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Stick to exercise time as if it were an appointment

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Obesity abounds, but most of us react to stories about America's soaring girth rate by heading for the fridge. We are far too busy to count calories, much less spend time at the gym.

It's not just working stiffs who can't find time to limber up. A Tufts medical school study of 200 Fortune 500 senior executives found that 40 percent were obese -- well above the 30 percent obesity rate among American adults estimated by federal health officials.

Tufts researchers noted that the executives, who also showed elevated levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, typically worked up to 70 hours a week while devoting little time to exercise. That might be some comfort to us menial slackers: At least we're in good company.

But don't get too comfortable. Here among us (or, more likely, above us) are some exceptional executives who defy the rule -- local industry leaders who play almost as hard as they work and reap dividends that even the government can't tax.

Warning: It's going to get a lot harder to use the I'm-too-busy excuse if you read beyond this point.

These determined executives work so hard that most never stop to count the hours. Some guess they work 50 or more hours a week; others, 60. Robert Fugate, racquetball fanatic and vice president in charge of banking operations at Fidelity Federal Savings in West Palm Beach, puts it this way:

"It's hard to put hours on an executive's job. When you reach a certain level, if you're not physically at the job, you might be taking things home, reading or thinking about moves you can make, or new products, or enhancements to existing products. You can't put a number of hours on that. I wake up at 3 in the morning and make notes on a pad by my bed."

Fugate and several others advise making exercise part of the workweek. "You have to set aside time, just as you do for other meetings, to do something physical. It can't all be mental."

Of course, that's easier when you're the boss (or the boss' racquetball partner). But those of us who can't just pencil in an afternoon exercise session can consider the groggy alternative: early morning exercise.

Very early.

"It takes some discipline," says George Bachman, chief financial officer of Florida Public Utilities (the gas company). Bachman gets up by 5 a.m. three times a week and heads to the gym. "When I'm really good, I get up at 4:30," he says.

The energizing effects of exercise may more than make up for any lost sleep.

"When I don't exercise, I'm lethargic." says investment banker Charles Patrick Garcia. "When I'm in shape, I feel better. I'm not tired when I come to work. I'm in the zone. I don't need coffee to keep me up."

Peter Marmerstein used to tell himself -- and everyone else -- he had no time for exercise. Who could argue? As CEO of St. Mary's Medical Center, he works 60 to 70 hours a week. For years, he at least squeezed in morning walks but quit after he became head of St. Mary's in the summer of 2001.

"I just got too busy," he says.

He quickly gained 35 pounds. His wake-up call came six months ago -- not from his doctor but from his tailor.

"I was going to have to go up another suit size," he says. "I decided I just wasn't going to do it."

Now Marmerstein, 51, is a model of executive discipline. He's up at least six mornings a week at 4:45. He does 80 sit-ups. He goes out for a half-hour bike ride. Three times a week he continues his workout at a gym.

He has shed the excess weight and more. He carries a much-trimmer 245 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame "a lot more easily than I carried what I weighed before." He has more energy, despite the lost sleep. He has shown himself he can stick with the routine by taking a cruise and not eating his way from stem to stern.

"I walked four miles a day on the ship and kept busy all day with one activity after another," he says. "I didn't gain a pound."

He is not ready to declare victory ("Check with me in a year, and let's see if I'm still this gung-ho"), but he does declare that he won't ever use the I'm-too-busy excuse again.

Executives with a long-term history of exercise and fitness say the continuing benefits make it worthwhile.

"If you're physically fit, you tend to be more mentally fit as well," says Fugate. "It's almost therapy. When you're out hitting the ball, you're focused on what you're doing -- not on issues with human resources or competitors. It's about balance. You need that outlet."

Fugate, 54, has been playing racquetball at least twice a week for 30 years, usually with his boss, Vince Elhilow. "Vince and I started in 1972 with sawed-off tennis rackets," Fugate says. Others from inside the company and out often join their Monday and Thursday sessions. Business rarely intrudes, because everyone knows the game is a priority.

"You can't schedule another meeting on those days at 4 o'clock, because we're going to play racquetball," Fugate says.

Not only does Fugate think fitness enhances his performance, he sees it as part of his job.

"A big part of an executive's job is to inspire self-esteem in others," he says. "If I were overweight and out of shape, my own self-esteem would deteriorate. If people looked at me and thought I was sloppy, my leadership skills would diminish. If you have pride in your appearance, you can take pride in your work."

Bachman feels so strongly about fitness that he gets up earlier on Saturdays than during the week. He meets his running pals as early as 4 a.m. When they're done, he'll often meet another group at 6:30 and start over.

Weekdays are a breeze by comparison. When he starts at the gym, he spends at least an hour taking turns on different machines to tone and strengthen various muscles. He still squeezes in some weekday running after work. He totals at least 25 miles a week, staying fit enough to run competitive times in 13-mile half-marathons several times a year.

