The Q-Kids: Strong Mind, Strong Body

By John R. Nocero and Andrea L. Bordonaro

JRN: The gym is more than just a place to get fit – it's a place to silence the noise in your head. The gym is a battlefield for the mind. Strength is forged in silence and sweat. Embrace the grind and let the chaos fade. In that discipline, true warriors are born. The gym is where you trade mental chaos for clarity. It's not  just about building muscle; it’s about strengthening the mind to handle life’s weight with more resilience.

AND the gym routine you have may also be the key to making money, according to Forbes. An entrepreneur tracked the growth of companies with CEOs that lifted weights or did fight sports compared to the S&P500. He found this “deadlift ETF” fund outperformed the S&P500 by 140%, or 2.4 times over the last four years. The full article is here. Could Your Gym Routine Be The Key To Business Success? Andrea, I am curious to your thoughts. Is there a logical correlation? Or should people exercise because it is good for them and they want to live a long life, says the guy who trains like he is being hunted. 

ALB: Very interesting, but this correlation doesn't surprise me. I read the article that you linked above and it makes sense, especially: "Whether weightlifting CEOs and company performance is correlation or causation is unknown. But it’s definitely intriguing. It’s no secret that consistent, challenging physical exercise develops mental resilience, which is incredibly useful when running a company." That, to me, is common sense. 

Mark Zuckerberg puts it down to energy. "Staying in shape is very important. Doing anything well requires energy, and you just have a lot more energy when you're fit." This connection is simple science and anyone can attest to that. If you are in shape, have a solid routine that you find invigorating to your daily life, you are more likely to be clear minded and ready to tackle the day ahead of you. I also agree that exercise is important, though, because it's essential to our mental health and our physical health. I can't say which one is more important because one of my worst fears is losing either one - having my body able to work properly but be confused or vice versa. Both seem like a total nightmare, so anything that we can do to keep a healthy mind and body should be an attainable goal. I especially found this part of the article eye-opening, although not entirely surprising to me either: "When a CEO looks and feels better, they probably make better decisions and attract new business and better deals.

The visibility of a CEO's commitment to physical fitness can also inspire team members to prioritize their own health. A company-wide shift towards physical fitness can lead to increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and improved morale and culture. A study published in the Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology found that employees who engage in regular physical exercise showed higher levels of empathy and focus at work compared to their sedentary counterparts." I can see this being true and yes, I bet when a company is on board with health being a priority, production increases as a whole. A strong mind and a strong body is quite unstoppable.