How CMOs Can Stay Fit With Their Busy Lifestyle

The role of Chief Marketing Officers is growing day by day. With all the advancements in technology and sophistication of the web over the past decade, marketing is truly becoming a task that never sleeps.

That being said, factoring the time to stay fit can be extremely difficult in this high-level position. As a good deal of the job involves sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen, making an effort to prioritize fitness is absolutely essential for a long, fruitful life. Studies have found that sitting too much can be detrimental to your health. Some even indicate that it’s worse than smoking.

As busy as CMOs are, there are plenty of ways to stay fit both inside and outside the gym. Here are a few key points to consider.

Create A Routine And Stick To It

While the finer details of a CMO’s routine will vary quite a bit, adopting a reliable structure that budgets the appropriate amount of time to address both physical and mental health is critical for staying fit and avoiding burnout.

In addition to waking up at the same time, eating breakfast, and showering in the morning, a good strategy to get through the work day is to block up your time. For instance, try to keep your “screen time” separated into blocks of 25 minutes. In between, take five or so minutes to stand up and move around to keep the blood moving.

Either before or after business hours, try to budget an hour or so 2-3 days a week to work out. Going beyond staying fit, hitting the gym is a great way to disconnect for a while and blow off steam.

Eat Wisely

As important as it is for a CMO to find time to work out, having a proper diet is even more vital to staying fit. For starters, skipping breakfast is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a professional. For one, it can have a bad effect on your attitude and judgement. Second, it can slow down your metabolism, making it harder for your body to process meals later in the day. Starting with a high-protein, low carb meal can help you stay productive throughout the day. If there is one meal you shouldn’t skip on, it’s breakfast.

When lunchtime rolls around, it can be tempting to stay at your desk and try to get as much done as possible while eating. Given the workload that comes with being a CMO, it can be very easy to either reach for a convenient (unhealthy) snack, or end up skipping the meal altogether. For this reason, it’s best to separate yourself from the work area while eating lunch.

After a workout, it’s extremely beneficial to supplement your diet with a healthy source of protein. While many types of protein powders can give you great results, it’s recommended to stay away from whey, as it can lead to bloating and indigestion. For CMOs, who must constantly be on the ball, opting for plant-based alternative can do wonders to keep energy levels high throughout the entire day.

“I normally schedule my daily workout in the early mornings before business hours,” says Charles Weller, CEO of Ground-Based Nutrition, manufacturer of plant-based superfoods. “For years, I was using whey protein and finding my stomach would get upset in the late morning, making it really tough to focus. Once I made the switch to a plant-based powder, I could stay motivated all day and not be tempted to take a nap around noon.”

In the hours when you need to be at your most productive, do your best to stay away from greasy meals and junk food. All these will do is slow you down. As a CMO, that is the last thing you need.

Get Plenty Of Sleep

Even though marketing never sleeps, all humans need to. Valuing sleep is a common habit amongst the most successful people in the world. Sleepfoundation recommends adults get between 7-9 hours per night. Unfortunately, many professionals don’t meet this criterion. In fact, a survey of 3,200 American workers conducted by CareerBuilder, reported by Fortune, found only 16% of respondents claimed they get a substantial amount of sleep every night.

As a CMO, there is a lot that depends on you. Therefore, you (and your company) cannot afford to be anything less than 100%. In addition to being more effective and alert throughout the day, hitting the target amount of sleep can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and provide a plethora of other benefits

Many times, it can be hard to power down your brain at night between emails, looking at website data, social media analytics, etc. Performing these tasks late at night stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep. The key is to find a time in the evening to disconnect from electronics.

Doing this will give you time to unwind and fall asleep at a good hour. Sleep is perhaps the most important ingredient to staying fit and healthy. Don’t cut any corners here — you can approve that new campaign first thing next morning!

Stop Making Excuses

In the busy lifestyle of a CMO, it’s incredibly easy to put work in front of your health. Fighting the urge to stay up late to get some extra work done, putting off meal times, or skipping a workout will be a never-ending reality of the position. Staying fit while bringing a brand into the future is by no means a simple feat. It all comes down to discipline and motivation.

True, your career is extremely important and your clients need that brand awareness every moment of the day. But, your health should always come first. Neglecting it won’t do you, your company or agency any good in the long run.

More On Your Plate

As if CMOs don't have enough on their plates already more and more CMOs are being asked to oversee the entire Customer Experience.

Download this guide to learn how businesses can set CMOs up for success using four of Constellation’s primary business research themes, including Next-Generation Customer Experience, Digital Marketing Transformation, Matrix Commerce, and Data to Decisions.