Sweat Equity: The Highest-Return Investment You're (Maybe) Not Making

April 20, 2025

Hunting season kicked off this week. Wild boar, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer—the closed season is over, and the forest is open.

I don't call it "recreational hunting" on purpose. I hunt primarily to source meat for my family. No trophies, no glamor shots. Just the ancient practice of procuring food directly from the land. Nothing connects you more deeply to nature than stalking through the forest at dawn, senses heightened, aware of every snapping twig and shifting wind direction.

Three days ago, I took my first kill of the season: a 45 kg (100 lb) wild boar in the forests of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, northern Germany, near our holiday retreat.

But killing is only a tiny fraction of hunting. The real work comes after.

Have you ever dealt with 45 kg of flexible, tensionless weight? The answer is no for most.

It's a true test of fitness. After my boar dashed a few more seconds deeper into the forest after the shot, I had to recover and process it. Dragging, lifting, maneuvering around trees and through underbrush. I won't pretend it was easy—I broke a serious sweat, pulling that animal out of the woods to a clear patch near my car.

At that moment, it became clear: physical capacity isn't just about aesthetics or abstract health markers. It's about functional capability—the ability to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, without your body becoming the limiting factor.

This perspective applies far beyond hunting. It's the foundation of sustained high performance in every domain, including your career.

Physical Activity: The Investment With Guaranteed Returns

Everyone has an investment strategy. Some bet on tech stocks. Others in real estate. Crypto, if you're feeling adventurous.

But what if I told you that the highest ROI investment available isn't in any market?

It's physical activity. And unlike volatile financial markets, these returns are virtually guaranteed.

Most professionals scrutinize potential investments for hours yet completely neglect to move their bodies—the one investment that pays dividends in every aspect of their lives. The science isn't just compelling—it's overwhelming.

The Performance Data That Should Shock You

Let's cut the BS about exercise being just about looking good or living longer. Those matter, but they're not what drives high performers.

Here's what should grab your attention: Physical activity rewires your brain for peak performance.

A single bout of moderate exercise immediately enhances executive function—your ability to plan, focus, switch tasks, and override impulses. These are the exact cognitive skills that determine whether you crush that presentation or fumble through it. Whether you spot the hidden opportunity or miss it entirely.

But that's just the immediate return. The long-term data is staggering.

Meeting baseline activity recommendations (150 minutes of moderate activity weekly) reduces your all-cause mortality risk by 20-30%. That's a more significant risk reduction than most preventive medications. But who cares about dying less if you're performing poorly now?

So consider this: Regular physical activity reduces anxiety by 30% and depression risk by 25%, even at levels below standard recommendations. It measurably improves sleep quality, reduces perceived stress, and enhances subjective energy levels. It directly supports the psychological resilience needed to thrive in high-pressure environments.

This isn't wellness fluff. It's a scientific fact.

Most shocking? The combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is associated with a 40% lower mortality risk compared to doing neither of these activities. That's nearly double the benefit of aerobic exercise alone.

Yet many professionals completely neglect strength training, missing half the equation.

The Minimum Effective Dose: What Actually Works

Here's why most advice about physical activity fails: It's often built for fitness enthusiasts, rather than busy professionals balancing competing demands.

The truth? The dose-response curve is non-linear. The first increments of activity produce the most significant gains. Going from nothing to something delivers dramatically more benefit than going from something to more.

For mortality benefit, 75 minutes of weekly moderate activity (such as brisk walking) delivers approximately a 20% risk reduction. The full 150 minutes pushes that to around 30%. Beyond that, additional activity continues to help, but with diminishing returns.

For strength training specifically, the sweet spot is around 60 minutes per week (e.g., two 30-minute sessions), targeting all major muscle groups.

That's it.

Everything beyond this minimum protocol is optimization, not foundation. Two to three hours weekly—about 2% of your waking hours—delivers most of the health and performance benefits.

And don't think you need to be gasping for air or lifting crushing weights. Moderate activity works remarkably well. "Moderate" means you can talk but not sing. That's brisk walking, casual cycling, or swimming at a conversational pace. For strength, research shows even beginners can achieve significant gains working at just 50% of their maximum capacity.

It's never been about turning you into an athlete. It's about crossing the threshold from inactive to active. The biggest step is the first one.

Asset Allocation: How Smart Professionals Invest Their Movement

Your physical activity strategy requires diversification, just as your financial portfolio does.

Here's what the evidence supports:

Aerobic Activity (Your Core Holdings)

150 minutes of weekly moderate activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) form your foundation. This delivers most of the cardiovascular and cognitive benefits. Walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing—the modality matters less than the consistent execution.

Resistance Training (Your Growth Component)

Two sessions weekly, 30 minutes each, targeting all major muscle groups. The evidence is clear: strength training independently improves nearly every health marker that matters, from glucose metabolism to cognitive function. It's particularly crucial as we age, when muscle loss accelerates.

