Given the hectic schedule of meeting planners, both when they’re in their office and, especially, when they’re on the road, some of them find it difficult to squeeze fitness into their day. But others are making sure to put it into their schedules.
“I travel maybe once a month, sometimes more, so finding time to exercises, beyond what I do for an event, is next to impossible,” says Margo Jordan, program manager, training events, Align Technology. “Sometimes I say I’ll wait until after a trip but it never happens.”
Heather Reid, founder and CEO of Planner Protect, “became a fan of fitness” in June, 2018, she says. “I was one of five women together at the beach, and four of us went stand-up paddle boarding. I knew I wasn’t capable; I sat on the beach and cried.”
She and her husband now exercise six days a week, first thing in the morning, and when she’s on the road, she goes to the hotel gym. The results are palpable. “My mental clarity is far superior to what it was before. My events are multi-day, and I previously spent most of them trying to get cramps out of my legs. This spring I was on-site and I could have gone shopping that night.”
Lifelong work-out enthusiast Wendy Morris, managing partner, ExpoVention, a meeting and trade show management company, also sees the benefits of having a fitness routine. “Once you make the commitment and follow through, it puts you in a better place mentally and physically.”
However, she advised planners not to beat themselves up when they can’t fit in exercise. “Some days you have absolutely no time and there’s nothing you can do. Come to terms with it, because eventually you go back to your routine and life goes on.”
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