President Obama, Michael Corbat and Richard Branson do it! We all know maintaining an active lifestyle should be one of our top priorities and despite those New Year’s resolutions to lose five kilos and cut back on the vino, old habits are hard to break.

For those people who lead extremely busy lives, one of their greatest tools is the power to organise.

 

This is how the likes of President Obama, Michael Corbat (CEO of CitiGroup) and Anna Wintour (Editor-in-chief of American Vogue) all stay in shape.

 

Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, exercises every day, every single day… if the man at the top of an organisation which manages 400 companies can find the time to exercise, so can you.

 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

 

Think of exercise like running a business – when you are scheduling meetings and networking also schedule in your exercise. Put it in your calendar. Balance Health Clubs has recently released an App that will help you schedule exercise classes that sync with your work calendar so there are no excuses to miss a workout.

 

Buddy training – Accountability is a huge part of business and reflecting that in personal fitness goals is a must for success. Accountability to your training partner will not only help you accomplish your fitness goals, the support, drive and motivation you give each other during your sessions will help to increase your own self belief.

 

Be motivated by money – Seeing money coming out of your account each month can be great motivation for getting up and exercising. Joining a gym or signing up with a personal trainer will help keep you focused on your goals and push you to get results.

 

Exercise through lunch - Many people work straight through their lunch breaks thinking it will be more productive to get an extra hour of work in. The truth is, getting away from your desk and releasing endorphins will help you push through the afternoon with more energy and gusto than your colleagues who don’t.

If you are feeling a little drained at lunch try a stretch and release session. Concentrate on your breathing and use a foam roller to help release those tight muscles. A walk and stretch can do wonders to help you get through the afternoon.

So get rid of those ‘I don’t have time’ or ‘I’m too tired’ excuses and remember that you need to burn energy in order to create energy.