Does exercise have anything to do with your business?
Well, if you treat exercise in the typical way (you know exercise is good for you and your health, blah, blah, blah…), then maybe nothing.
However, if you are willing to hear what I have to share with you about what I have learned through my experience, then you will be in touch – a lot. Let me give you a picture of what the exercise was like for me. I’ve been an active person most of my life without really paying attention to it. It was something that naturally happened for me. As a kid I spent 60% of my time on my bike and the rest was hanging out with boys climbing trees. I was definitely a tomboy. Throughout my adolescence I was involved in some form of physical activity. Then, when I became an adult, I joined a gym that I attended regularly.
Everything changed for me when I switched my business from dealing with people in person to setting up a phone/virtual business. I’ve become a tech geek. Like in those movies you see these nerds with glasses sitting in front of their computers all day. I became one of them. I greatly reduced all forms of physical activity. In so many ways I have become addicted to technology. I spent most of my days working on the phone and in front of the computer. Physical activity took a back seat. After doing this for a while, I gradually began to notice the symptoms of my inactivity.
First there were the usual visual effects. My body lost tone. My stamina wasn’t what it was. And that was just the beginning. What I began to notice next really caught my attention.
More and more, I found myself dealing with less than positive mental models about who I was and around my business. I continued to doubt myself and my abilities and continued to engage in mental dialogue that was not supportive at all. These were patterns I had already gone through and resolved in my life before, and yet they kept creeping up. It would take me longer than usual to break out of these patterns and they somehow felt out of context and out of character for where I was in my life.
Yes, of course we all have negative thoughts from time to time and face challenges as we move to new places in our business and life, but this place felt different. I was getting fed up so I decided to get to the bottom of it. What I learned was astounding.
MY big AHA moment came via a TV show.
One day I was watching my favorite show, The Dog Whisperer. The series is about people who have behavioral problems with their dogs and have tried everything they can think of without any favorable solution. So they call on Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) to come and help them resolve the situation.
In the episode I watched, Cesar was explaining this to dog owners you must match the dog’s physical activity to its breed. In general, if the dog is a hunting breed, it needs a lot of exercise and movement to release energy, be healthy and function at an optimal level. Otherwise, the dog will develop destructive behavior. So the basic formula is to know the dog’s breed and match the physical activity to its needs for optimal functioning. We as humans are no different. We need to know who we are and where we come from and match activities to that function at our optimal level.
I watched this with my mouth hanging open because my answer was staring me in the eye. I was going through the same thing. I am a naturally energetic and lively person. I like to move and be active. It’s part of who I am. Because I left that and started living a sedentary life and because I wasn’t really meeting my needs with movement; I ended up creating all these destructive mental and emotional patterns in an attempt to do something with my pent up energy. Now that I had clarity on what was going on, I decided to act.
So I took my bike and started cycling. I have a small trampoline that I jump on and various exercise gadgets that I distribute. I can’t do the same thing all the time. I get bored too quickly. And when that happens, I tend to give up. So for me it has to be fun and entertaining. I also started kickboxing. I could see the changes in me almost instantly.
I began to see my body shaping and toning. I started to have more energy, better focus; I began to feel more alive and best of all, my destructive patterns melted away with my movement.
A long time ago, I played sports because I wanted to look good and be liked by others. It was a more superficial experience. Now I do it for myself, not because I think I should, but because I feel on so many levels the value that movement provides for me.
One of my biggest realizations was:
Although in a traditional business structure we don’t think of movement/exercise as an important business tool, for me movement is just as important to building my business as marketing, writing or coaching. It keeps me centered, focused, energized and clear to move forward with ease and confidence.
What about you?
I want to challenge you to look at how movement plays a role in how you function and also how effectively you can use your energy in your business and in your life.
Let me know how it goes.
If you want support in figuring out how to create a business based on who you are, using your strengths, innate gifts and abilities, give me a shout. I’m just a phone call or email away.
#exercise #business
