Are you not at your peak for work or are you not as healthy as you'd like to be?
Last time I talked about the fact that exercising is good for not only your health but for your business, too. I couldn't fit everything I learned from the book into one post, so I'm breaking it down into two parts. If you've read part one, today's post will be packed with next steps. If you haven't read part one, you can head over here to learn more.
more tips on workplace wellbeing
We already know that exercise helps you stay focused, cope with stress and anxiety, and learn things more effectively. All these thing work together to improve your bottom line and your business. But the question is, what now? What type of exercise and how much? The author breaks it down into 3 simple things you can start with:
This is the first step. The author of SPARK suggests that you start with an hour a day of a brisk walk. Something just above the level of being able to walk and still carry on a conversation. In their studies, they start with 6 minutes and work all the way up to an hour so that exercise is increased gradually for the person involved. At this level your body begin to improve your mood and reverse some of the negative effects of lack of exercise and poor diet.
Once you feel confident in your walking regime, he suggests you move into jogging. Start again slow and work your way up to 30 minutes, then an hour. At this level your body is creating its own antioxidants, reducing stress levels, boosting metabolism, and a list of other amazing things. You're probably feeling and starting to look amazing, too!
If you've never run a day in your life, it can actually be dangerous for you to start out of the blue. Like many personal trainers, he suggests doing short bursts of sprints/intervals as part of your running routine after you've put some time in running and jogging. Back when I was at my fittest, my trainer had me on do the following:
Warm up walking 3 minutes
30 seconds sprinting
1 minute walking
45 seconds sprinting
1 minute walking
1 minute sprinting
1 minute walking
1 minute 30 seconds sprinting
Then everything in reverse, ending with another 3 minutes of walking
This may be too much for some, so again, consult a doctor, trainer and other health professional before trying this on your own. The interesting thing and difference between just walking and doing high intensity workouts is that "going beyond where you thought you could, sometimes transcends into a rarefied state of mind, in which you feel like you can conquer any challenge." Now imagine what THAT could do for your business/work!
Some of this may be a bit much to absorb, which is why I really suggest reading this book on your own. It's informative and might just give you the reasons you need to finally make exercise a staple in your life.
How important is exercise in your everyday life? Let us know in the comments below!
-Sayeh, The Office Stylist