How To Stay Healthy As An Executive
CEOs work long hours, sleep less, travel more and lead a sedentary lifestyle which is good for their bank balance but very bad for their health. Research by the American Mayo Clinic has found that the executive lifestyle also leads to struggles with work-life balance, which all in all puts them at a higher risk for heart disease, stroke, sleep deprivation, depression, and diabetes.
If you’re aware of these risks to your health due to your executive position, you have a chance to do something about it by taking control of your health, eating well, exercising, making sure you go for checkups, tests and medical examinations. Of course, being an executive doesn’t mean you’re automatically unhealthy, but don’t be one of the 40 per cent of overweight CEOs.
Mayo Clinic CEOs Lifestyle Findings:
- Sleep: 6.7 hours (24 per cent less than average)
- Work hours: 11.6 hours (23 per cent more than average)
- 4+ days a month travel: (Risks heart disease, stroke, faster ageing)
The study also found:
- 90 per cent of executives struggle with work/life balance.
- 73 per cent of executives’ .lives were sedentary
As a leader you know about control, so the tips below can help you take control of your health.
Effective Leaders Have No Trouble Delegating
Yes, you might be the boss, but you can’t possibly do everything. As a leader, you can create a team, ensure you’re always around trustworthy, qualified and admirable people to whom you can delegate. This means you can ease up; instead of working the executive average of 11.6 hours a day, you can delegate responsibilities and get back to a more healthy eight hours.
It’s not weak to delegate. Knowing when you need some help is a sign of strong leadership.
Effective Leaders Have a Solid Work-Life Balance
It’s not only executives who sacrifice personal and family time to work longer hours but leaders find it especially difficult to avoid overworking. Identifying family or life events that are so important you will drop everything to be there is another way of satisfying a work/life balance. Think about it. Try to reschedule an important meeting rather than miss your child’s school concert.
Your life can’t be work, work, work. An irritable, depressed and stressed out executive is hard to be around, and being in this state only leads to a lack of productivity and takes the joy out of your job.
Effective CEOs Work Extra Hard To Stay Fit
Obesity is a major risk of heart disease and diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle is perfect for this outcome, especially for executives. Combine the long hours, rushed meals and poor dietary habits and it’s a recipe for a health disaster.
Planning your meals for the week, bringing a nutritious lunch from home that you eat in a designated lunch break away from the desk is healthier than can gobbling a quick doughnut and coffee before a meeting. Meals of vegetables and fruit can address your nutritional needs better than a takeaway at your desk.
Make time to exercise. This should be a priority if you’re an executive. Carve out an hour each day to exercise or do some kind of physical activity, even a 20-minute walk outside will do.
Effective Leaders Prioritize Medical Check-ups and Exams
Medical Executive Health centres such as HealthScreen in Victoria combine advanced screening technology with an integrated and comprehensive Preventative Medicine program. We identify medical conditions that are likely to lessen your life expectancy before symptoms or any indication of a problem appears, so you can take control of your Future Health.
Not all Executive Health Exams are the same and HealthScreen has revolutionized the concept of Executive Health. HealthScreen Executive Health assessment is dramatically more advanced, comprehensive and informative than any standard physical exam, routine blood tests or Executive screening tests at other centres.
HealthScreen Executive and Corporate program offers state-of-the-art-diagnostic and screening facilities and a world-class level of personal individualized care.
Regular Medical Exams Provide:
- Decreased mortality rates
- Less depression
- More exercise
- Higher health satisfaction
- Fewer fats consumed
The important thing is awareness of the risks so you can adjust your habits for a healthier executive lifestyle. Make better health choices, be proactive and book a complete health check at our Melbourne centre for peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones today