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Getting With the Program

I've been advising my coaching clients for years that exercise and outside interests are an important part of marketing and career advancement. While I've tried to emphasize the importance of making time for doing something that you enjoy (i.e. that this could be, but doesn't have to be exercise) as I get older, I become more convinced that there is no substitute for exercise.

Pursuing a personal interest like photography, cooking, music, art, travel, coaching your kid's soccer team, etc. can recharge the sole. Having outside hobbies or interests can also help you build relationships that can become sources of business down the road.

But exercise provides a stress release that is hard to substitute. Law is a stressful business and regular exercise offers an important way to help cope with stress. In the current climate where layoffs seem to keep coming and workloads in some departments are perilously low, getting some sort of exercise is more important than ever.

Until recently, I was a member of a squash club in Boston but when I moved back to my home office in the burbs, I found that it was much harder to get into town to work out.

Which leads me to my latest revelation about exercise: it only works if it is convenient.

So I'm joining my local Y and giving up squash (at least for now). Although I love the game, getting exercise in general is more important. If I only have to travel 5 minutes to get to the gym, I'm much more likely to go. That was true when I worked in Boston and the gym was only 10 minutes from my office and although I thought the lure of squash would get me into Boston regularly, right now, that does not seem to be happening. So I'm getting with the program that I prescribe for my clients and making exercise convenient once again.

Full post as published by Counsel to Counsel on April 19, 2009 (boomark / email).