves, "I'm taking time out for me" and then life gets in the way and we don't have time? I don't know about you, but I am up at 6 am (my 9-month-old son is my alarm clock these days), but if I get the slightest sore throat, it is so much harder to get out of that bed, and every day for work I needed to have my best face on, even on the phone.

So I tried this out for a month: I was doing a half hour of yoga variations Monday thru Saturday before the baby woke up. There were days I didn't want to get up, but I kept doing it. I developed a sore throat. Now, I usually get the full cold after that--the sneezing, non-stop coughing--for two weeks. But since I kept up the stretching and meditation even during my run-down time, I didn't get all the rest of that stuff. And soon, the sore throat went away (I'd say a couple of days).

I was so excited! This was a proactive way to beat getting sick, and in my case, I would get sick at least every month in winter...heck, even in summer (due to allergies).

Will I keep it up? Oh, I'm human, I'll probably get side-tracked, and then I'll catch a cold and remember exactly what I said here, and implement it again. It's a cycle, isn't it? But since I know the benefits of exercising versus NOT doing it will most likely urge me to keep it going. I'm simply sharing what may work for you, especially if you're sick of being sick. And in this industry, you just can't afford to be sick.