How working out at the gym makes me better at work

I was never a gym person. Sure I would swim laps, run a few miles, and hike a trail every once in a while, but the idea of lifting weights in the gym was just not my vibe. Well, until it was.

I had a brief tryst with depression earlier this year. It came on top of a longstanding on-and-off affair with my hypersensitive thyroid. This situation resulted in me packing an extra 30lbs! Before I realized it, I was too big to fit into my clothes. I had always been in a perfect body till then, so it felt like I had hit the lowest low of my life. Something had to change. I started working out to hack my way out of this mess.

I have been going to the gym for strength training and conditioning for the last five months. I already feel physically stronger than ever. And thanks to all that endorphin and dopamine release, I have kicked depression away (for now, at least). In this pursuit, I have also built mental strength and emotional resilience. But one of the most enlightening realizations is how my workout regimen has helped me in my work. It has reinforced several career lessons I already knew, but now they have more profound significance for me.

Today, I am sharing seven principles I practice at the gym and how I apply them at work.

Principle #1: Discipline eats motivation for breakfast

I have had a fair share of days when I found myself dragging my feet, but what has kept me going is my commitment to my future self. I want to be fiercely steadfast in keeping my word as it feeds my sense of self-integrity. This principle has ultimately become the force that drives me out of my bed at 5:45 AM every morning without fail.

Now I consistently apply this principle to my work as well. I do not rely on motivation alone; I tap into the collective power of discipline and self-integrity.

We don't wake up motivated every day, but we do wake up with the power to make the choices - the choice to chip away at our goals or just sleep in.

Principle #2: Growth is at the cusp of discomfort

Several years ago, one of the Partners at my firm coached me: "Kanchan, it's good for you to be a little over your head at all times." I understood the spirit of it then, but I never quite internalized it. Working out every day has reinforced this very belief in me.

At the gym, that last rep has to be straining, and the resistance and weights have to be progressively higher than yesterday. The stress I put myself through is the cost of my growth. Living this experience has refined my mindset. I don't think I will ever complain about my work's straining and challenging nature because I know I will grow in the moment of discomfort.

Growth is not a revolution, its an evolution. Said differently, growth is continuous and gradual. Not sudden and abrupt. We grow a little everyday provided we push our limits and embrace the growing pains.

Principle #3: A good coach makes all the difference

I couldn't have been successful in my wellness journey without my coach, PJ, at the gym. Not only do I trust PJ's experience and qualifications, but his unfailing kindness and empathy greatly inspire me. He might have the best athletic body in town, but he understands how I feel being in mine and knows that my fitness goals are different from his. With his help, I have figured out my weaknesses (hello core, I am looking at you) and also my strengths.

At work, I want to be a coach like PJ - direct and kind, helping my team members to realize their potential while respecting the fact that everyone has unique goals.

Principle #4: Know your why

During my first consultation with PJ, he asked me about my goals. At first, I wrote something about losing weight. While nothing is wrong with it, it felt vain to me. I erased it and then wrote something about feeling confident in my body. That was the desired outcome. However, it lacked the specificity I needed to visualize the new me.

I dug deeper and came up with this: I want to become healthier, stronger, and more resilient. That was IT! Looking back, I realize that my why is the reason I can sustain this habit and make it a way of life.

At the macro level, I am still figuring out the purpose of my life, but for my work pursuits, I have started writing down my whys. It gives me a reason to wake up and passionately live my work life every single day.

There is something to be said about the sheer act of taking a pen and letting your thoughts bleed on paper. The more I write, the clearer my feelings and thoughts get and easier it is to refine them. The power of writing down one's purpose, vision and goals is undeniable.

Principle #5: Assess the strengths and gaps and make a sustainable plan

Before I started my wellness journey, PJ worked with me to establish a baseline that entailed recording my range of motion, endurance, and stamina. We also did an in-depth assessment of overall body composition. Next, we discussed what regimen would work for my life and how I could ease into it.

While this activity felt mechanical and process-driven at the moment, I have come to realize how critical this step was to make a personalized and sustainable plan. Now I work out 5-6 times a week. And on the days I cannot hit the gym, I compensate by packing in a home workout session.

I recently applied this learning to my work by taking a strengths finder assessment to improve my leadership skills and understand my blind spots. I am still processing the assessment results, but it has been incredibly insightful. I will be working with a career coach soon and write a separate article on that subject later.

Principle #6: You are your own competition

Many super-fit people work out alongside me every day. Perhaps they have a genetic makeup and a natural propensity to get fit faster. Or maybe they have been putting in the work for years. If I start competing or comparing with them, I would be unfair to myself. But then, how do I measure my progress? That is where the initial baseline we established comes in. It serves as a personal yardstick for measuring my progress against my competition - which is no one but just me. I work hard to beat my best performance.

I must admit that I am very competitive. Competition drives my performance not just at work but even at home. For instance, I compete with my husband on who cooks better or is more efficient at paperwork, which gets super annoying for him.

Therefore, practicing this principle at work has taken quite an effort. I have to be mindful to catch myself in the comparison act and actively modulate my thought stream in real-time. I hope I will soon start living by this principle pretty effortlessly.

Draw inspiration from giants but measure your progress against yourself. Break your own records. Be your own competition.

Principle #7: Recovery and Reflection are crucial parts of growth

Earlier in my life, I dismissed the value of resting. I had always been a workaholic. My situation shifted slightly once I got married and then drastically after I became a parent. Life's workload soared so much that I sometimes found myself burned out. Working out at the gym has given me a deeper appreciation of resting periods. My performance has increased significantly, and I get more out of myself at the gym and at work with adequate rest and recovery planned into my regimen.

I have yet to claim that I cracked the code for my sustainable wellness plan, but I know that I feel amazing right now - my head is in the game, I am consistent, and I show up without fail. I have pushed my limits progressively and grown tremendously. Strange enough, I even savor the occasional soreness after a new set of straining workouts. I am still months away from my eventual goal, but I am rejoiced to see the progress on the scale. I am enjoying the process as much as the results.

This experience has helped me immensely in shifting my mindset toward career growth. I am taking work as a sport - hitting my best shots for each play and switching to new plays when possible. I keep my eyes on the eventual goal of making a Partner at PwC, but in the moment, my focus is on playing with passion.

I feel strongly confident in my potential to learn, adapt, and evolve - and I haven't felt so in a while. We all need that life-changing habit when we feel stuck -  working out has done that for me. I highly recommend it.

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