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Bill Brown
Mar 10, 2017

Exercise: The One Thing You Need To Be Successful

Exercise: The One Thing You Need To Be Successful

What do most all accomplished entrepreneurs and businessmen have in common? They all prioritize exercise, and they all consider it integral to their success. Working out is associated with mental strength, increased self-esteem, and a greater ability to be organized and stay focused. People like Cher, Warren Buffett and OKCupid founder Christian Rudder have long known that regular physical activity can provide you with up to four extra hours of productivity every day. Even former President Barack Obama, who became a devout runner as a young man, made time for 45 minute workouts before assuming his presidential duties. Working hard and working out go hand-in-hand, and here are five reasons why:

A Little Competition Is Good

It is often publicized that many Fortune 500 companies, including the likes of Google, Apple and Deloitte, have onsite exercise facilities. The reason is simple: making exercise easily accessible eliminates an excuse and encourages staff to use the facilities. In turn, this exercise makes everyone at the company sharper and more competitive, and therefore the company itself sharper and more competitive. Even “old world” companies like big banks and accounting firms are building exercise rooms into their new facilities. They know it leads to results.

Work can be frustrating, and it can be difficult to stay engaged when you get bogged down in the inevitable negative aspects—office politics, office gossip, etc… If you fall victim to this thinking, your career will suffer, so you’ll need to shake it up and find a way to relieve the stress. Regular exercise not only keeps you in the fight, but gets you working harder, better and smarter.

After all, if you want to be the best, you have to be your best self. So keep pushing yourself to climb and compete, both physically and mentally. As you do, you’ll see that the negative voices have less power. The naysayers will fall to the wayside as you regain control of your mood, your body, your career and your life. Don’t accept limitations. Keep working, and don’t give up — especially not on yourself.

It’ll Help You Stay Focused

After a long day of work, it’s tempting to crash in front of the TV and eat or drink your frustrations away. You worked hard and you may think you deserve it now, but have you asked yourself what you deserve in the long run? It can be hard to connect with your deeper needs when you’re always working or distracted. Personally, I am susceptible to a lack of focus that makes me jump from one thing to another.

Discipline is one of the best things about exercise: it puts your mind in contact with your body and makes them whole. Taking those few minutes out of your day to work out lets you do a assess what you really need. It’s the best way to break any destructive habits that stand in your way. It allows all the pressures of responsibility — and the desire for escape that goes with it — to slide away, replacing that pressure with a one-on-one conversation with yourself.

Knowledge is power, and knowing what you need makes you smarter, more resilient and better able to create better habits moving forward.

Schedules And Goals Set You Up For Success

It is no secret that Rhodes Scholars are among the most accomplished, organized and successful people in the world. Why? The Rhodes Scholar program at Oxford’s University takes the sports accomplishments of their candidates as seriously as they take the academic ones. Graduates of the University have well balanced lives, with both intellectual and physical accomplishments.

If you’re not already setting schedules for yourself, working out is a great way to build that habit. Set time aside and give yourself goals,, whether it’s losing weight or running a certain distance. Stick to it! Practicing discipline as you workout and seeing results will help you carry that into the office, creating professional checkpoints to work toward. Just don’t get frustrated if you don’t get the results you want right away. Results can take time. If you’re looking for help, I go into this deeper in my book, Strong is the New Skinny.

Increased Self-Esteem Makes You Stronger

Football great Michael Strahan once said, “We’re our own worst enemies. You doubt yourself more than anybody ever will. If you can get past that, you can be successful.”

Working out can not only decrease stress, but it teaches you that you can excel beyond the limitations you’ve set for yourself. It builds your body and mind into a sharper tool. Knowing and feeling that does wonders for your self-esteem. Switching gears from “I can’t” to “I can and I will” is an unbelievable change of perspective. Fully believing that allows you to overcome what you once thought was impossible.

You Learn To Work Smarter

We know corporate retreats are a great way to increase morale and team build. But something simpler to organize, like a pickup basketball game or company baseball game, can lead to similar results.

Having a regular commitment outside the office can be incredibly necessary. Just as you can burn out from over-exercise, you can hit a point of diminishing returns if you stay too late at the office. Scheduled or spontaneous workout time can help you make the most of your work time by keeping you aware that when it’s quitting time, it’s really quitting time. And it’s comforting to know that even if you’re not at work, you’re building a more focused, more productive you. Doing it with coworkers has the added benefit of bringing everyone together and maybe even solving a few problems on the court!

Remember, this advice is not about getting bikini-ready or becoming an Adonis. It’s about getting in shape so that you can tackle any challenge life throws at you. It’s about creating patterns in your life that bring about the best you possible. Give your body the attention it deserves, and your professional life will follow suit.

I help executives & entrepreneurs boost productivity through wellness.

CATEGORIES: Blog

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