Beat The Clock Part 6

You might be short on time but you never want to short change your fitness. 

The latest time-saving tips from our regular series in Men's Running Magazine will get you fit in double-quick time.

There's advice on :

• A quick snack idea for a busy day in the office
• A time saving workout session
• Finding the right mindset to stay in shape
• What to do if you're struggling to find time to work out
• Fuelling for exercise
• Creating an energetic working environment: lead by example

Read previous editions of Beat The Clock here

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5 Instant Fixes to Ensure Perfect Blood Pressure

Our recent blog discussing Simple Strategies for Healthy Blood Pressure proved very popular so we thought we'd add some further ideas.

Ensuring healthy blood pressure is a simple way for individuals and organisations to stay healthy and productive so here are 5 key points everyone should think about.

1. Know your numbers
Many people suspect they have high blood pressure but not everyone knows their current measurements.

Instant action:
If it's more than three months since you had your blood pressure checked either make an appointment today to have it checked within the next two weeks or order your own blood pressure monitor online so that you can check it regularly in the comfort of your own home.

2. Design a balanced fitness programme
In the quest to reduce blood pressure or maintain healthy numbers exercise is crucial, but make sure your programme has balance and sustainability.

Exercising periodically will help, but not as much as planning a routine of challenging activity every 2-3 days.

Similarly, thrashing yourself now and again with some kind of cardio activity such as running, football, rugby or squash might make you feel better but won't stabilise your blood pressure as effectively as a rounded routine of cardio exercise, strength training, mobility, stability and flexibility work.


Instant action:

Take a 20-minute walk within the next hour and while you walk plan your next 10-days of exercise which should include 4 workouts containing a mixture of the above elements.  Ideally the first workout should take place today or tomorrow.

3. Clear your head
A lot of stress is rooted in our perception of 'busyness' and feeling overwhelmed.  Often the difference between feeling in control and feeling bounced around the day like a pinball isn't very dramatic - simply taking a moment here and there to review your progress and decide on priorities will make all the difference.


Instant action:

Find a quiet spot and sit down, close your eyes and take 20 deep breaths.

4. Plan your alcohol strategy
Our blog Alcohol, Blood Pressure & Successful Strategies for Healthy Drinking from last month will help here.


Instant action:

Read the blog and make a plan today and for the next 10-days

5. Get some sleep

A lack of sleep, rest and recovery is a huge contributor to high blood pressure so you need to take an active role in how much sleep you get through the week and weekend.  Our blog Need to Sleep Better will help.

Instant action:

Whether you're an 9-hour or a 6-hour sleeper or somewhere in-between, one night out of the next three should be set up so you get your required sleep time.  Pick which night, plan the required bed time and the wake time for the following morning and then see how good you feel the next day.

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Simple Stretches for Executive Runners

Runners who don't stretch regularly risk injury and compromised performance.  Thankfully though, good flexibility is well within reach.  All you need to do is follow our guidelines from Women's Running Magazine.

It's a common issue for busy workers who also like to run - the positions we adopt for our working routine can sometimes create problems with our running posture and position.

This article explains how to stretch regularly both to move more freely and reduce stress during the working day and to ensure you run efficiently and consistently.

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Inspiring Wellness Success Story 18

Here's a new update in our series of success stories from wellness programmes we've run within various businesses.

This example shows a very clear link between the right attitude and the desired results.  In this case, knowledge, awareness and the will to succeed led to 15kg of weight loss, increased confidence, enhanced productivity and improved sporting performance. And he quit smoking.

A fantastic result for this individual in turn bringing benefits to his organisation.  Let us know if you'd like us to help you fill your business with people getting great results like this with their wellness.

• The date of the programme you attended:November 2008 / January 2009

• The lifestyle changes you made following programme: Decreased red meats, reduced 15KG, Managed to finished the Dubai Standard Chartered marathon 10K

• The lifestyle changes that have stuck with you to the present day: QUIT SMOKING

• The secrets of your success with wellbeing: Knowledge, awareness and the will to succeed

• What advice that you received made the greatest impact on you? Live healthy, live longer and be more productive and successful in life

• The biggest benefits of making your lifestyle changes? Very productive and very much more confident

• Anything that gets in the way of success with wellbeing: Nothing if there is the will

• When wellbeing is working for you, what are the key elements that make the difference? To tell you the truth, everything has become positive, especially eating healthy food

  
Read previous instalments of our Inspiring Wellness Success Stories here

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Four Weeks to Run Your First 5K

While we're on the subject of running, 5K in particular, for anyone looking to get started with running and work towards this distance, here's a feature we wrote for Men's Running Magazine to help you on your way.

