Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing colors, the days are getting shorter, and people are settling in for the Winter. (At least in the Northern Hemisphere).
While we are settling in at work for the last quarter of the calendar year we have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all sneaking up on us. Which means all that exercise and all the outdoor activities you did over the summer are going to be put in jeopardy. At least in terms of your general fitness level.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” ~Buddha
What does staying fit have to do with your career? your brand? your reputation?
Well, besides the obvious things like energy level and stamina there are also elements to maintaining your fitness that relate to what you might be known for. In my case a lot of people know I am an avid mountain biker. Which has sparked a lot of conversations. I also have a standing offer to take anyone that is interested out for a ride. Which has led to people coming to ride with me from Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Canada, and many places across the USA.
As Lance Armstrong said “It’s not about the bike” – this is also true on these rides. They have led to great conversations, stronger relationships and even more business.
It doesn’t matter whether you ride bikes. It matters that you have an interest outside of work and something you are passionate about. It can also be something you invite others to participate, but that’s not always necessary.
It doesn’t really matter what you do. Just getting outdoors, or indoors if the weather is too frightful, and doing something is the critical factor. If you can invite others too, great. If not, that’s OK. The fact that you are getting out and doing something is all that matters.
It can be anything
Whether it’s kickball, wallyball or volleyball … just getting out and doing something for 30-60 minutes on a regular basis is all it takes.
Harvard Medical School, participating in 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on a regular basis can help you control your body weight and combat excess abdominal fat.
Even if it’s something more serene like gardening or golf.
Irony Alert: Gardening can take a lot of effort. If you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do you might have a serious effort coming up with all the leaves coming down. Raking leaves is hard work and can count for much more than your 30 minutes a day of exercise. If raking leaves makes you happy. Do it!
Find your release
When you find something that takes your mind off work and allows you to release all that pent up energy from using your brain all day you’ll find that you can be much more engaged and perhaps even more effective when you do get back to work.
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
Figure out what makes you feel alive. Think about what you can’t wait until you get a chance to do again and again. Plan for it and do it.
What will you do first?
Author:
Jeff is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.
