Wellness Notes: Boost Your Energy to Lead

Boost your energy to lead! Wellness is a core pillar of authentic leadership. And, as a new leader, what better time to start the wellness habits that are essential to being a high-impact, authentic leader?

Think about it, how can you have the energy and vibrance to coach and lead others when you don’t take care of yourself? You can only push through and force energy and vibrancy for so long before it becomes impossible. At some point you reach the point of burnout. 

Taking care of your physical and mental wellbeing as a leader includes having a consistent physical fitness practice. It might seem counter intuitive, but one of the best ways to boost your energy is to maintain your physical fitness.

With physical fitness, you invest your energy into strengthening your body so you can get even more energy out. You boost your energy to lead authentically!

Ideally, you want to make it a habit to add physical fitness into your weekly routine at least 3 times a week – even better, 5 times per week. But, woah – hold on there. Let’s just start with the basics. [And it’s worth noting here – always check with your doctor before starting if you have any health issues.]

WARNING: Heels during workouts not recommended!

So what should your 3 days include? Here is an easy, basic 3-day rotation you can start with. 

[NOTE: Please assume any product links are affiliate links.]

Yoga

Yoga provides cardio, strength and meditation all in one workout. You really don’t need anything to get started except to find a free yoga class on YouTube. We like this 30 minute sun salutations workout by Deliciously Ella Yoga. Or try this Yoga Every Damn Day 30 day challenge with Nico Marie. Here’s what to remember as you start a yoga workout – you don’t have to get deep into your poses. Just start with what you can do, trying to get the form right. You might find that the more you do it, the better you’ll get. Or not – it’s ok, really!

What you’ll need:

• Yoga mat – you want a durable mat. Not too thick that it will throw off your balance, but not too thin that it lacks support. You preferably want one that is eco-friendly. We like this Feetlu yoga mat. 
• Yoga blocks – these will help support you when you’re not flexible enough to reach the ground. Or if you’re so flexible, you need some added length to deepen your stretch! Either way, trust us – you’ll want a block or two. Any blocks will do, but try to go with a high-density, eco-friendly version like this block set. 

Strength training

Strength training will always be important – even more when you get older. Your goal with strength training will be to build muscle, strength or simply tone. The best exercise you can do anywhere is the Daily 30. Bonus – these are all exercises you can do without any equipment at all! Do 20 reps of each activity. Go through the rotation 2 times. If you can’t do them all, just do as many as you can to start. It’s ok, really!

• Flutter kicks
• 8 count body builders
• Jumping jacks
• Star jumps
• Push ups
• Burpees
• Leg lifts
• Mountain climbers
• Supermans
• Row your boat exercise
• Scissor kicks
• Alternating toe touches
• Shoulder rotation
• Trunk twist
• Crunches

What you’ll need:

Your body – if you have any questions at all about how to do an exercise, consult YouTube. Always make sure you have the proper form. Don’t push too hard and don’t injure yourself!

If you prefer to use weights or bands, you’ll want to find a full-body workout you can follow online. Consider this full body workout from Heather Robertson or this #growithjo beginner dumbbell shred workout. 

Bands or dumbbells – Resistance bands are nice because they can provide the toning you want without taking up much space – and they’re portable. Make sure you find a set with a door hook – we like this resistance band set because it comes with everything. Bands work well for toning! If you prefer dumbbells, make sure you get a set that has a variety of weight increments. You’ll need it to work out different muscles. You’re going to want less weight for your triceps and shoulders than your biceps. Consider this dumbbell set that has the perfect increments and a nice stand to hold everything. 

If you want to work pull ups into your routine for back work, you’ll need resistance bands with a door hook, or you can invest $200 into a power tower if you have the space. 

Cardio

This one is an easy way to give you more energy to lead! You can do it anytime, anywhere, with no equipment. All you need to do is get out and walk, take a hike, jog or go for a bike ride. Or if you’re by water, get yourself a kayak, get out in the water and row! Generally you want to make sure your heart rate is within Zone 2 or 3. 

Zone 2 is 60-70% of your maximum heart rate and leads to increased cardiorespiratory fitness, fat loss, and increased blood flow. Zone 3 is 70-80% of your maximum heart rate and leads to increased blood circulation to your muscles and heart. If you feel like you need a recovery day, stay in Zone 1 which is anything lower than 60% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your target heart rate, you can use this target heart rate calculator. There’s no need to go above Zone 3 unless you’re training for a competition.

What you’ll need: 

Heart rate monitor – you can either use your judgment based on your perceived exertion (this article explains perceived exertion well) or invest in a heart rate monitor. If you have an Apple Watch, you already have a heart rate monitor built right into your watch. Just make sure you’re wearing your watch properly. If you don’t want to invest in an Apple watch, you can use an inexpensive fitness tracker like this Amazon Halo fitness tracker. The tracker comes with a year of membership for free, but even if you don’t want to become a member after a year, the heart rate functionality remains free!

And that’s it! We promise that investing just 30 minutes in yourself only 3 times a week will result in giving you more energy – and will boost your energy to lead. You’ll gradually find the additional energy you need to be the best, most authentic leader your team needs to succeed.

Let us know what you do to stay active in the comments below! 

PS. Our Bosstrack Bootcamp is live! Learn everything you need to get started as a high-impact, authentic leader and get access to our community for a year. Access to our community includes monthly group coaching calls, virtual retreats and access to our community of new women leaders and mentors ready to support you!