HEALTHY PROFESSIONALS

Written By: Joe T

I individuals discussed in this piece are not myself. This is but an observation of two men, one in his late 40s and another 50 are both able to lead happy and healthy lives by simplifying, prioritizing, and keeping to a regular schedule/routine.

Vance Smith is the co-owner of Tread Vegas Fitness. While instructing 4-6 classes a week as master trainer, he also works full-time as a manager of a large auto insurance company, is a father to 4 and a husband.

Orlando De Castroverde is a well-respected attorney and partner at De Castroverde Law Group. Like Vance, Orlando also maintains an extremely busy schedule. However, aside from being friends, both of these men share one important similarity– they both maintain a routine.

Why do we like a routine? Routines most importantly allow us to create structure so we can make planned time for ourselves while appropriately delegating time for our daily tasks. Without routine, a day is merely chaos with an unknown start and end. For that reason, getting ourselves into a routine allows us an opportunity to cover all bases. A good routine should be one that ensures we are making time for ourselves, our own interests, family and obligations all while still efficiently completing our tasks at work.

Work is and should be important in all of us. It is important to be passionate about what we do and how we achieve our goals in our career.

The problem most of us face is finding that work/ life balance so we can take the necessary amount of time needed to focus on ourselves to ensure we are each happy and fulfilled first and foremost.

3:30-4am Wakes up religiously (even on weekends btw)

4-4:30am Quick breakfast (protein focused) and his usual Starbucks espresso

5-6am Open the gym for the 5am class that he regularly teaches

7:30am Takes his son to school

8-9am Second meal typically a purchased meal prep service

9-11am Zoom meetings and phone calls with auto dealerships

12-1pm Attends group fitness class at Tread Vegas Fitness

1-2pm Assessment and weekly goals meeting with Tread Coaches

2-6pm Additional phone calls and meetings for insurance

6-8pm Dinner with the family and activities

8pm Bedtime (lights out, no phone, emails or TV)

6:30am Wake up

7:30am Take kids to school

7:45am Breakfast and espresso

8:15am Work typically at the downtown office

12pm Group fitness class

1:30-2pm Lunch and afternoon espresso

2-6pm Work at the downtown office

7pm Hang out with kids or pick up kids from activities

8:30pm Dinner

9-11pm Relax, reads or watches TV

11:30pm Goes to bed

Group fitness classes are a fun and great way to fit your fitness needs into a daily routine. Group fitness classes are great for encouraging you to create a routine. Unlike big box gyms where motivation to schedule your workouts is minimal, group fitness classes are scheduled in a time constraint manner throughout the day so they can fit more easily into each person’s busy schedule. In turn, members are encouraged to create a routine for their regular workout. If you know what time you need to get to class and what time it will end, it is much easier to plan your daily tasks more efficiently without fear of mismanaging time in your day.

Group fitness classes can vary from Yoga, CrossFit, running clubs, basketball, etc. Although these classes don’t have to be the answer, they should be:

1. Time Sensitive: Tread Vegas Fitness for instance is 45min.

2. Social: Making friends and socializing is healthy. The group fitness class you choose should provide an environment to disconnect your brain from work and give you a moment for yourself to be with friends and connect with others. A bonus here is that these social connections many times can even turn into beneficial work contacts.

3. Stress relief: Exercising relieves stress. Giving yourself a scheduled time to focus on your personal fitness goals will aid, even if momentarily, in lowering your overall stress in the day.

4. Boost both strength and cardiovascular health: Both are important for your overall health so find a class or classes that incorporate both strength training and cardiovascular training.

5. FUN: Always make sure whatever it is you decide, you choose a class you enjoy. Fitness should be fun and group fitness classes are a great way to keep your fitness fun.

Being a “Healthy” Professional does not mean countless hours in the gym, weighing and measuring foods and being the one to turn away an occasional night out with friends and/ or coworkers. Being a “Healthy” Professional is being smart and deliberate with time management, sticking to a schedule, and keeping a prioritization of self, family and hobbies all while crushing it in our profession.