(ThyBlackMan.com) Recently, the mental health of the president of the United States has come into question. For varied reasons, Donald J. Trump’s mental and cognitive fitness has been put under the spotlight. The president, apparently, was so rattled by public perception that the White House doctor was summoned recently to conduct a physical examination.
Today, leadership demands a lot from those who aspire to such lofts. High-stakes decisions have to be made in light of its impact on not only for the particular business, but the human cost as well.
Should we expect that our leaders be more in shape than those whom they lead? Should we expect more from their mental, cognitive and physical abilities?
The answers to those questions may be more subjective than objective. We don’t always have the luxury of gauging the performance of a leader, divorced from the company’s bottom line. We may only surmise what their mental capacity may be based on their actions; whether they are making the best decisions or not or whether they may even lead an active physical life is less objectively acquired.
We may not know, but there are some things we may expect of a leader – whether that person is the leader of the free world, director of the community non-profit or the top person in the chain of command in the department in which one is employed.
Leadership demands excellence physically, mentally and cognitively.
A Leader’s Physical Conditioning
Trump’s physical conditioning, according to the White House doctor, is “excellent”, although he’s listed as “overweight” at 239 lbs and there are concerns about his weight, diet and exercise.
Being overweight does not a bad leader make. However, a leader should endeavor to make the most of his or her commitment to excellence by committing to some form of regular exercise.
Studies show that people who are high earners (as most leaders do make more than their subordinates) are usually people who have active lifestyles – in other words, they spend time in the gym and they usually make the most of their gym experience by engaging in high-intensity training.
A Leader’s Mental Alertness
Closely connected to one’s physical conditioning is one’s mental acuity – they are related! In fact, one’s time in the gym translates to one’s high-level of performance in the mental arena. This is one area in which the president has received intense focus. We are, after all, what we do or fail to do conditioning-wise.
Regular physical conditioning releases “feel good” hormones into the bloodstream, resulting in a heightened state mental alertness. This is why a lot of people workout in the early morning hours before going to the office – to prepare themselves for the mental challenges of their particular day.
A Leader’s Cognitive Abilities
According to the White House doctor, the president’s cognitive abilities are “normal” as indicated from the results of a “cognitive screening test designed to assist Health Professionals in the detection of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Not only does one’s mental acuity receive benefits from physical conditioning, one’s cognitive – the way we think – also gets a boost, giving us more thinking power during the day. That’s because physical conditioning supplies our brain with millions of new neurons that give us startling abilities to use our brainpower and keep our creative-thinking at a very high level.
The bottom line is leadership demands excellence of our body, mind and brain and we do well to condition our body as often and as consistently as we can.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.