How CEOs de-stress and stay fit

They are dynamos in their companies. They work hard, but do they exercise hard enough? Are stretching their imagination, running a business and, yes, jumping to conclusions the only exercises that CEOs know?

Whether you’re starting out as a fresh grad S.O.B. (Son Of the Boss) or are a mogul millionaire, let’s face it, the way we feel about our jobs are like Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl — it’s a love-hate relationship. 

But what most people don’t realize is that getting our physical bodies into shape helps flex our brain power, too. Eating the right food not only keeps us healthy, but also feeds the mind and soul. When times are hard, and people are working harder, try taking a holistic approach to your lifestyle is easier than you think. Here are some of my quick health tips for a busy life:

• Close your eyes. Staring at the computer screen for hours on end can strain your eyes and cause headaches.  Many underestimate the power of just simply shutting their lids for a few minutes, because this has dramatic relaxation effects on the brain and the body. Combine this with deep breathing and you’re practically halfway to meditating. If you can afford to, take a nap. President John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison were huge fans of power napping. So go ahead, take a siesta.

• Drink your greens. You read that right, drink it! When you’re always on the go, and need a quick and healthy pick-me-up drink, don’t reach for that caffeine-laden and sugary energy drink. Instead, try a green smoothie that you can take with you in your thermos. Simply toss some ice cubes, then your choice of fruits like mangoes, bananas, pineapple, papayas, apples, or blueberries into the blender with some green leafy vegetables like malunggay, spinach or romaine lettuce. If you choose really ripe and sweet fruits, you should be able to mask the bitterness of the veggies. Think of it as a multivitamin in a glass!

• Move your body. If you’d rather climb the corporate ladder than be on the Stairmaster, think again. Exercising can actually reduce stress, increase the flow of oxygen to your brain, improve your memory and, best of all, boost the happy hormones, endorphins — all of which you need to stay in peak performance at work and keep your sanity. Remember those stretching exercises that you see on long-haul flights? Do the same routine while sitting in your office chair. If you’re not shy in front of your colleagues, stand up to get a fuller stretch and even take a walk around the office. There’s no excuse for having no time for getting some cardio exercise in. At home, what I do is when I’m pressed for time and can’t head to the gym, I walk back and forth around my living room while my dad likes to go up and down the stairs repeatedly. We probably look crazy running around in circles, but hey, it’s something.    

We asked the following corporate leaders to name three things they do to make their bodies fit for their stressful jobs.

KEVIN TAN, head, Megaworld Commercial Division

1. I go jogging twice weekly for 45 minutes to an hour.

2. I avoid carbs after 6 p.m. Also, no fattening sweets for me, please. And no coffee.

3. I drink eight to 10 glasses of water daily to keep me hydrated and assure good digestion.

ROBINA GOKONGWEI-PE, senior vice president, Robinsons Retail

1. Every morning, I do stationary biking for 30 minutes. I have been doing this for the past 25 years. But two years ago, I started doing one hour in the gym weekly. Why? Ever since I gave birth to my second child at the age of 44, I realized I couldn’t even carry my baby. My body was getting too old!

2. I have very bad eating habits. I eat everything! Would you believe I can eat one bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce in one sitting. But I make up for this by making sure I eat veggies — but only veggies with leaves, like kangkong and pechay.

 3. My way of de-stressing myself is laughing at things that are not funny and pretending that I can run a 5K when I don’t even run.

ELENA COYIUTO, real estate administrator

1. I play tennis three times weekly. I do walking/training for one hour, four times weekly.

2. I eat everything except burgers and beef.

3. I drink green tea twice a day for cleansing, especially after eating oily food.

HANS SY, president, SM Prime

 1. With my busy schedule, I can’t even do the treadmill, so I compensate by trying to eat healthy. Now, I eat less red meat and more veggies.

2. I never eat sweets!

3. Who was that American president who said that a 30-minute power nap in the middle of the day will make you live longer? I used to try taking a nap in the car en route to a business appointment. But now, with all the SM offices already in one location, I hardly have the chance to do this.

THERESE CORONEL SANTOS, vice chairman, Cinderella Marketing Corporation

1. I start the day upon waking up by meditating for 15 minutes. I just close my eyes and relax.

2. I exercise on the treadmill every other day for 40 minutes.

3. I avoid red meat, I eat mostly chicken if I have to eat meat at all. I also drink 10 glasses of water every day — lukewarm water, that is.

PETER COYIUTO, president, First Life Financial

Three things you should do to keep healthy:

1. Run.

• This sport is different from other activities that are intrinsically fun because it makes you feel good or at least better, not just while you do it but for the rest of the day.

• A runner must not only run with his legs but also with his heart.

• Our modern comforts and conveniences have accumulated to the point that they have stopped making us feel better and started making us feel worse. Some primal instinct lurking deep inside is trying to tell us that what is needed is a good, hard sweat — some struggle in our lives, some physical challenge.

2. Golf.

• This sport is a mirror of life. Your brain cannot dictate what your muscles should do for a proper swing, because the swing is a split-second; thus, one must learn the muscle memory of the perfect golf swing. Like all other things in life, this sport requires constant good practice.

3. Swim.

• I am blessed with a half-Olympic 25-meter lapping pool at home and I make sure to swim thrice a week. This sport is unique from all others because it exercises each muscle in our body.

I swim with the best, I run with the fastest!