As outdoor activities and regular exercise regimens slowly morph into the relentless pursuit of kringle and other gastronomical derring-do for most hardy Wisconsinites, IB’s Fittest Executive Challenge winners are still basking in the glow of their autumn triumphs.
Six top executives were honored during the In Business Expo & Conference on Oct. 23: Kristine Ashe, vice president, Park Bank (Most Improved Woman); Ted Straus, executive vice president/COO, Suttle-Straus, Inc. (Most Improved Man); Mark Burish, founder/director/shareholder, Hurley, Burish and Stanton (Man Over 50); Mary Woolsey Schlaefer, president/CEO, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp. (Woman Over 50); Jessica Anderson, owner, Fleet Feet Sports Madison (Woman Under 50); and Jeff Haupt, owner, Red Card Media, LLC (Man Under 50).
| “I received some very interesting reactions when my friends learned I was competing. The facial expressions ranged from, ‘really, you?’ to ‘good luck with that.’” — Ted Straus, Suttle-Straus, Inc. |
For these active executives, fitness is not just a summertime hobby — it’s a lifestyle. And for our Most Improved winners, it’s a renewed focus that’s transformed their lives and aided their careers.
“During the challenge, I was often asked, ‘How do you feel?’ and ‘Have you noticed a difference?’” said Straus. “My response was often, ‘Everything is just better.’ My energy and focus improved dramatically. By incorporating morning workouts, I would arrive at work without the morning blahs and I could hit the ground running. I don’t recall a single day where stress impacted me negatively. Eating better and regular exercise provided that edge that I think we all look for as leaders.”
For Ashe, who lost 40 pounds during the challenge (see IB’s feature on Ashe and her husband Paul’s shared fitness journey), the experience was similar, and it allowed her to be more present and focused at the office.
“It’s definitely been a stress reliever, and just [allows me to] give more focused attention to what needs to happen, the well-being you feel,” said Ashe. “I take a lot of pride in where I work and I enjoy the people I work with, and it just makes my whole countenance happier. And I feel that I can engage in conversation and be present through different issues versus just being stressed out. … So my life has definitely improved, and my work, too.”
This year’s Fittest Executive Challenge kicked off with 30 challengers — including IB’s own Jan Wilson — representing a wide range of industries. The Most Improved contestants started off with a baseline health evaluation conducted by Meriter Health Services, and the winners were determined by the percentage improvement in various health categories.
For the Fittest Exec categories, competitors were evaluated at the end of the contest period. Their cholesterol and blood glucose levels, resting heart rate and blood pressure, body fat percentage, and flexibility were all measured, and they were also given strength tests and a treadmill exercise test.
While most people would consider taking on an executive role to be workout enough, many of our Fittest Exec competitors consider staying fit to be an integral part of their jobs.
“I count fitness as part of my work responsibilities,” said Schlaefer. “My goal is to be as effective and well rounded a leader as possible. Building stamina and physical strength makes me a more energetic, positive, confident leader. So when I take time to work out, I don’t think, ‘This is taking away from my work.’ I think, ‘This will help me bring more to my work.’ That frame of mind helps me prioritize and find time for fitness just as I do for other critical work responsibilities.”
Indeed, that’s a lesson that many of our challengers would like to impart to their employees. Maybe they’re not quite ready to start a Japanese-style forced-calisthenics regimen, but the importance of wellness in an age of rising health care costs and alarmingly low employee engagement levels can’t be stressed enough.
For Haupt, that translates into one refreshingly simple philosophy — no excuses.
“Staying in shape is one of the easiest things you can do, and saying you don’t have time for it is just an excuse,” said Haupt. “I have and continue to allow a flexible schedule to let my employees work out during the day. If you are results-driven, the time away from the office won’t matter, and employees appreciate the flexibility. A healthy staff is an effective one.”
As IB’s Most Improved Man, Straus has developed an even greater appreciation for the importance of wellness in the workplace, and being a positive example to his employees was part of the fun.
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“Having personally experience [this challenge], I’m highly motivated to carry on our wellness initiatives,” said Straus. “Our number one asset is our team members, and improving their health can only lead to great things down the road. As we strive to be a learning and growth organization, our wellness plans have to be a focal point.
“It’s also worth noting that a big motivator for me was the social media campaign that our marketing and creative staff put together. They captured my journey and brought a great deal of fun along the way. We received some great reactions on Facebook with our video series.”
Learning curve
Even for those Fittest Exec contestants who were already regular exercisers and committed healthy eaters, the challenge provided learning opportunities.
Anderson, who works in a fitness-related industry, said she “learned I am now addicted to exercise,” having turned her fitness regimen into more of a full-time pursuit.
“I usually take a one- to two-week break every few months from exercise, and during this challenge, I did not do that,” said Anderson. “I also realized that I can exercise alone sometimes. I thought I always had to run or exercise with others, but my iPod did get some use during this challenge.”
Haupt, who trained at Madison’s Monkey Bar Gym, said the experience altered the way he approached exercise.
