Exercise: A Catalyst for Renewal and Stress Reduction

For nearly a decade, I neglected the importance of physical activity, letting myself become overweight and inactive until my 30s. However, a transformative moment made me reevaluate my health, leading me to embrace fitness with enthusiasm. I became willing to sacrifice some work hours to prioritize my well-being. To my pleasant surprise, replacing work time with exercise significantly boosted my productivity during the hours I did work.

When mentoring newly promoted managers, my foremost piece of advice is to cultivate a regular exercise routine if they don’t already have one. For me, exercise was a game changer; it lowered my stress levels and allowed me to return to my tasks feeling refreshed and focused.

The Yerkes-Dodson Principle

You may be familiar with the Yerkes-Dodson Law, established by two psychologists in the early 1900s. Their research indicates that while mental arousal can enhance performance on challenging tasks up to a certain point, it can also lead to a decline if stress continues to rise. Imagine a bell curve illustrating how performance improves with increasing stress until it reaches a peak, after which it begins to decline.

Understanding Your Gear Ratio

Now, let’s relate the Yerkes-Dodson principle to exercise. Since I started working out later in life, I became somewhat of a fitness enthusiast, fascinated by gear and technology like workout apparel, heart rate monitors, and GPS devices. Analyzing my workout data was often as gratifying as the exercise itself.

In the realm of mechanics, a gear ratio describes the number of rotations a driving gear makes relative to a driven gear. For instance, if a 28-tooth gear turns once, a 7-tooth gear rotates four times, leading to a ratio of 4:1. Similarly, we can conceptualize our own gear ratios concerning personal performance—both physical and mental.

I began my fitness journey with running, later branching into triathlons (swimming, biking, running) and hiking. My tracking data revealed a consistent 2:1 gear ratio: I bike twice as quickly as I run, run twice as fast as I hike, and hike twice as quickly as I swim. This ratio doesn’t indicate whether I’m fast or slow; rather, it signifies the optimal effort level for each activity. If I push my limits too far beyond what I can sustain, I risk burning out.

Recognizing Your Peak Performance Times

The same concept applies to our work lives. Your personal gear ratio can refer to various factors, such as:

• When during the day do you perform at your best—morning or night?
• How long can you work effectively before needing a break? Most people find a window of one to two hours optimal.
• What types of tasks do you enjoy most, whether it's writing, discussing, or strategizing?
• What situations drain your energy quickly—negotiations, public speaking, or problem-solving?

Your unique variables will differ from mine and those of your colleagues. My suggestion is to spend some time reflecting on your own gear ratios. This awareness will allow you to harness your strengths effectively and enhance your productivity. Sometimes, taking a break and shifting gears is the most effective way to boost your performance.

Be well.

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An earlier iteration of this article appeared in the ACC Docket, the magazine for the Association of Corporate Counsel.