Executive Fitness: Is It Really That Important?

I had the unique opportunity to work with a project management team making a large, innovative addition to a power plant. Because the project included new technology to clean up emissions and was a joint venture with a foreign company, it received significant scrutiny from all parties involved. For the project management team, this was either the largest or most innovative project they had ever worked on. Under the pressure to perform and hit scheduling, quality, and financial targets, the project team faced high and constant levels of stress.

As my work with the project team continued into its fourth month, it became apparent that the team had unhealthy diets and poor exercise habits. With few exceptions, team members reported very low levels of physical activity with the common excuse of not having enough time or energy at the end of the day to work out. In addition, many of them believed they got sufficient exercise on-site during the day to fulfill any exercise regimen. I systematically poked holes in their excuses and, in the end, they all agreed that more exercise would be beneficial. I threw down the gauntlet and challenged them to work out daily over the next 30 days, and also agreed to complete the challenge myself. Each challenge participant had to either complete some form of workout or walk 10,000 steps a day, and all had apps on their smartphones to monitor their activity. I provided the team with a 30-day spreadsheet to track our progress, and our work began.

I wondered if my challenge would really help them cope with their stress or just add yet another task to their already busy schedules. The mood-boosting benefits of exercise were clear in the results of a research study conducted at Princeton University (Journal of Neuroscience, May 2014). The researchers found that, when people are stressed, exercise changes the part of the brain that regulates anxiety and calms excitatory circuits that lead to anxiety. Findings from other studies have determined that exercise increases the brain’s level of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for a feeling of contentment. Finally, scientists at the University of Illinois (Nature, July 1999) found that exercise improves the brain’s ability to focus and concentrate and enhances overall brain cognition. Taken collectively, during a period of prolonged stress, exercise can help reduce anxiety and increase contentment, concentration, and focus. I was confident completing the challenge would pay off.

At the end of the 30-day challenge, our group convened to review how we did. Every team member had a positive experience and said they felt more productive and less stressed. Participating in the challenge made them more aware of the amount they exercised, which motivated them to increase their activity level. One team member increased how much he walked his dog each day and found that both he and his dog had lost weight! The project team noted other benefits, as well. Thanks to team members encouraging one another in their efforts, camaraderie and teamwork improved.

Study after study has demonstrated the health benefits of exercise. However, more emphasis should be given to the benefits of exercise during highly stressful periods of work life. In fact, because the responsibility of managing large projects and people is so critical to both business success and the well-being of those involved, managers and executives should maximize the tools available to them to perform at their best. Regular exercise is an essential part of optimizing health to better manage work life.