Sunday, May 16, 2010

Feeling Stressed?




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As a society with busy lifestyles, we understand the importance of time management. There are many demands on us so it is important to stay mentally, physically and spiritually strong. I was recently asked what helps keep my stress level down. At first I joked as long as you don't go on vacation and start to relax, you never realize the stress you take on daily.

On a serious note, running hospitals is similar to training for me. For me, a daily dose of exercise (I try for 7 days and usually exercise 5-6) and eating clean (I try my best) helps me keep the stress down. In particular, I enjoy marathon and triathlon training programs. Almost everyday, there is someone who pushes me (in person, by phone, email or text). Jenny, my wife, always keeps me motivated through her own exercise and eating regimen. Dr. Mark pushes me 2-3 days a week through running and biking. Dr. Luke and the master swim group keep me going hard in the pool and Brad keeps me honest with push-ups every Sunday (balanced on 3 exercise balls). By the time I get to work, I am ready to go....and much more relaxed. Taking on my work day is a joy relative to the beatings I take through exercise.

I run 3 days/ week (I follow the program in the book Run Less Run Faster by Pierce, Murr and Moss) biking 1-2x, swimming 2-3x and strength training 1-2x. Given the long hours at work, I usually start at 5:30a and work out for an hour. I exercise around 3 hours Saturday morning (golf is not on my schedule unfortunately). This allows me to spend evenings (when not at work functions) and most weekends to spend with my family. This schedule gives me a fighting chance for some sort of work-life-family balance.

All about training for life.

Other stress management tips you would like to share?

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