When it comes to improving your company’s sales numbers, you may need to stretch out!
Working for a web design company here in Phoenix, I tend to spend a ton of time at my computer each day. I compose emails, respond to questions and spend a lot of time on the phone. Of course I do all of this while sitting at my desk. I heard recently that sitting is the new smoking. Spending too much time in the sitting position can have very adverse effects on your health. I have begun to notice that as I age, and continue to work sitting down, my lower back is becoming an issue. Here are some good ideas to help all of us “office folk” improve the quality of our health while at the same time helping our business become more fruitful.
Yoga is awesome! I have always been somewhat of a gym rat. Growing up I played nearly every sport I could imagine and was constantly active. I never worried about my diet because I pedaled off thousands of calories a day on my bike, on the field and on the court. Now that I am domesticated, I have to find ways to get and stay in shape and yes, round is a shape. I recently decided to try Yoga. I’ve always considered Yoga to be a woman’s activity and really didn’t understand the impact that it was going to have on me physically and mentally. One of my many home workout DVD’s offered a Yoga program and I had always skipped over that particular routine. I finally decided to give it a try and I am very glad that I did. 10 minutes into the Yoga DVD I was already pouring sweat. I found myself drenched while at the same time I could feel the endorphins flowing and bringing me a very serene and comforting feeling. My first try I made it about 40 minutes into the routine before the moves became too difficult. I can’t do a headstand. The next morning I woke up and for the first time in 2 years, I had absolutely 0 stiffness in my lower back. It was amazing! It was at that point I decided to make Yoga part of my weekly routine. The workout reminds me that when I start getting sedentary and stale, I need to stretch out!
The same can be said for those of us in sales and project management. Every athlete, no matter what sport, will often find themselves in a slump. This is especially true in baseball. As sales people, we often find ourselves losing out on a few deals only to get down on ourselves. We do our best to press on and fight through but end up digging an even deeper hole. It is at times like these that we need to “stretch out” and take a new approach. Our routine has become stale and ineffective. It’s time to switch it up!
Get up! Stand up! If sitting is the new smoking, let’s not sit so much. I recently decided to take all of my phone calls on my feet. I now walk around the office of our web design firm on my Bluetooth headset when I speak to clients. This gives my back a huge break and keeps my blood flowing properly. Recently my wife’s company upgraded all of the desks in their office to stand up optional desks. These new desks allow the “office folk” the option to work at their computer while standing. I may need to get one of these as well.
Stretching out in your business life also means getting out of your comfort zone. If you work out regularly, chances are you already have an extremely positive mental attitude. Don’t be afraid to share that extreme positivity with your clients. Yoga has helped me mentally just as much as physically. I used to get massive anxiety about making prospective phone calls. Now I seem to be completely at ease regardless of the attitudes around me. I bring the positive feelings to them and really don’t let negativity affect my well being. I know that my new routine is to thank for the serene mental state I am carrying around with me.
As humans, we weren’t designed for this kind of work. We were meant to be moving around a lot just like when we were kids. While I love what I do, it is even more important for me to never neglect my physical need to stretch out and move around. A healthy amount of physical activity will transform your mental attitude and at the same time have a positive effect on your sales career.