Click the images below for some simple running advice and a 4-week training plan to get you going.

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Walk or Run Your Way to Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol Levels

For all runners and walkers here are a couple of notes from Women's Running Magazine that should help keep you motivated, along with a feature I wrote for the magazine for all those looking to make the step up from intermittent running to full run workouts.

Running up that hill - it's worth it after all
A recent study in the International Journal of Sports Physiology Performance showed that a training schedule incorporating fast uphill intervals led to a 2% improvement in 5K times after just 6-weeks.

Walking great, run to save time
A new study suggests that running is about twice as good for your heart as walking.  US researchers analysed 33,060 runners in the National Runners' Health Study and 15,045 walkers in the National Walkers' Health Study and found both forms of exercise resulted in similar reductions in risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and, possibly, coronary heart disease.  Assessing energy expenditure by distance, not by time, they concluded that a 60-minute, moderate-intensity walk had the same benefits as a 30-minute run.

Making the move from walk/run to non-stop running
Make a plan and take your time.  Here's how best to do it.

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Leadership, Strategy And A Race Round The Park

This week one of our wellness programmes featured a 5KM challenge.

It's part of a leadership programme that we work on regularly and the 5K challenge has become a major feature. It doesn't matter how fit you are, taking part is what counts.

The event is a lot of fun for everyone and there are always some keen runners in every group so the competition to be the winner can be quite interesting, but more of that below in our list of three reasons why this type of wellness initiative is a valuable asset to any leadership event:

1) Targeted shared experiences enhance team dynamics and performance
75% of the group took part which is a fantastic turn out for an optional physical activity.  Some ran or walked 5km for the first time, some set a personal record for running the distance, some were out to get some fresh air in the middle of a day of study, some made the most of the social element.  Whatever their individual aims were in taking part, everyone finished the event with a sense of achievement and a great shared experience.  The post-event review and analysis continued throughout the day.

2) Small challenge can create big results
To develop people we need to help them challenge themselves and this can be achieved by creating a variety of environments where they can sign up to initiatives that don't appear to include a huge risk but provide the opportunity for people to walk away from them with a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.

Prior to the event, most of the group were playing down their expectations of how they would perform.  Aside from a handful of regular runners, the majority of those who took part were just hoping to make it round the course or were planning a mixture of running and walking or a steady stroll around the entire distance.  As it turned out, everyone did better than they expected.  Spurred on by their colleagues and supported by fellow group members they all ran further or faster than anticipated and were pleasantly surprised that a little bit of a push helped them achieve a lot more than they had expected.

3) Bridge the gap between strategy and reality
The keen runners in the group had many conversations ahead of the event about how they would pace the race, what speed they'd start at and what order they expected to finish in.  When the starting gun went, all plans went out of the window.  A couple started faster than everyone expected, others had to decide to go with them or start slower and try to catch up later on.  The tactics were fascinating to watch.  At the finish line everyone was happy with the race they had run even if it hadn't quite gone as they had expected.

For this group the race was a great metaphor for business.  Planning and strategy are all very well but you can only find out what you're capable of and how you can deliver under pressure when you put yourself into a live, dynamic and evolving situation.

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Learning to Lead through Learning to Dance

Last week we introduced a group of executives to the world of dance.

The session was definitely a bit of a departure from their everyday routine but as they'd already attended a variety of wellness sessions with us, they felt comfortable giving it a go.

It was an enormous success.  We'd hoped the group would be prepared to push themselves out of their comfort zone and open their minds to a new learning experience, given this is what they expect their teams to do every day, but we weren't expecting quite the level of commitment they brought with them to the class.  It was great to see.

They threw themselves into it, built on what they'd learnt from our previous sessions and used this knowledge to make rapid progress with what is a highly technical skill.

What was clear to see was that as soon as everyone had set aside any reservations around the headline concept - and the group was primarily male so there was more than a little scepticism - they were able to learn very quickly.  The attitude of 'how can I make the most of this learning opportunity' was plain to see and it created a very supportive environment where everyone grew in confidence.

