Athletes know that they have to be in shape in order to perform well. The same rule applies to people who work in offices. Particularly if your environment is stressful, you need to be in good shape in order to work at an optimal level.

Being in shape means that you have endurance and flexibility, that your mind is clear and able to focus, and that you can operate with a blend of self-control and creativity. When you are in shape, you have the energy you need to get the job done, and other people can actually sense that energy.

To maximize your energy, to increase your capacity to perform, you need to build your physical capacity just as an athlete would. And at the same time you manage your physical well-being, you can enhance your mental, emotional and even spiritual health as well.

As you think about your current practices and build your comprehensive fitness plan for 2007, consider these basics:

Below are brief descriptions of three of Bev’s favorite books, as well as links that will allow you to buy the books directly from Amazon.com. For reviews of these and other helpful books, along with Amazon links go to: ClearWays Books and Services. If you buy a book this way it will contribute to the cost of distributing Bev’s Tips, and be much appreciated.

The Power of Full Engagement – Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, 2003.

The authors argue that energy, rather than time, is our most precious resource, and they describe exercise as an important way to enhance energy. The book describes the program that they first developed to enhance the performance of professional athletes, and then modified to help executives create and balance energy.

The challenge of a great performance and a fully engaged life, the authors say, is to manage four sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. And you can stimulate all four kinds of energy by methodically building positive habits, or “rituals,” including a regular exercise program. This is a good how-to book if you are looking for a way to become more fully engaged in your job and positive about your life.

Younger Next Year – A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond, and also Younger Next Year for Women, both by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D., 2004 and 2005.

Lodge and Crowley make a strong case that exercise will help you live a longer, healthier and more vibrant life. Their breezy readable books argue convincingly that exercise can help us all turn back our biological clocks.

Current science, they say, demonstrates that our body and brain operate a system of messages that signal either growth or decay. “The keys to overriding the decay code are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition and a real engagement with living.” But, they continue, “it starts with exercise.”

Exercise is the only way to engage both your body and your physical brain, but if you do it every day, the authors say, “you will get ‘younger.’”