I know I’ve talked about exercises being important, but I neglected to mention moving your butt, too. Sometimes it’s easy to think things are just fine as we’re changing our minds and passions.
But how much more could you do if you changed a little on the outside, too? What kind of benefits would trading 15 minutes of Facebook time over to physical exercise time do for you?
I recently started hopping back on the Gazelle for a little over 20 minutes a day. I was feeling pretty sluggish before. Sure, the doctor checkups all look good, but I was missing something. Missing a certain bounce in my step.
I was beginning to think I had to rely a bit too much on my morning cup of coffee. Oooh how I love thee.
Tony Little is my Hero
So after Gazelling for a good 5 weeks now, I have to say I feel great! I’m real big on brain health and help (if you couldn’t tell) and this was the next step. Too many books recommend exercise to get the brain going.
What’s good for the heart is good for the brain!
But it took some convincing me, for sure. I didn’t really see how trading 25 minutes of my time, per day, would turn into any big boost in productivity. I have things to do and people to see, right?
Well not if I’m feeling like a slug, I don’t.
Here’s a little run through my train of thought when it came to justifying exercise vs. productivity. Yeah, yeah I know the health thing is good, but what about getting stuff done? :)
There is some minor math involved – don’t worry, it’s not too bad.
Productivity and the Power of Exercise:
1) Calculate the # of hours you want to be productive in a week
I usually plan an hour around lunch and 2 hours before midnight as full-steam-ahead project hours. That’s (1+2) * 7 = 21 hours.
2) Label that your “Baseline Productivity MAX”
3) Calculate the total time to work out per week
I aim for about 25 minutes a day for 5 days per week, which is 25 * 5 = 125 minutes. I’m going to add another 25 for shower / clean-up. Oh and I work out in my home so my travel time is zero. I don’t think gyms would use Gazelles.
4) Label that your “Total Weekly Workout Time”
5) Subtract the Total Weekly Workout Time from your Baseline Productivity MAX
So this would bring me to 21 hours minus 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, for a total of 18.5 hours for project time.
6) Label that your “Net Baseline Productivity”
7) Studies have shown exercise increases productivity. Multiply your Net Baseline Productivity by 115%
Here goes: 18.5 * 115% = 21.275 hours.
8) Label that your Productivity by the Power of Exercise
Oh looky, looky. A workout for better life and work. Hmmmm.
A Little Time Now for a Lot Later
The numbers are all over the place, it’s a matter of looking. Working out about 15 minutes per day can add roughly 3 years to your life. And that’s no number to sneeze at.
Think of all the strength and energy you’ll have for living life. Think of your bones that won’t creak when a storm rolls in. Think of the flights of stairs that won’t make you huffy. Think of picking up the grocery bags without straining your back. And think of the extra brain-boost for getting your projects going.
I think it’s a bit like a dirty rearview mirror. Sure, it does its job in helping you not ram into things. But how much clearer would your view of the world be if you gave it a good bit of elbow grease every so often?
Let a little workout change your life for the better.
How has working out multiplied your efforts?
| Photo by: mikebaird |