In the fast-paced life of professionals, working on never-ending pressures is a constant factor. Just think of your tight completion schedules, high delivery expectations, and stringent penalty/liquidated damages clauses in contracts. With all this going on, health and fitness are often put on the backburner of priorities… thereby building bad stress levels, which can completely deplete our energy. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 five out of top 10 medical problems globally will be stress-related. Stress leads to low productivity, poor morale, exhaustion, and even reduces life expectancy as it affects our cardiovascular system, immune system, and even the quality of our personal lives.

While most of us dedicate a lot of importance and commitment to our work quality and the life cycle of projects that we are associated with, we often fail to realize that our own quality of life and life expectancy are being compromised in the process. All work and no play will lead to boredom and early retirement. Like our triple constraint triangle of project management that consists of time, cost, and quality, in broader terms it holds good for our personal life scenario as well. The negative effects of above triple constraints in our personal life can be positively addressed by adopting and implementing one more triangle consisting of three attributes: balanced food habits, physical activity, and finally time management.

You are what you eat Balanced food habits include eating diverse, smaller portions of meals and avoiding intake of excess fat, oil, salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and smoking. It is very important to understand that we need to eat for the body we want and not for the body we have. Obesity together with negative stress is a silent killer, and reportedly the root cause of several medical complications.

Work that body Physical activity increases the metabolic rate of our bodies and ups your blood flow; it’s the key to sustained success as it leads to greater mental clarity, creativity, and productivity. For those of you who are averse to visiting the gym, try simple things like taking the stairs or parking your car a little further away from work to walk the extra distance. Other options that aren’t gym-oriented? Mall-walking, cycling, yoga, Zumba, tennis, and swimming. Let’s accept the fact that excuses don’t keep you healthy, and there are no shortcuts to fitness.

Time is of the essence Once you’ve established your grip over your diet and you’ve managed to incorporate exercise, it becomes very much part of daily routine which by default leads to better time management. You’ll be able to prioritize all other tasks and work more efficiently. It’s not about “having no time” to keep yourself fit and healthy, it’s about “making time” to live longer.