Zumba…it’s described as an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party^™ and today I experienced it for the first time. Since for me the lines between work and play are hopelessly blurred, I can’t help but discover important lessons in this one hour event.  As a matter of fact, there are three things I learned today…Try Something New!

In our field it’s easy to get tied to our computers — writing, planning, phoning — so much of what we do happens while we are sitting at our desks.  But did you ever notice how a brief respite from your office, a walk in the park when you might even stop to smell the roses, can make a positive difference in your day?  It’s proven that learning a new language, preparing a new recipe or trying a new physical activity stimulates brain activity.  Yes, PR people, that means creativity, inspiration and new ideas may be just a Zumba class away!

Listen to the Experts

I went into the Zumba class this morning not knowing what to expect.  And it wasn’t easy following all those steps — especially when it was all happening so fast.  But the instructor at the front of the room clearly knew what she was doing.  I’m quite sure she had her 10,000 hours in to qualify her as an expert – so I had to follow her as closely as possible or else I would have been completely hopeless in that class.  No matter how smart we think we are we can’t be expected to know everything. However, it’s crucial that we know how to find out.  Surrounding ourselves with experts, keeping data on resources for all subjects — that helps us become better.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

If you’ve ever seen 20 women (and two men) flailing around to the beat of Latin music, you would probably think it was really funny.  And it does take a certain level of confidence to dance around without caring what other people think of you. We spend so much time being serious — meeting deadlines, running to appointments, dealing with serious issues — it may seem impossible to simply have fun.  So if you can let loose for one hour and toss away those inhibitions for just a bit, it’s amazingly liberating.  As a matter of fact, it carries over to the rest of the day — so bringing that fun attitude back to your desk is inspiring and leads to better performance.

And according to SELF magazine, you can also burn 414 calories in an hour – fantastic!

So what will you do to shake yourself up today?

It has been an inspiring week, both at work and in marathon training – two areas of life that are somehow intertwined.  Is it the more rigorous training that is fueling more energy and focus at work?  Or is the self-discipline and organization practiced at work making training more productive?  Maybe a little of both…We started out this week with a rained out long run on Sunday so instead did our six mile run on Monday morning — the rain had cooled things down a bit so it was really a pleasant run, even during July in Southwest Florida.  After work, we met with my client and our personal trainer LouAnn at Fitness Together to find out the results of our fitness assessments.  I learned that I definitely need to work on bench press/strength, speed, a little reduction of body fat and a few other issues. LouAnn reviewed Steve’s report separately and then we got to work on our personalized workouts based on the assessments — VERY individualized, recognizing that no two people, or bodies, or levels of fitness, are exactly alike. I am really excited that my plan is designed specifically to meet my goals.

For the next 45 minutes, LouAnn had us lifting, lunging, throwing, pushing and pulling — a wide variety of exercises that kept it really interesting and quite fun. We worked on both cardio and strength since we will be relying on both for the long race. We left feeling a little tired, but well-exercised, stretched and stronger already — looking forward to next week’s session!

Tuesday’s adventure focused more on mental preparation — I had the great pleasure of being invited to lunch at Bistro 41 by Jean Gruss, editor/Lee-Collier of Gulf Coast Business Review to talk with Charles K. Idelson, President & CEO of Investors’ Security Trust. about the Nov. 7 NYC Marathon. Charles completed the NYC Marathon last year and  generously shared some great advice with us on training, nutrition, the race route, where to stay and where to eat.  Jean and I took copious notes, and marveled at Charles’ beautiful medal:

It was thrilling to hear about Charles’ NY experience — he didn’t just run the race, he took in all the excitement and drama of the event, and truly seemed to enjoy himself even through a little pain. Knowing both Jean and Charles through business, I learned a lot about their “running” sides and gained more perspective on two very special people. It was great getting to know them a bit better.

Like our “marathon” lunch, so far this journey is incredibly enriching and has provided a high level of inspiration that goes well beyond the daily runs and workouts. The result? Creativity, motivation, and continuous improvement that is sure to benefit me, my family and my clients. Read more about our marathon training on my blog plus you can learn about innovative public relations solutions at PKECreative.com.

Today is Day 1 of my personal training program at Fitness Together Fort Myers and so far, I see many parallels between their personalized, one-on-one attention and an effective public relations plan that focuses on achieving client’s goals and objectives.

As of today, I am a client of my client, LouAnn Good, owner of the private training studio on Gladiolus in Fort Myers where the theme is, “One Client. One Trainer. One Goal.” This is really exciting for me as it is the beginning of a five-month journey leading up to the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon on September 19, and then the NYC Marathon on November 7.  My husband Steve and I want to make sure we get there in a safe healthy way (we haven’t run a marathon in several years!), so we enlisted the help of LouAnn and personal trainer Jamie Swagler to help us. I already know that this was a very wise decision! I will be punctuating my regular blog posts with weekly updates on our progress (with some real pics, not just representative), and the benefits of a sound mind AND a sound body.

Here’s how it went today: our first session included a customized fitness evaluation where we were measured, tested and evaluated as to our level of fitness — not sure what the results are yet! LouAnn will enter the data into her specialized software program along with all our stats. In the PR world, this would be the research phase of the plan. This will generate a complete report that will specifically evaluate my body — where it is now, and where it needs to be over the next several months. LouAnn and I are setting goals and objectives that will lead to the strategic component of this “campaign”  – another similarity to the PR business.

So far, this is a unique experience. I have gone to gyms before where the atmosphere is very impersonal, usually with a staff member giving you a tour of the facility, a worksheet to figure out your reps, and a generic description of what you should do.  Then all of a sudden you’re alone with the equipment.  This is especially frustrating for me — being mechanically challenged, I would spend more time figuring out how to use each machine than actually using it.  And do I really want a room full of people watching me do this?

At Fitness Together LouAnn and Jamie are working with us in a private studio setting and showing us exactly what to do — correctly.  I really like their approach and we can all learn from it — no two clients are the same, and we have to plan differently for each based on individual needs and goals.

That’s why even though this is more of a physical process, I can’t help comparing it to the work we do every day in public relations and marketing — both include Research and incorporate Goal-Oriented Strategies.  Plus, very clear Measurement procedures are in place — and what’s more important than positive results?

And so the journey begins….I am excited about our first real training session next week, bringing us one step closer to our goals!  Stay tuned…in the meantime, check out www.ftfortmyers.com or www.pkecreative.com to learn more about us.