Become a corporate athlete

Professional athletes work extremely hard to be good at what they do. Sometimes training for hours a day.

They also have scheduled rest, recovery and focus on food, hydration, and sleep. They take supplements and have massages to assist in their goal.

In the business world, wouldn’t you want your top executives looking after themselves at the most optimal level?

Operating everyday without quality food, hydration, time to self, movement and sleep certainly does not allow us to be in top form.

A lot of top corporate people I work with are extremely good at what they do but have few self-care routines in place and their day can look like this:

• Skip breakfast

• Long meetings

• Boozy lunches or takeaway meals

• Poor sleep

• Busy minds

• Too much coffee

• Lack of movement

• Sitting behind computers for hours at a time

This is defiantly a recipe for burnout, lack of focus, concentration, creativity, enthusiasm and motivation.

If I were paying a lot of money to have high-flyer staff I would require them not only to understand optimal health routines but also to practise them.

A question to ask is: “How much high quality energy do you put into looking after yourself?”

This requires many components. It also requires habits and routine just like brushing your teeth. Otherwise, as soon as a bit of stress is thrown into the mix, the looking after self goes out the window.

Corporations have the most to gain by building healthy environments. Wellness programmes in the workplace are a real investment and a win-win situation. With the correct knowledge, your team can make the right decisions to live well and have sustained energy.

It’s the hundreds of little things we do every day that transforms our health.

Workplace potluck lunches are a great way to share the cost and the burden as well as building strength and connection in your workforce. Team up with workmates to exercise before work, lunchtime or after work.

Improve the quality of food at meetings; instead of sugary biscuits and pastries provide fresh real food!

Develop incentives for employees to participate in these programmes.

Ideas for great self-care

The harder and longer we work the more essential it is to have the ability to shut off busy minds through meditation, diaphragmatic breathing and resting so we can repair and recover.

It is also important to take regular breaks through the day, especially from sitting at a computer.

To perform at your best, routines should consist of balanced high quality meals 4-5 times daily. Minimise sugars, alcohol, cigarettes and cigars. Consistent sleep times means early to bed and early to rise; bodies love routine.

Quality movement should consist of functional strength training at least 2-3 times a week – cardio and intervals can be included in this. With the right education and skill making, this doesn’t have to be separate and take a lot of time.

Having a stretch and mobility programme that is designed to address your muscular imbalances is essential for long-term structural health and being pain free. This can be achieved through having a postural and orthopedic assessment.

Michelle Owen is a corporate health and wellness speaker, a CHEK practitioner and Holistic lifestyle coach
www.michelleowen.co.nz