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KLM Empowered

Train yourself to be an executive athlete

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:51

By Lyn Mansour

It is time to take time out and re-evaluate your own training. A racehorse is asked to perform once a week, sometimes only once a month. His trainer spends the time in between gearing him for the big day, taking him through his paces, slowly building his stamina, monitoring his diet, and ensuring that all the right aspects are in place for that single burst of energy required on race day. Most importantly he needs to rest in between.

The reality is that as business person you probably fall from one day to the next, plugging holes, rushing to get the task at hand done and expending all your energy at once. Leaving you exhausted at periods in the day when you are meant to perform and possibly in no mood to spend time with the family when you get home because you are asleep on the couch at nine, that is if you are even home by then.

Having worked with many executives who have fallen into this trap I often tell them to take the time out to evaluate their own mental and physical training. It is a process that needs to be undertaken, and if done can ensure you have energy when it is needed and can better perform when required.

The first step is acknowledging that you don’t have to function optimally every minute of every day. Rather assess when you need to perform at your peak, and then work towards that point. Take time out to analyse what aspects of your day or your week will require more from you and set small goals for yourself then work towards these milestones.

Perhaps taking a longer lunch with a colleague today when you know you have to deliver a report by the end of the week is not that unrealistic. It will give you time to store energy, and then perform better when you need to.

It is hard to adjust to the notion that you don’t have to operate like a machine, but when the adjustment is made you can start packing more into a day, knowing that when you are required to engage into sixth gear you are mentally and physically prepared to do so. Save your energy for race day.

It is all about discipline. The same way the trainer of a racehorse needs to follow a routine to ensure that the horse he is working on is performing at his peak. Racehorses that are prepared, fit and have the stamina, recover quicker and execute their task better.

The human body, like a racehorse or an athlete, works within a fine balance. And it is a balance that we often ignore in our plight to get the job done. Diet and exercise play a critical part of your training and cannot be overlooked.

A stress coach will tell you to get to the gym, or hit the tarmac running every day if you can. The endorphins you release when working out help you better cope with your day as they create a finer balance in your body and ultimately give you more energy.

Conversely it is important for mental stamina too. How often do you take time out for yourself and think? Being alone gives you time to mull over decisions that need to be made at work and at home and give you better clarity to make calculated choices.

By making the time for physical well being you can inadvertently be making time for mental health too. Nothing quite beats the time spent alone on a treadmill, in the pool, on a bicycle, or hitting the road.

The stroke and heart attack statistics in South Africa are staggering and the age at which these are happening is getting younger and younger. You simply can’t afford not to take a time out once a week to plot where you yourself are allowed to shift down a gear.

Performance and wellness go hand in hand. If your body and mind are working optimally you are naturally going to work better, at home and at work. This is good not only for you but for your employer and your family, and employers know this and encourage it where they can so take advantage of the time out they are willing to give you.

There is no better time to embrace this as now, as the adage goes: Time and tide wait for no man. So act now and start training your body and mind to better meet each race held around the boardroom table – knowing you are giving it your best.