"It takes some discipline to keep it up," says Bachman, 43. "It gets harder and harder as time goes on. But it's worthwhile because I've always felt better when I'm in shape." When's the last time he was out of shape? Bachman can't recall.

"I've been running since I was in my 30s, and before that I played basketball," he says. "Now I use the weights for cross-training to build up a little muscle. Just running can get you very skinny. I don't want that to happen."

Luckily for Bachman, he has a healthy appetite.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't really pay any attention to my diet," says Bachman, a steady and slender 190 pounds at 6-feet-2. "You probably wouldn't want to see how much candy and ice cream I consume. It's the payoff for all the exercise."

Not everyone finds that inspiring.

"I was at CityPlace one night, eating a hot fudge sundae," Bachman says. "There was a couple sitting next to us. The guy was probably 50 years old. He turned to me and said, 'I hate you.' "

It's tough just catching up with Garcia to ask about his workout routine. He's CEO of the Boca Raton-based Sterling Financial Group of Companies and also a member of the Florida Board of Education. Plus, the Air Force Academy graduate and former White House fellow is in demand as a speaker for his views on everything from business to international affairs.

He found a few moments to talk about fitness on a day that began with an appearance as a Middle East analyst on the Spanish-language Telemundo TV network. Garcia, 41, finds that slowing down is the key to a fast start.

"I meditate each morning for 15 minutes," he says. "It keeps me focused." He wastes little time or calories on breakfast, "just coffee, juice and maybe some fruit." Lunch is out unless it's part of a business meeting.

He does eat dinner with his family -- usually chicken or fish -- but he often gets back to work after the kids are in bed. A typical workday ends at 1:30 in the morning.

The time he saves eating goes into shaping up.

"I basically work out three times a week for 50 minutes to an hour," he says. "Then, every day, I do a couple hundred sit-ups, and I have some weights at home."

When he isn't working or working out, he's usually getting other exercise.

"I love to surf, and I try to surf as much as I can," he says. "I go horseback riding. I do team sports. I play softball, and I participate in the company bowling team."

If it's hard to believe all these busy executives never falter in their commitment to fitness, listen to Boca Raton real-estate developer Joel Altman, chairman and CEO of The Altman Companies. "I used to be much more diligent about it," he concedes. "It's gotten harder, and I've kind of stumbled in the last six months."

Aha -- a corporate waist confession at last!

"I do a 30-minute workout six times a week," says Altman, 59, whose home gym has all the machines he needs. "Typically, I use the weights to work on one body part a day. Plus I'm on the treadmill a few times a week. And on weekends I Rollerblade or ride my bicycle."

That doesn't sound like slacking off, but Altman is serious.

"I used to do a runner's conditioning program that was really rigorous," he says. "You attach elastic bands to your legs so you have resistance when you run. But my schedule just doesn't allow that now."

He's in no danger of blowing up as he slows down. Altman focuses strongly on healthful eating. "No white flour, no sugar and only one portion of protein a day," he says. Like others, Altman says he tries to set an example for his 350 employees. He's even brought in nutrition experts to give advice to his staff.

Florida Power & Light Co. is one of the biggest employers in the area to embrace the idea of corporate wellness. The company's Juno Beach headquarters features an 18,000-square-foot fitness center lined with glass walls that overlook a palm-lined lagoon. An instructor and nurse practitioner ensure that everyone who uses the gym is screened for health risks and trained to get the most out of it.

"We even provide the workout clothes and do the laundry," says Lewis Hay, chairman and CEO of FPL Group. (That's the company that owns FPL.)

Nearly a third of the 1,385 employees at the headquarters use the gym regularly. Hay, 47, is one of them.

"Having a facility like this is the key," he says, his legs pumping at a mechanical stair-climbing machine while he speaks. "I can come down here, work out for a half-hour and get back to work."

James L. Robo, president of the subsidiary FPL Energy, says the fitness center has made a big difference in his life since he joined the company in March.

"When I came here, I got a physical, and my numbers were all up: triglycerides, cholesterol," he says. "I also have a family history of diabetes." Since then, Robo has become a regular at the center, and he's lost 40 pounds.

"I feel better, and I feel a lot better about myself," he says. "I travel about 25 percent of the time, but I look for hotels that have a treadmill and I get out for walks. I don't let being on the road interfere."

Paul Evanson, president of FPL, uses the center in the evenings. He puts in at least an hour on the machines three times a week. "I think of fitness as fun," says Evanson, 61. "I love outdoor sports. I play tennis with my wife on the weekends. If you want to keep playing, you have to make a sacrifice during the week to stay in shape."

The fitness center is open to all employees and their families. The only suits in evidence are the company-issued blue shorts and gray T-shirts. No matter where anyone stands on the corporate ladder, executives and employees stand side-by-side on the treadmills.

"It's a nice way to socialize, and it's good for morale," Evanson says. "It's good for everybody to see us sweat."