Body & mind

If we consider formal education our preparation for the “world of work”, I believe it only goes part of the way. Firstly, I’m a believer in experiential ‘on-the-job’ learning, much less convinced that sitting with your nose in a textbook or in front of a screen, offers much more than develop the ability to memorise and regurgitate facts, but that’s a thought for another day. For me, to be successful in any field, takes investment in the body and mind.

I’ll admit I’m not much use to anyone if I’ve been neglecting my exercise, I feel awful physically, and mentally disappointed that I’ve let myself down. I’ve always been a sporty person, and it’s something that developed my competitiveness from an early age, but as I’ve gotten older, I realise how vital my daily exercise is in all aspects of my life.

Running multiple businesses across different time-zones is one thing, doing it with your husband and his relentless work ethic and drive is another. Throw a couple of kids, ?three dogs, plus a social life into the mix, and it becomes more of a military operation, but that’s how I like it. There’s so many incredible things to experience in the World and I want to do it all, so I put in the effort to make sure I’m up for it.

I’ve got friends who look at an hour in the gym as selfish, but I couldn’t disagree more. Committing to be the best version of yourself, benefits everyone around you, especially your family. Not only do I feel better in myself by prioritising my fitness and health, but I have more energy, more motivation, and I do some of my best thinking whilst putting in the miles on my watt bike. Without exercise, my patience definitely dips, and I've been told by Graeme or the kids to go for a cycle on more than one occasion.

Running businesses with my husband is great, it just works for us, but even after an eight (or twelve!) hour day, I’m not looking to rush of to the gym to escape his company. We work fitness into our daily routine, and complete a daily 8km power walk around the Marina where we live. This early morning ‘walk n talk’ gets us focussed on the day ahead, lets us plan what we need to do, help each other work through any problems, and often lets us vent about any issues (people walking past must think we’re nuts!).

For me, it’s essential. Success in anything, including business takes commitment, and stamina. It’s a marathon not a sprint and requires a sharp mind AND a healthy body. The benefits of physical fitness in the workplace are vast, and more emphasis should be placed on it.

Just for yourself, write down the things you’ve done this week, or month to develop yourself and split it into two columns, body and mind. Is it balanced? Are you happy with it? And what are you going to do about it?

Although some days I really can't be bothered, I've made a commitment, so I'll stick to it and get it done.