Kate Borders, Executive Director
East Town Association
Milwaukee, Wi
www.easttown.com
What does your daily or weekly fitness regime consist of?
"Four days a week of cardio in the gym, two days a week of cardio outside (long walks with my dogs). Three or four days of week of weight training. I have been working out all my life but recently took a little bit of a break when I got married. I got back into the full workout routine a couple of months ago."
Other than the obvious health benefits, how has being fit improved your life?
"I am amazed at the amount of energy I have on days when I work out, versus the days that I don’t. I work out before work, so it hits me around 11am – exhaustion – if I don’t start the day with fitness. Also, it improves my self image to be working out. I believe that this affects women more than men, but it has a strange effect on day to day interactions with others."
How does personal fitness affect your work life?
"I just touched on this a bit – but it has an even greater affect on my job. We are the producers of Jazz in the Park and Bastille Days and events of this nature require a great deal of lifting, and a great deal of energy. Obviously these are important"
Do you have a corporate health or wellness initiative?
"No."
How does fitness or wellness affect your overall organization?
"We are a small office – with only two full time employees – and we try to encourage each other to work out on a regular basis. Being only two individuals, we can be very flexible with the work schedule allowing us both to fit workouts into our daily routine."
What advice do you have for other executives interested in starting either a personal fitness plan or corporate wellness initiative?
"Do it – even though we don’t have a formal initiative – I can see all the benefits of doing so. The most obvious being the increase in attendance. "
