Work-Life Balance Rule #1: Caring for Your Temple
When I see a story like this, I’m filled with admiration for the determination that’s needed for that level of health and fitness at that age. The man in this story is 101 years old, and he’s the oldest man to ever finish an official marathon, or a 26.2 mile race.
My father is also on the marathon path. He’s currently looking to run his very first marathon in December. This fills me with admiration as well – although there’s some annoyance as well. You see, I’m not confident that I could outpace him in a run of that length, and I do have my issues with pride from time to time.
I, on the other hand, take a more varied approach to fitness. In the years following my NCAA baseball career, I have:
- Run 6 half marathons,
- Lived as a part-time yoga instructor,
- And completed P90X and P90X2, which are 3-month fitness routines made up of a set of complex DVD’s.
While I’m certainly not intending to endorse a certain type of product/activity with this post (nor am I the most fit person in the program), I can be certain that my thinking is much clearer in the hours following a heavy workout. I also know that on the days in which I do not commit to physical exertion, it takes far longer to get to sleep at night. And in my current working environment, I need to be capable of getting from place to place in a quick manner.
Of course, with the time demand of the MBA curriculum, there is always the temptation to skip a morning workout and breakfast and go straight to school. I’ve done this before, but it’s a mistake and won’t happen often for me, if ever again – and here’s why:
Even when leaving out the aforementioned benefits, it is possible to see short term reason in sacrificing a fitness routine. The problem is that it takes about 2 weeks of consistency to make up for 2 days of skipping workouts, physically and mentally. Consistency is the key to long-term improvement, and this means making time for the things in life that are important, whenever possible.
From time-to-time, I’ll talk about this topic again – as I’m currently documenting the changes to my physical capabilities through another DVD set called Insanity. This 2-month fitness routine is a perfect pick-me-up in the mornings before classes because of its high-intensity cardiovascular focus. And the lower-body benefits are great too, as they really put forth the legwork in my classes. (Yes, I intend these puns!)