The Executive Athlete

Why work out?

Very few of us seriously compete past high school or college.

Why do it? why sevote the hours to training? What's the payoff?

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz posit “executives can perform successfully even if they smoke, drink and weigh too much, or lack emotional skills or a higher purpose for working. But they cannot perform to their full potential or without a cost over time—to themselves, to their families, and to the corporations for which they work.”

Loehr and Schwarts tested thousands of execs and found that in order “to perform at high levels over the long haul [execs) would have to train in the same systematic, multilevel way that world-class athletes do. [Loehr & Schwartz] tested the model on thousands of executives. Their dramatically improved work performance and their enhanced health and happiness confirm the initial hypothesis.”

So, in effect, working out dramatically increased the productivity, happiness and earning potential of the 99% of us who go pro in something other than sports.

Not just pro athletes.

Everyone is an athlete. Every job, Every walk of life comes with a stress on the body. For basketball players it's sore knees and twisted ankles; for office workers it could be rounded shoulders and poor posture from too many hours at a desk.

Or back pain resulting from executive stress.

Your job has a physical effect on your body and everyone's body is tired after a long day at the office, be it a boardroom, a school room, or court (tennis, basketball, or legal). The evidence suggests that hitting the weight room, or the yoga mat, or the track, preps your body to better manage that allostatic load.

So let me get this straight: Working.out makes you stronger, happier, healthier, better looking aaaaaand makes you better at your job.

And all this is backed by Peer reviewed science.

But it's expensive. Gym memberships and training sessions… how can I afford it?

How can you not?