HIIT (Your High-Yield, Higher-Risk Play)

High-intensity interval training—brief bursts of near-maximal effort alternated with recovery periods—delivers cardiovascular benefits comparable to longer moderate sessions in a fraction of the time. It is done once or twice a week, lasting 10-20 minutes per session. The time efficiency is unmatched.

Movement Breaks (Your Hedging Strategy)

The most overlooked component. Prolonged sitting creates an independent mortality risk, even if you exercise regularly. Breaking up sitting time with brief movement every 30-60 minutes provides significant protection. These aren't workouts—they're 2-5 minute interruptions of sedentary behavior.

The research shows that this diversified approach comprehensively addresses all physiological systems that support peak performance. It's not about maximizing any single component; it's about optimizing the entire system.

Implementation For Real Humans With Real Jobs

Theory without execution is worthless. Here's how to make this work in the context of demanding professional lives:

For Time Constraints:

• Schedule exercise like any critical meeting—non-negotiable, calendar-blocked time
• Leverage early mornings before the day's demands hijack your schedule
• Use HIIT for maximum ROI on limited time (10-20 minutes can deliver significant benefits)
• Break larger blocks into smaller ones if necessary (two 15-minute walks vs. one 30-minute session)

For Travel Disruption:

• Develop a bodyweight strength routine requiring zero equipment (pushups, squats, lunges, planks)
• Walking is universally available, regardless of location
• Pack resistance bands—lightweight, portable, and versatile enough for a complete workout
• Book hotels with fitness facilities or nearby parks when possible

For Sedentary Work:

• Take walking meetings for one-on-ones (bonus: walking enhances creative thinking)
• Stand during calls that don't require note-taking
• Set a recurring calendar alert to move briefly each hour
• Use the "one-floor rule"—never take an elevator for a single floor

For Mental Performance:

• Time short aerobic sessions before important cognitive demands
• Schedule strength training when recovery windows exist afterward
• Use brief movement breaks to reset mental fatigue during extended focus periods
• Leverage outdoor activity for additional attention restoration benefits

The most successful professionals aren't those who adhere perfectly to optimal protocols. They are the ones who maintain consistent minimum standards, regardless of the circumstances. The returns come from consistency, not perfection.

The Decision Framework Most Get Wrong

The primary reason professionals fail with physical activity isn't a lack of information. It's poor decision architecture.

Most approach exercise from a willpower perspective: "I should work out today." This guarantees eventual failure. Willpower is a finite resource that is depleted under stress—precisely when you need the most benefits of exercise.

The solution? Systems, not intentions.

A decision framework built on default behaviors and environmental triggers eliminates the need for daily motivation. Three critical elements:

1. The Default Reset

The single most powerful change? Flip your default from inactivity to activity.

Your default is sedentary. Activity requires a conscious decision to override that default. Reverse this completely.

Make movement your baseline assumption. Only accept inactivity when a specific circumstance demands it. Movement becomes normal; sitting becomes the exception, requiring justification.

I've adopted the habit of listening to audiobooks while walking for 30 minutes, rather than sitting to read a book, transforming a traditionally sedentary activity into an opportunity for movement.

This mental shift sounds subtle, but it transforms everything. When activity is your baseline, you're no longer "finding time to exercise"—you're occasionally "accepting a deviation from your normal pattern."

2. Decision Elimination

The most successful professionals don't decide to exercise each day. They eliminate that decision entirely.

Eliminate the "when" by establishing fixed time blocks immunized against schedule changes. Early morning works best for most—it preempts the inevitable scheduling conflicts that arise throughout the day. My default is to get up at 5:30 am and exercise as my baseline; I only accept deviations for travel or rare other occasions.

Eliminate the "what" by developing default protocols for different contexts. Your brain shouldn't waste energy deciding what to do when:

• You have 15 minutes (walking circuit)
• You have 30 minutes (strength routine)
• You're traveling (hotel room circuit)
• You need a mental reset (stair climbing)

The goal is cognitive automation—execution without deliberation.

3. Environment Hacking

Your physical environment massively influences behavior. Use this to your advantage.

Keep athletic shoes at your desk to eliminate the "I'm not dressed for it" excuse when an opportunity for walking arises.

I've installed a proper pull-up rack in both my home and corporate offices—between calls and meetings, I knock out a few reps or do dead hangs. Zero time cost, significant strength benefit over time.

Or, hook resistance bands to your office chair. Between calls, complete 10 rows or presses. Again, there is no time cost.

Pay for convenience. The gym three blocks away is infinitely more valuable than the cheaper one across town. The home equipment you'll actually use beats the theoretical program you won't.

When implemented, this framework eliminates the primary failure points for busy professionals. The system makes physical activity a necessity rather than an option.

The Hidden Tax Of Inactivity

Many professionals obsess over public metrics of success. Income. Titles. Market share. Artificial productivity metrics.

