It was about 9:30pm the other evening when my wife and I were winding down the day and she looked at me and simply said, “Geez honey, you looked like you were ran over by a train.” Not the best compliment I’ve ever received but the fact is she was right—I did look like I was ready to fall over any moment.
The particular day I’m referencing was like many I deal with during the summer. Because I’m a ‘pool guy’ by day, it’s nothing for me to drive 4-8 hours on a daily basis because of far ranging sales appointments. And as anyone that drives distances will tell you, that much time in a vehicle can really wear on you. After a long day of driving, talking on the phone, and selling; it would be quite easy just to come home and flop in the bed. In fact, such a thought seems quite appealing to me just about every night as I walk in the door, usually between 8 and 11pm.
But there are two big, fat problems with me going to bed at such times.
1. Being on the road ain’t the greatest of exercise in the world. Because so many of my days are spent in some type of sedentary environment, and because I really love to eat, such would not bode well for my waistline.
2. This blog, my web 2.0 business, and every bit of content I produce would likely not exist if I didn’t work late into the night.
The Power of Exercise
This, my friends, is where that great activity we call exercise comes into play. In fact, exercise plays such a pivotal and monumental role in my life that I honestly feel this subject is as important as anything I’ve ever discussed here on The Sales Lion.
It is for this reason that each night, between 9 and 12pm, I hop on my elliptical downstairs. I’ve spoken about this before, but I spend exactly 60 minutes every day on this elliptical. Not only does this workout burn between 1100-1200 calories in each session, but it’s the essential boost to taking a dead man and bringing him back to life.
This brings me back to my earlier story when my wife kindly told me I looked like I’d been run over by a train. Not only was she right, but I felt like I had nothing in the system. The energy was gone. I wanted just to flop in bed but like all serious commitments in life, I treat my daily workout like breathing—either I do it or else. No exceptions.
So that night, just as many before it, I managed to drag myself downstairs and hop on the elliptical. And as always, within just a few minutes, the blood started re-circulating in my veins and a cloud was lifted from my fatigued and cluttered mind. Just over an hour later, I was back to my kitchen table, slapping away at the keys of my faithful laptop as my mind and body felt reinvigorated and ready to tackle the 2nd half of my professional life.
Why Nightime?
You may be wondering why I don’t work out in the mornings. The answer is simple: Whether I work out early every morning or not, I know I’m going to be exhausted by 10pm or so. That being said, there is only one thing that can truly get my body and mind back on track when everything wants to shut down—serious exercise. No, Red Bull ain’t going to do the trick here. Exercise is the body’s ultimate productivity and motivational tool. It’s better than any drug and it has been proven to out-do any ‘magic pill’.
So once I’m done with my 60 minute workout each night, it gives me the natural boost I need to sustain about 2 more hours worth of work. And as I mentioned before, it is during this time that I produce some of my best content and my mind is strongest, which in-turn leads to my businesses pulling further and further ahead of those companies that refuse to go the extra mile.
Essential to Success
I’ve had successful and motivated people before tell me that their schedule didn’t allow for exercise and ‘it was something they wish they could do’…..Are you kidding me? Throwing out physical exercise, especially when one’s life is starting to find order and success, is like refusing to refuel at the end of the Indy 500 when your car is out of gas. It makes no sense whatsoever.
Although I could literally discuss this topic in detail all night (it’s now officially 1am and it’s about that time), I would urge those of you out there that may be lacking in motivation, happiness, or inspiration to consider exercise as your answer. Whether it’s push-ups and sit-ups for 5 minutes or an hour on the elliptical, the difference it can make in your overall productivity and accomplishments on a daily basis is profound. Trust me when I say daily exercise, especially night exercise, has impacted my ability to get tasks accomplished and stay motivated more so than maybe anything else I’ve done during my adult life.
So what are your thoughts on this topic? How are you using exercise as a productivity tool? As always, I invite you to share your thoughts below.
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