KEEPING FIT

KEEPING FIT

Fitness has many dimension. It is unfair to yourself to expect peak performance at work when your mind and body are in poor shape. Your lifestyle and the amount of exercise you take will affect both your potential and your achievement.

MAINTAINING HEALTH

The majority of people need to make only minimal adjustments to their lifestyle to improve their fitness and maintain the good health that is essential for effective performance. Getting adequate rest, eating a balanced diet, and taking regular exercise are all wise policies, and beneficial in themselves. By leading a balanced lifestyle and looking after your physical well being, you will find that you have a great deal more stamina and energy to achieve your potential at work.

IMPROVING FITNESS

Cycling is a great from of exercise, but to improve your level of fitness you need to set yourself targets. Aim to increase your speed over a known distance, and you will soon feel the benefits.

EXERCISING THE BODY

Any fitness program me should give you a measured standard of fitness. the best standard is aerobic fitness, which measures the efficiency of heart and lungs. Some sports, such as rowing, require a label of aerobic fitness. Others, such as cycling and running, can be used to build up your aerobic fitness gradually, by slowly increasing your speed over a set distance. Choose a sport that you enjoy and set yourself targets for improvement. You will soon feel the benefits, both physically and mentally.

STAYING NIMBLE

Aerobic fitness is by no means the only standard. Balance, flexibility, and strength are other, often neglected aspects of fitness. You can improve these by working out in a gym. But you can help yourself a great deal by simply walking briskly, bending, stretching, sitting and standing straight, and so on. Spending 10 minutes a day on suitable stretching exercises, including yoga and t' ai chi, is highly beneficial. If you still end up with aches and pains, they may be work-related - for example, if you slouch at your desk, you may well be staining your back. In such cases, osteopathy and similar therapies can produce miraculous results.

EATING FOR FITNESS

Your food gives you vital nutrients for health and calories for enlarge. business life offers many temptations that work against eating sensibly, and the snatched sandwich at the desk, lunchtime drinking, and expense account feasts can all have bad effect on the concentration, the digestion, and the waistline. Have a target weight, keep to it by controlling your calories, and take a vitamin supplement as insurance against missing nutrients.

EATING HEALTHY

No matter how busy you are, make time for breakfast. Cereals or bread fresh fruit or juices give you the energy you need to start the day. 

SEEKING HELP

The stresses and strains of working life can trigger breakdowns, ranging from minor depression to total collapse. the solution is the same as for any physical symptoms: if you feel that your mental fitness is being significantly impaired, get advice. Simply talking to a friend or to your doctor may provide enough help. Pharmaceutical drugs can help, while alternative therapies, such as meditation, have their place, too. But suffering in silence will reduce your performance and may eventually devastate your ability to work.

TAKING BREAK

Some people who have built exceptional careers work "all the hours in the day", sometimes in the belief that this gives them a winning edge over those who put in fewer hours. success, though, depends on the strength of ideas and their execution, neither of which has much to do with the time expended. Overwork, on the others hand, can adversely affect both thinking and performance. Try to avoid taking work home (or going into the office) at weekends. To perform well, you must lead a well-balanced life and schedule time off.

GETTING AWAY
Holidaying with your family or friends allows you to get away from the pressures of your daily routine and work-related stress. A number of sort breaks can be more refreshing than rate, longer holidays. Take every opportunity, including staying extra days. of combining business trips with a day or so of relaxation.

SLEEPING WELL

Sleep is indispensable to good performance. While the hours needed vary from person to person, everybody requires a minimum dose. The requirement can be deliberately reduced. By cutting down sleeping time gradually over a long period, you can reach the probable minimum of four hours, freeing that time for other activities. If you lose sleep without training, though, the result will be cumulative and counter-productive, especially if you do not take catnaps during the day.