They completely miss the invisible tax they're paying: the performance cost of physical inactivity.

This tax manifests in three critical domains:

1. The Cognitive Tax

Inactivity directly impairs the executive functions that drive professional success. Research shows sedentary behavior is associated with lower processing speed, weaker working memory, and diminished cognitive flexibility.

One study found that professionals with low cardiorespiratory fitness had 15-20% slower information processing compared to fit peers—a devastating handicap in fast-paced environments. Another study found that inactive individuals struggled significantly more with task-switching, the ability to rapidly pivot between different cognitive demands.

These aren't minor inconveniences. They're fundamental limitations on your cognitive horsepower.

2. The Mood Regulation Tax

The data is clear: physical inactivity substantially increases vulnerability to stress, anxiety, and mood dysregulation.

This manifests as shorter fuses in tense negotiations. Lower resilience during inevitable professional setbacks. Diminished patience with team members. Clouded judgment under pressure.

None of these are explicitly mentioned in performance reviews. But they silently erode your effectiveness, your relationships, and ultimately, your career trajectory.

3. The Energy Management Tax

The most pervasive myth? That rest conserves energy better than activity.

The opposite is true. Regular physical activity increases mitochondrial density and efficiency—your cellular energy production capacity. It strengthens cardiovascular function, improving oxygen and nutrient delivery. It enhances sleep quality, optimizing recovery.

The result? Higher sustainable output with lower subjective effort.

Inactive professionals experience chronic energy deficits. They rely on caffeine, sugar, and stress hormones to maintain baseline function—a fundamentally unsustainable approach.

Every day you defer establishing a consistent activity pattern, you pay this invisible tax. It compounds silently, extracting an ever-increasing toll on your professional potential.

The choice isn't between activity and inactivity. It's between paying the tax or claiming the dividend.

The Competitive Edge You're Missing

Here's what most people miss about physical activity: It's not just what it does to your body. It's what it does to your mind.

The most direct pathway to improved cognitive performance isn't a productivity app or a new planning system. It's movement.

Consider this: In one study, a 10-minute physical activity break improved selective attention and executive function in professionals more effectively than a passive break of the same duration. Another found that walking meetings increased creative output by 60% compared to seated meetings.

These aren't marginal gains. Their competitive advantages are hiding in plain sight.

Beyond acute effects, regular physical activity changes your brain structurally and functionally. It increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports neuronal growth and new neural connections. It enhances blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients needed for optimal performance. It promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus, supporting memory formation and recall.

This isn't abstract neuroscience. It's the biology of high performance.

Professionals who move regularly aren't just healthier; they also tend to be more productive. They're sharper, more creative, more resilient to stress, better at navigating complex problems, and ultimately, more effective in their roles.

The Long Game

Like hunting, physical capability isn't just about one aspect. It's the entire system—the preparation, the execution, and everything that follows.

I do each step myself when hunting—tracking, field dressing, butchering, and packaging. My kids often watch and learn how much work goes into having meat on the table. It's not just grabbing a cellophane-wrapped package from a supermarket shelf. We honor the animal that gave its life so we can nourish ourselves.

Being fit enough to do this is key to how I live. I plan to keep doing it for many decades to come.

The same principle applies to your professional life. Physical capacity isn't separate from performance—it's the foundation that supports everything else, not just for longevity but also for day-to-day cognitive function, energy management, and stress resilience.

The investment delivers returns both immediately and in the long term. Few other life choices offer such a consistent, reliable payoff across all relevant domains.

Start where you are. Small, consistent deposits outperform sporadic large ones. The compound returns will follow with mathematical certainty.

Stay healthy.

Andre

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A note for new readers:

I'm a trained reconstructive facial surgeon, medical doctor, and dentist. Before launching this newsletter, I had a varied career: competitive freestyle wrestler, management consultant (McKinsey), entrepreneur (Zocdoc, Thermondo, and docdre ventures), and corporate executive (Sandoz). Today, I'm a Managing Director and Partner at BCG.

Husband of one. Father of three. Split between Berlin's urban pulse and our Baltic Sea retreat. I'd rather be moving than sitting. Not just hobbies. Research. My body is my primary laboratory; I've been conducting experiments for decades.

If this is your first time here, welcome. I'm excited to share what I've learned—and will continue to learn—with you.

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DISCLAIMER:

Let’s get one thing straight: None of this—whether text, graphics, images, or anything else—is medical or health advice. This newsletter is here to inform, educate, and (hopefully) entertain you, not to diagnose or treat you.

Yes, I’m a trained medical doctor and dentist. No, I’m not your doctor. The content here isn’t a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

If you have questions about your health, talk to your physician or a qualified health professional. Don’t ignore their advice or delay getting care because of something you read in Health, Redefined. Be smart. Do your research. And, as always, take care of yourself.