Fit & Proper: How fit are you to lead your company?

Sanjay Grover (name changed), 57, has been heading a financial consultancy for some years. The job is demanding and requires a good of travelling. Competition is tough and Grover has to be on his toes constantly. He has no time to relax, let alone exercise. He realises that if he continues this way, he is bound to develop health problems.

Heading a company is not just about making big decisions. It is also about spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year at the steering wheel of the company. A normal day's work can stretch to 12 hours and more. And then there can be "marathon days" where the company's chief executive ends up clocking over 16 hours, rushing from one appointment to the other and travelling between cities.

It is not surprising that the big question many CEOs are today facing, and probably avoiding, is: "How do I get the time to exercise?" Here are some 20- to 30-minute workouts that will keep you fit, inspire your employees and help you run your company with a healthy and active body and mind.

Choose stairs over the elevator. Taking the stairs to office might be a challenge when you are in a hurry. But the few minutes you spend riding the elevator can be transformed into a fruitful five-minute cardio session if you take the stairs instead. You will feel the burn in your thighs and the heart rate go up. This is a quick high-intensity workout. Do this four or five times a day and you can get a daily workout of up to 30 minutes.

Squeeze in a treadmill or an exercise bike in office: This is an easy way of getting in 20 minutes of walking or even a jog. Pushing this for a target of three to four times a week can definitely transform you from being unfit and tired to feeling fit, strong and energetic.

Keeping an elastic band in your desk drawer for quick and easy 15 minutes of exercise every two to three hours. This can tone up your muscles and help you discover muscles you thought you never had. Exercises like shoulder press, chest press, tricep extensions and bicep curls are easy to perform. They can help get your mind off work and refresh you for the long day ahead. Doing easy stretches can make your body feel new. Try this with a "foam roller" and feel the difference within a couple of days.

The ideal exercise break would be something that you can do outdoors. This can be as simple as walking a dog. A study has found that 67 per cent of dog-walkers can get in as much as 158 minutes of low-intensity exercise in a week.

Zaheer Khan (along with Herman Liebenberg)
Prosport Fitness & Sports Clinic, Mumbai