“I used to think that long, slow endurance was the key to weight loss and performance for long races,” said Haupt. “I no longer believe that. I am more injury-free than ever and know that I can outperform my old self. Many people focus on efficiency at work or home, but not in the gym. Many of our workouts were only 20 minutes, and they were more effective than what I would have accomplished in an hour at the gym.”
Of course, it would be remarkable if all our competitors’ fitness journeys had gone perfectly smoothly, without a detour or bump in the road along the way.
The Fittest Exec winners shared some of their more amusing adventures from earlier this spring, when the contest kicked off, to October, when the trophies were handed out.
For Schlaefer, the competitive juices were flowing pretty fast when the day of reckoning came.
“On the day of my fitness test, I was wearing an ancient, favorite pair of workout shoes,” said Schlaefer. “When I got on the scale for my weigh-in, I asked if I should take my shoes off. The person taking my weight said, ‘It’s up to you.’ I thought to myself, this is a competition, but I don’t want to be so serious. I’ll leave my shoes on.
“My weight was taken. My competitive nature then took over and I said, ‘Wait! I want my shoes off.’ I got back on the scale and weighed a full 2 pounds less. Those are some heavy shoes. Wearing those for the weigh-in didn’t help, but working out with 2-pound weights on my feet certainly must have helped me on the strength and stamina tests.”
As for Straus, he had to contend not just with the challenges of a more demanding fitness regimen, but also with the skeptical looks of those who knew him best.
“I received some very interesting reactions when my friends learned I was competing,” said Straus. “The facial expressions ranged from, ‘really, you?’ to ‘good luck with that.’ Obviously, I had to quickly explain that I was participating in the Most Improved category and that it should be viewed as going from a slacker to less of a slacker.
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The Winning Formulas
There are as many fitness regimens as fit (or striving-to-be-fit) individuals. Our Fittest Executive challengers began this race at different starting lines, but they each demonstrated herculean grit and determination before completing their fitness marathons.
We asked our winners to describe their fitness journeys, and to note in what ways, if at all, their regimens changed after agreeing to take part in IB’s Fittest Executive Challenge.
Kristine Ashe, vice president, Park Bank (Most Improved Woman): “I got a heart-rate monitor and I started determining [the number of calories burned] when you’re exercising, and when you look at how hard you work to get rid of calories and your own calorie intake, it really makes you think more about what you put in your mouth.”
Ted Straus, executive vice president/COO, Suttle-Straus, Inc. (Most Improved Man): “After my baseline appointment at Meriter, I traveled to Mexico for 15 days. I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point for anyone interested in becoming more fit. That said, I made a point of exercising every day and giving up certain foods during the vacation. Before the competition, I would exercise one to two days per week for about 45 to 60 minutes per workout. Having the 15 days to concentrate on daily workouts actually proved to be beneficial, as I was able to carry that habit forward when I returned home. For the duration of the competition, I averaged five workouts per week. The workouts ranged from competitive racquetball to running to group fitness classes. I found the variety of workouts to be a key to my overall success.
“Another key was making a commitment to a class or match by signing up for them. The commitment provided the motivation to get up at 5 a.m. and have a full workout in before heading off to work.”
Mark Burish, founder/director/shareholder, Hurley, Burish and Stanton (Man Over 50): “I did nothing more for this challenge than I do on a regular basis. I am a firm believer in a variety of forms of exercise. I do all sorts of workouts on a regular basis. Cardio, weights, TRX, yoga, biking, exercise classes, fitness workouts. I believe constant repetition is a path to boredom and injury. I exercise with a trainer once a week. We not only do different exercises every season, each set is different. Different speed, angle, weight, etc.”
Mary Woolsey Schlaefer, president/CEO, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp. (Woman Over 50): “My routine changed in one big way — I got on a treadmill for the first time in my life! My usual fitness routine is unusual compared to most folks. I don’t work out in a gym and I typically use very little equipment. My aerobic conditioning is through running, biking, and skiing outside, along with some indoor rowing. I literally had never been on a treadmill before in my life. I knew that the fitness challenge would include a stress test on a treadmill. I had a nagging feeling that if I didn’t practice on the treadmill, I would fall off during my test. So I built five treadmill practice sessions into my routine.”
Jessica Anderson, owner, Fleet Feet Sports Madison (Woman Under 50): “My fitness journey was very similar before, during, and after the competition. I run two to four days a week and always have goal races, from 5Ks to marathons. I actually did four marathons this year and a 24-triathlon relay. I usually don’t do that many long races, but I did this year!
“I also do TRX suspension-training workouts with Woodall Training at least three days a week. This has been great for me, since I love training in a group and the cross-training has tremendously helped my running.”
Jeff Haupt, owner, Red Card Media, LLC (Man Under 50): “I worked out at the Monkey Bar Gym four days a week. The workouts included short high-intensity body-weight training and cardio workouts. I also practice yoga and get out on my stand-up paddleboard two to three days a week. When I got into the contest, I included additional running to strengthen that area, and I tightened up my nutrition.”
For information about the 2014 Get Fit Challenge, click here.
IB’s Fittest Executive Challenge was sponsored by:
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