Fit To Do

A Critical doer works as hard to develop strength of character as strength of talent 

“I think good physical conditioning is essential to any occupation.  A person who is physically fit performs better at any job.  Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

Vince Lombardi from Motivation:  Lombardi Style 

 

I’m dreading going to the gym in the morning…the first full work day back from the holiday season.  It’s not because I’m dreadfully out of shape or ridiculously splurged (ok, I did mildly splurge) on holiday goodies.  The reason is…”resoluters.”

Resoluters (rez-uh-LOOT-urz) noun.  A person or group that willfully and maliciously clogs a gym after making a New Year’s resolution and buying trendy workout clothes; does every conceivable thing on fitness equipment except push it, pull it, lift it, or pedal it; has their will crushed in 3 weeks or less.  Lacks ability to sweat (or glisten).

As you can tell by the Vince Lombardi quote, a critical doer believes physical fitness is essential in building strong character that enables you to achieve more.  A critical doer also believes in the connection of body, mind, and spirit…neglect in any of the three leaves us with less capacity for critical doing than we would have with a healthy balance.  If you need to pay more attention to fitness (exercise and nutrition), here are some things for you to consider.

  1. People act out patterns of behavior under stress that they rehearse on a daily basis. Fitness plays an important role in strengthening our resiliency as it gives us a chance to find, challenge, and surpass our perception of our own limits.  If you can’t push yourself when nothing is on the line, it’s likely you won’t do it when everything is on the line…professionally, individually, or for your family.
  2. Fitness produces confidence…confidence produces victory. Fitness produces confidence in two important ways.  First, feeling self-assured about “the skin you’re in” mentally frees a person to move forward and act without questioning your own acceptability to others.  Second, fitness produces a logical body of evidence for self-belief because you have successfully taken on a challenge and done more than you thought was possible.
  3. Fitness reduces lost work time. Numerous studies indicate that the more fit you are, the less likely you are to miss significant amounts of work.  From disease prevention through cardiovascular wellness to quality of life from a strong core, fitness increases your capacity to do.  The added byproduct is mental toughness…which I also believe drives people to “muscle through and do” rather than “phone it in.”  Bottom line:  a critical doer has to be in the game to…do.

If you haven’t considered the connection between fitness, character, and your capacity to do; it’s time to change your outlook and start producing at the level of personal fulfillment.  Pick an activity you enjoy, engage in a level you can sustain (unlike the Resoluters), and be patient as you build capacity and discover a new outlook on your own potential to achieve.

If you lead an organization, look at ways to promote fitness in your workforce…it’s one of the most cost effective ways to increase productivity.  Finally…if your family needs to make a deeper commitment to fitness, find ways to start the change with the people you love most.  There’s no time like today to get started…and sustain it.  After all, it’s what a critical doer would…do!

 

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Updated: January 4, 2015 — 11:11 am