Immediately a couple of leadership lessons were apparent:

1) Regularly doing what you know how to do well helps maintain confidence in your own abilities.  Embracing opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and master new skills takes your belief in your capabilities to new heights.  We never know what we're capable of until we test ourselves.

2) Shared learning experiences are extremely powerful.  Teaching others concepts you are familiar with is an important element of leadership, but the opportunity to learn something new while at the same time coaching others in the same new skill proved a great way to encourage people to think deeply about their strategies, actions and communication skills.

The other striking thing about the session was how much everyone enjoyed it.  Being a manager or a leader can be a lonely business and often things are serious.  Initiatives like this where there is a serious message approached from a fun and creative angle can be invaluable in adding new dimensions to how people feel and how they perform.

Image by Flickr: jeff medaugh

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Pick Up The Pace: Top tips for fast running

Next week one of our corporate wellness programmes will have its regular 5K challenge so I thought it timely to post some advice on how to run faster.

These tips we wrote for Women's Running Magazine will help everyone train to run more quickly and show how to pace yourself efficiently for race success and a personal record.

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Inspiring Wellness Success Story 17

If you'd like to feel more alert during the day, lose weight and take your exercise to the next level, this success story from one of our corporate wellness programmes is a great example to follow.

The changes this participant made were simple and he was very determined to make improvements which led to a consistent approach and some striking results:

• Feel fitter
• More alert
• Lost 12kg
• An amazing personal best running time

Who wouldn't be inspired by this?  Here's how he did it:

• The date of the programme you attended

Autumn 2011

• The lifestyle changes you made during programme

Drinking less coffee, started to eat more fruits and veggies, started to do some exercise

• The lifestyle changes you made following programme

Started to exercise regularly, at least twice a week

• The lifestyle changes that have stuck with you to the present day

All of them, though drinking less coffee is always a daily challenge

• The secrets of your success with wellbeing

Really determined to achieve it – and believe in the benefit of it 

• The biggest benefits of making your lifestyle changes?

Feel much fitter and more alert during the day

I lost 12 kg of weight

I ran a ½ Marathon last year in 1hr29 (which I am very proud of)

• When wellbeing is working for you, what are the key elements that make the difference?

Stick to my healthier diet, keeping my routine of running at least twice a week, whatever the circumstance are

Read previous instalments of our wellness success stories here

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Slow Down to Speed Up: Performance Lessons From the Pool

Last weekend I made the effort to get up early and get to the Lido for some swimming training before it got too busy.

As I happily made my way up and down the pool, feeling that my training was going well, I was overtaken by a fellow swimmer who was really motoring.  Instinctively I increased the pace a bit but to no avail.  My technique soon became compromised and I was just getting more tired without making up much ground.

In the past this would have been frustrating.  These days I'm much more pragmatic about how to make improvements so, rather than thrash away, I waited for a convenient moment and asked him the secret of his speed.  He gave me some really good advice and even took a look at my swimming so he could recommend any technical changes.

His advice reminded me of three vital strategies, essential for success with fitness, leadership, management and decision making.

1. Spend time on planning as well as action
At the weekend, slowing down to focus on my technique made my swimming faster and more efficient. The same is true for the day to day routine for most people at work.  No matter how busy you are, protect time to review what's going on to ensure you're working effectively and not just working hard.

2. Learn from others
Don't expect to have all the answers.  There is always someone you can learn from, even if it's your competition.  If someone does something in a way that you'd like to do it, find out the strategies they apply and modify them for your own use.

3. Run your own race
Stay focused on your agenda and make sure that all your behaviour is focused towards your end goals. Talking to my fellow swimmer was of great value to me, not least because I found out that he's training for a much shorter event than me, hence the focus on all out speed.  If I'd spent my swim simply trying to catch him I'd have ruined a valuable training session.

A quick pause for thought resulted in some useful advice for my swimming, the context in which to apply this advice, and a training session that ended up being time really well spent.  A good reminder that no matter what goes on around you, having a clear objective by which to make considered decisions will always make you more effective.

So whether your aim is faster swimming, delivering a great presentation or completing a demanding project with a tight schedule, take time regularly to ensure your strategy is correct so that all your actions and the efforts of your colleagues are directed towards success.

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