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| A Monthly Publication of the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® |
November 2008 Issue
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| About
Us January Dates to Remember
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Get going, go-getters! It would be so nice if exercise came as naturally as breathing. Imagine if it was as enjoyable as, say, eating ice cream. (Yum! Would it, then, be bad for us?) In reality, we all know, exercise should be as elemental to our lives as nutrition, and it should be incorporated into our weekly, if not daily, schedules. We hear it all the time. Exercise regularly to feel better, look better and think better. Benefits also translate into improved sense of well-being, relationships, productivity and professional success. So what’s stopping us? Dah! Who’s got the time for exercise? Right? Ah-Ahhh! That conundrum of the digital age does not hold true for exercise. (Sorry.) The better question is, “How do I make the time for exercise?” For answers, ask fellow REALTORS® who know well the demands of the profession and manage to fit exercise into a busy work week.
The added responsibilities of her post did not keep, Phyllis Brookshire, last year’s Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® president, from maintaining her workout schedule of five days a week. “Because I work out early in the day, my routine is not impacted very often,” says Brookshire. “I check my workout schedule on Sunday and plan for any conflicts there may be.” Workouts alternate between running and biking. Breaking up the day’s workout into two parts helps. Most evenings, she takes a 30-minute walk with her Schnauzer Bruno or on the treadmill, if it’s raining. An award-winning equestrian, Brookshire works with her horse Lady Avalon every Saturday. The English riding style she practices strengthens the body’s core, quadriceps and biceps. This year, Brookshire joined a coworker and trained for her first sprint triathlon, the Rambling Rose, a woman’s-only fundraiser for Girls on the Run on Oct. 19. “One of the reasons I did it is I’m a real goal-oriented person. Working out had become boring and I needed something to shoot for. That fit the bill,” she says. So for 12 weeks, she bumped up the pace to a six-day regimen that included cycling for an hour or more on Sundays. “You’ve got to have a conversation with yourself to figure out how to make (exercise) work for you. You need to decide what is the best time for you (to exercise), to ensure you’re going to do it. I’m a morning person,” says Brookshire. She also advises, don’t get frustrated. Start out slow and give your body a chance to build up to a more rigorous pace. Give yourself permission to skip a workout. “Let’s say something comes up and your schedule goes to hell in a hand basket. You can’t give up; you’ve got to think, tomorrow is a new day.” Anything is better than nothing. Fitness also has been a lifelong passion for REALTOR® Linda Trevor. A fitness instructor for 20 years, she became an avid runner in 2005, when she entered a charitable run to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. She now alternates her workout schedule with running Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and on the weekends. “Even in the busiest times, there’s
always room to run at
“It’s important to get away from the details of business and get a clear mind,” says Trevor. Exercise can also be a time for socializing. “It’s nice to catch up with friends without the distraction of a cell phone.”
Trevor has been running
with an informal group for more than 10 years. The group – called DRC, in memory of friend and fellow runner Dave Connors – gathers
during the week at different locations, but primarily meets in
Trevor was also looking forward to meeting friends from across the state who participate in the annual 5K run during the North Carolina Association of REALTORS® Convention & Expo last month. “It’s not the most popular convention event, but I always try to cheer it on to keep it on the schedule,” she says. This year, Trevor will have run three half marathons, and her sights are
set on her sixth full marathon in
Trevor’s advice: exercise with a friend or join a group. Friendship and socializing can motivate and make it fun. Visit www.insideoutsports.com or www.ncroadrunners.org online for information on running and cycling events and group activities. She also suggests signing up for a charitable event. A short run or walk can lead to other fitness opportunities. Check out such charitable fund-raisers as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training (www.teamintraining.org), Multiple Sclerosis’ Bike MS (www.bikems.org) and Walk MS (www.walkms.info.com) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Walk to Cure Diabetes (www.walk.jdrf.org). Suggestions for fitting exercise into your work schedule also come from Susie Davis, community health specialist at WakeMed Health and Hospitals. She coordinates all WakeMed’s worksite wellness and health education programs for corporate clients. She suggests:
If you sit more than an hour at work, get up and stretch or take a five-minute walk. “The body is built to move,” she adds. “If you sit too long, you get stiff and achy.” Speaking of which, sitting is not a REALTORS® friend. If you’re waiting for an economic turnaround to remedy your professional doldrums, you would be better served to get in a 30-minute workout.
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convinced?