Many of us find deep meaning in our work. We value the time that we spend learning, growing and building our businesses. That said, while we love fitness—when we search within—we realize that fitness isn’t our top priority. Is that wrong? NOT AT ALL!

Fitness is meant to be the vehicle for us to live larger, more empowered lives. It’s the proverbial “tie that binds.” One of the most important facets of health and wellness is managing stress; as we lower our stress levels, our bodies stay younger, stronger and leaner. Many people make fitness a net stressor in their lives instead of utilizing it for its hugely positive impact, not only for their health, but also for their careers.

The key to balancing life and fitness is recognizing how fitness leads you to YOUR highest values. In the context of your career, when you have great energy, resilience, confidence, strength and perspective, you will more consistently ascend the business mountain. As you align your goals and values, you’ll realize that fitness provides you with the momentum you’ll need to conquer the boardroom.

Unfortunately, too many coaches and gyms place a stressful amount of emphasis on competing in the gym. While pushing yourself is a beautiful thing, competing day in and day out places a great deal of stress on your mind and body and can lead to a net loss of energy that you just can’t afford as you climb the ladder. You’ll find greater balance when you invest your energy into progressing your fitness not only for the sake of fitness, but also for the betterment of your life outside the gym.

Here are some examples of how two professionals used fitness to get the most out of their lives, in and out of the gym.

Dave:

An executive at a Fortune 100 company, Dave is in his early 50s, and his focus is on the next 20 years of his career. He doesn’t intend to retire right away, as he loves the work he does, and he still wants to grow and improve with each passing year.

In his initial consult with his coach, Dave mentioned that he’d been injured in the past and that his primary goal was to feel strong, happy and capable. His coach noticed that Dave spoke passionately about the business that he was in, so he asked him some deeper questions about how he’s been addressing fitness in the past. Dave told his coach that he was often “tweaked” in his body.  He just couldn’t stay healthy. He was burning the candle on both ends and his body felt like it was revolting.

Not wanting to put too much emphasis on the past, Dave’s coach started him out with a lot of structural strength work so that Dave FELT (and got) stronger almost immediately. It was in a controlled setting so that Dave didn’t feel worried about getting hurt. If Dave got hurt, he’d have to stop working, and that would devastate him.

Over the first few months of workouts, assessments and consultations, Dave’s coach zoned in more and more on Dave’s most important values. Dave’s total time in the gym actually dropped so that he could enjoy the balance of work, fitness and family. His time in the gym was focused and he loved it, but he felt progress without the fear of injury and that transitioned over into his job. It was fantastic to watch.

Dave now knows WHY he pursues fitness and is living a larger life daily!

Diane

Diane is a small business owner who has always loved connecting with people. An influencer in her community, she’s in her late 30s and has always been the “I’m-going-to-try-it-first-woman.” Whether it was yoga studios, spin studios, CrossFit® or a host of other options, Diane tried them all.

Unfortunately, Diane kept getting hurt. She’d be healthy for a few months and make progress, but then she would get hurt unintentionally again and again. She wanted so badly to be with her friends that she always returned to training too early before she was healed.  Diane had the right intentions, but constantly training too intensely and getting hurt not only hurt her “fun” factor but her business as well.

When Diane came in for her initial consult, she relayed this story to her coach. Her coach didn’t try to change everything right away; he helped her align her goals of growing her connections, as well as her business. He had her train while other people were also working out, but he prescribed a unique program that was designed to help her heal and build the strength she needed to learn the skills that allowed her to feel strong.  

It took a few months of honest conversations both on the gym floor and during Diane’s consultations, but soon Diane began to feel better and have fun in the gym. Her extra energy immediately proved valuable to her business; she was able to grow her business faster than she had in her other training programs.

Diane will never need another training program because she’s so happy with her coach and client relationship, and it shows in all aspects of her life.

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