I (Matt) grew up playing baseball in the 80s. The high school I went to in Abilene, TX won the Baseball America (mythical) national championship in 1987 and 1988. As big as football is in West Texas, baseball was a close second at our school.

My primary position was pitcher. I wasn't that good, but I wanted to be. Trouble is, I was "husky" - details are inside this podcast episode - which meant that I had zero athletic advantage over anyone on our team. I was not strong. I was not fast. I simply was not physically healthy.

Are you physically healthy? Can you make it through your everyday work without propping yourself up with caffeine and sugar? Do you have the stamina to make it through the work day?

I coach a lot of leaders. And I poke and prod about their sleeping habits, their diet, their exercise routines. What I've learned is that most leaders are not physically healthy, either from abuse, misuse, or non-use.

In today's episode, Tal and I talk about the vital importance of physical health. I'll show you how to get strong (not as challenging as you think) and the payoff your physical strength provides in other areas of leadership.

In this episode you'll discover:

What I'm learning about presence as a parent.

• How Five Factors provides a different way to develop as a leader.
• The importance of incremental change if you want to lead for the long haul.
• That no two stories are alike when it comes to physical health.
• A simple, three-part framework for building and maintaining physical health.
• Why off-the-shelf nutrition and exercise plans do not work for you.
• The secret to physical health (HINT: it's your hormones)
• The importance of counting calories, and why it might be a bad strategy for you.
• The role that other people play in your physical health
• The lie that leaders tell themselves when they ignore physical health because they believe that they are healthy in other areas of life.

Items mentioned in this episode:

• FREE Download: Five Factors Overview
• Facebook Group
• Article: Do You Have The Strength To Lead?
• Book: Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson
• Book: Lose Weight Here by Jade Teta and Keoni Teta
• Book: The One-Minute Manager by Martin Gibala

*Download Transcript

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of the Five Factors Leadership Podcast. If you haven't done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below. You'll help us keep delivering life-changing information every week!

Click here to Subscribe via iTunes

Click here to Subscribe via Stitcher

Click here to Subscribe via Google Play