Let's be honest with each other. Does this or some version of this sound like most days for you?
Your alarm goes off (maybe you dread getting up and hit the snooze once or twice), then before your feet even hit the floor, you roll over and check emails, scroll through Slack or Teams messages, or worse... you doom scroll for no reason other than you are procrastinating your day. Grab a quick coffee, maybe a protein bar, and then you start thinking about the meetings and work ahead.
Next thing you know it's 11am and you have barely moved from your desk. Lunch? Good chance you are eating at your desk between Zoom calls. Or if you do get out of the office, you're picking up fast food and eating whatever is the most convenient and quick thing you can get your hands on. Or you go for that burger and fries, or burrito because you think you deserve it. After all, you've made it halfway through the workday, right? That deserves something.
Then you hit that 3pm brick wall, so you reach for another cup of coffee and a candy bar, a well-meaning assistant probably even has a candy bowl sitting out so you don't have to leave the office for the next treat. You tell yourself you’ll work out when you get home, but by the time you log off, it’s dark out, you’re drained, and home, kids and the chores and the expectations that go with them are waiting for you.
If you’re a professional juggling deadlines, meetings, family, and everything else on your plate, you need to pay attention. Because this isn’t just about living longer, it’s about living well and being a better worker and leader.
Lifespan vs. Healthspan
There’s a big difference between lifespan (how long you live) and healthspan (how well you live during those years).
In the U.S., we spend nearly $4 trillion a year on healthcare. Yet our life expectancy isn't even in the top 50th percentile in the world. We may be living longer, but we are not living better.
If you’re in your 40s or 50s, chances are you are at the peak of your career, but is your body at its peak? We associate chronic disease with aging, but news flash: chronic disease doesn’t wait until retirement. One analysis found that six out of ten U.S. adults have at least one chronic condition. And that number is expected to double by 2050. If you are a young professional, you are not exempt from this. Over half of people ages 18-34 are also managing at least one chronic disease.
And this isn't just personal. Your health status is directly tied to your presence and energy at work.
Having multiple chronic conditions has been linked to an 11–29% lower chance of being employed and multiple missed workdays a year.
From a work perspective, you may be showing up but you are operating at half capacity.
Did you know...
- 36% skip healthcare visits to avoid work conflict.
- 33% have missed work opportunities due to health issues.
- 25% have missed promotions due to health issues.
- 21% have received negative performance feedback tied to their health condition.
Here’s how it happens:
- You skip meals or eat on the run, defaulting to convenience over nutrition.
- You sit for hours, leading to stiffness, fatigue, and reduced metabolism.
- You carry chronic stress, which taxes your immune system, mood, and recovery.
- You sacrifice sleep to “catch up,” only to find yourself more drained the next day.
- You rely on caffeine or quick hits of energy.
A national poll found that 76% of U.S. employees manage their chronic disease during work hours. If you're willing to do that, you need to ask yourself... why aren't you willing to manage your health during your work hours then?
This is where health coaching comes in, especially coaching designed for working professionals by a working professional. (That's me!)
As a health coach and a working executive, I can help you make real change within the context of a busy life. Together, we can:
- Translate generic health advice into work-friendly strategies.
- Build in movement breaks, smarter snacks, develop stress resets that fit your busy day and the boss's expectations.
- Build habits that integrate into your day, not ones that feel like another “to-do.”
- Focus on the aspects of health that directly impact your performance: nutrition (fuel and focus), movement (energy and posture), stress management (clarity and resilience), and sleep (recovery and decision-making).
Let me help you align your personal health and wellness with your professional goals because better health doesn’t just feel good, it performs better.
Here’s something inspiring: when you improve your own health, you naturally influence others. Research shows your friends’ healthy behaviors can impact yours by 40–60%. Imagine what that means for your workplace.
You become the person who brings clarity, calm, and energy into the room, the kind of presence others notice and want to emulate. That ripple extends far beyond your own desk.
And the ROI? Huge. The CDC reports that 90% of U.S. healthcare spending goes toward chronic and mental health conditions, most of which are preventable. Every dollar invested in prevention, saves multiple dollars in sick care down the road.
The habits you shape now will determine not just how long you live, but how well you live those years and how you show up for your team, your family, and yourself.
I encourage you to block 30 minutes this week to plan your health strategy, just like you’d plan a project at work. Let coaching be a part of that strategy.
Partner with me, a health coach who understands your world... who walks the same walk every day... the one where meetings run long and life doesn’t pause.
Imagine having, even 10% more energy every day.
I believe the future of work isn’t about sacrificing ourselves for more output, it’s about sustainable energy, focus, and balance. Your health isn’t separate from your success. It’s the foundation of it.
You may not be the CEO at the office, but you are the CEO of your own health.
The choices you make today, shape your tomorrow.
One empowered person inspires another.
Will you be a part of the ripple?
