Power Crunch gets expert feedback on a different workout routine every week. This week, G.A.P. Adventures founder and CEO Bruce Poon Tip shares his exercise regimen.
Bruce Poon Tip, 40, is the Toronto-based founder and chief executive officer of eco-tour company G.A.P. Adventures.
My goal
"To stay healthy and fit to focus on my work. ... My schedule is very hectic, so it's important for me to have a fitness regimen. I just can't watch my diet, because I'm always eating in restaurants or in hotels and I'm always going out to various functions. So if I don't want to explode, I have to exercise."
Bruce Poon Tip, CEO of G.A.P. Adventures, plays volleyball twice a week with his company team. (Ashley Hutcheson for The Globe and Mail)
My workout
Ninety minutes of Bikram (hot) yoga three times a week: "That's really big for me. I'm trying to do it four times a week, but three times is the minimum."
Two hours of weight-resistance training and cardiovascular exercise three to four times a week: "I do a combination of free weights and machines. And on the cardio side, I kind of mix it up. If I'm not on the stair machine, I'm biking or I'm running on the treadmill, one of the three. Of my two-hour workout, 50 minutes of it is on the cardio side."
Plays volleyball two evenings a week and basketball once a week.
My lifestyle
"I'm a terrible eater. As I've turned 40, for the first time I'm watching my diet. I've never had to do that before, but I have been lately. I keep a 24-hour schedule because I run offices in Europe and Australia, so I work late in the evenings and early in the mornings. So sleeping is sporadic for me. I think I sleep an average amount, but generally speaking, I view sleeping as a gross waste of time."
My motivation
"I have young kids that I want to teach right and be healthy for. But more so for me, it's the company I lead. ... I can't function properly if I don't feel physically fit. I'm not on my game."
My workout anthem
"I do have a tendency to listen, at times, to audiobooks - I know that's terribly boring - like, this morning, I was listening to The Tipping Point [by Malcolm Gladwell]. But my eighties catalogue is extensive; I don't know if a workout goes by without me hearing Michael Jackson, Flock of Seagulls, Guns N' Roses on my iPod. ... But my favourite songs when I'm working out actually happen to be heavier songs: I like Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam."
My challenges
"My biggest challenge with sticking to my fitness regimen is my hectic travel schedule. ... I get my assistant to scout out yoga studios that are near where I'm staying so I can drop into classes. ... And I've gotten better at scoping out hotels with gyms or finding local pick-up games if I'm going to be away for longer than a couple days."
The critique
Shrink your servings
Caron Shepley, corporate director of the Toronto-area fitness firm Personal Best, suggests Mr. Poon Tip ask for customized low-fat meals in hotel or airport restaurants. "Or while his assistant's scouting out local yoga studios for him to attend, they can also scout out restaurants that offer healthy menu options." She also advises ordering appetizers instead of entrees. "Most restaurants give portion sizes that are much larger than you need."
Pedal, breathe, pedal
Before he gets set for his next trip, Ms. Shepley suggests, Mr. Poon Tip should try substituting regular yoga classes with a new hybrid form of exercise that combines spinning and yoga. "Yoga is a fabulous form of exercise," says Ms. Shepley, a veteran yoga teacher. "What it lacks is stimulation for the cardiovascular system." This is particularly true of hot yoga, she says. Since yoga is Mr. Poon Tip's exercise of choice when abroad, Ms. Shepley says participating in spinning/yoga classes will ensure his level of fitness is up in preparation for his time away.
On the fly
Ms. Shepley recommends two websites to help Mr. Poon Tip keep exercise high on his itinerary: SportAholik.com and AirportGyms.com. The first site lets users connect with leagues, players and clubs for their favourite sports in Toronto and Vancouver, so Mr. Poon Tip can join basketball and volleyball games during his frequent trips to the West Coast. AirportGyms.com lists fitness centres and gyms in and around Canadian and U.S. airports.
40
