Pushups And Leadership:
It Pays To Be In Shape
“Heavy lies the head that wears the crown,” Shakespeare wrote in Henry IV Part II, referring to the burdens of leadership. Today we might add backaches, stress, tension and heart problems to Shakespeare’s headache.
We have no evidence that Henry IV ever followed a fitness regime, but it’s a safe bet that you put “getting into shape” on your New Year’s resolutions list. Just to help you maintain today’s level of commitment, I asked a few experts in the field why it’s important for us to be in shape – especially if we indeed wear that heavy crown of leadership.
Leslie Shuffleton, former U.S. National Women’s Rowing Team and owner of Desert Fitness Group in Palm Desert, Calif., discusses how and why to hire a personal trainer with ABC Radio host Bob Hardt. Courtesy: Desert Cities Business Report. www.desertfitnessgroup.com
“Being fit gives you the feeling of being strong, invulnerable, having mental fortitude…being tough,” Hans-Peter Veit, fitness director at Brenners Park Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Germany, told me in an email. Veit oversees the fitness programs designed for the hotel’s clients, many of whom participate in medically-related heath evaluations at Brenner’s recently-renovated Villa Stephanie Spa.
“We are living in a world of multitasking,” he says. “It is hard to really focus on one thing only, and due to this, we are less productive, nervous and stressed. It is definitely the stress factor executives want to alleviate. Being in shape will enable us to cope better with modern stress elements. Physical fitness can help us increase our mental strength, staying cool, knowing that we can manage almost everything.”
Human Sustainability
Nerio Alessandri, founder and CEO of Technogym, the Italian wellness company and maker of the fitness industry’s premier line of workout equipment, goes even further. “Human sustainability is not possible without healthy people,” he told me in an interview for this blog. “If we have healthy, fit people, we have a healthy planet. It’s a kind of global ‘wellness economy’ that impacts society.”
Indeed, there are some correlations between fitness and wealth – not just in the corporate environment but geographically and socially as well. Data from the Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI) was charted against information from the American Fitness Index (AFI) in an article by Richard Florida in CityLab shows a direct correlation between being fit and having higher income, more education, and better job. And it turns out, at least in the U.S., you are more likely to find fit people in wealthy metropolitan areas rather than in the country or in manual labor jobs, holding college degrees and more often than not working in so-called “creative jobs.”
But no matter where you live and what you do, you can follow a fitness regime. However, it takes time, patience, and “It will not work without discipline, force and endurance,” says Veit. But you don’t need a big buildup to getting fit. “The absolute best way to start is now and on a daily base,” he says. “Daily means daily, even if it is only 30 minutes a day… There is no one in the world who does not have this 30 minutes a day, no one! It is a matter of priorities.”
And don’t negotiate with yourself over the routine, or listen to that wee small voice in your head that says “stay on the couch.”
Veit continues: “The best way to survive the three first weeks is to liaise with a friend or partner, work out together, on a daily basis.” Or if you have the budget you can join a gym and hire a personal trainer. Then all you have to do is show up and do what you’re told.
If you’d still rather go it alone, Veit suggests following his rule of “five.” Have five exercises you can do anywhere: at home, in a hotel room, outdoors; routines that need no special equipment, just your own resolve to do them: squats, pushups, sit-ups,the bridge, the plank, for example.
“Running shoes fit in every suitcase or carryon bag,” points out Veit, “and you can find a road or trail anywhere.” Today it’s not unusual to see people running along city streets.
Veit himself is a former athlete. For him, being fit is more than physical. “I truly believe that it is essential that the “workout” is for all the senses: feeling the power of muscles, heart and lungs, but also for the beauty, silence or nature around you. This is the basis to regain energy, to create a healthy body and a healthy mind, and to find inner peace.”
Source: forbesforbes
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
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