Permission to play more padel

'It is action that creates motivation.'

Steve Backley.

If you’re part of the padel craze and you’re an ambitious person with big goals, I've got good news. The two don't have to be at odds.

Our work-hard, hustle culture would have us believe that working more hours is the key to success and achieving our goals. While that strategy can work, it usually comes at a cost.

I’ve spent the last five years coaching successful entrepreneurs, founders and leaders to create more sustainable success. Many of them are working so hard that the pressure and stress they carry become the very things that get in the way of their health, happiness, and even greater success. They don't make time for sport and exercise, and when they do, they feel guilty.

We didn’t evolve to sit still, focusing for hours on end. We evolved to move, solve problems, adapt and connect with other people.

Your brain needs to switch off.
Your mind needs fun and excitement.
Your body needs movement.

So here’s where padel comes in.

Making time during your week for activities like padel or tennis isn't just a nice break from work; it's good for your brain. Physical activity has consistently been shown to improve mood, reduce stress, sharpen cognitive function and boost creativity. Better still, sports like padel combine movement with social connection, which appears to amplify those benefits.

I deliberately carve out space during the day, while running my business, to play.

And I help my clients create space for padel, tennis and other sports too.

It's no coincidence that when they do, they feel lighter, less stressed, more focused and more positive. They sleep better, enjoy a happier home life, and, almost without exception, perform better at work.

Oh, and as an added bonus, one of the largest long-term studies on exercise found that people who played racket sports had the greatest increase in life expectancy of any activity studied. Tennis was associated with almost 10 extra years of life compared with being sedentary. It's an observational study, so it doesn't prove cause and effect, but it's a pretty compelling finding nonetheless.

The other day, a friend called me. He's Head of Sales for a start-up and admitted he was nervous because he wanted to ask the founder if they could play badminton during the working day.

I encouraged him to have the conversation. The response: "Absolutely."

Not every leader will be that open-minded, of course. But it was a good reminder that we often assume the answer will be no without ever asking. Sometimes, you can simply make it happen.

So, do you really need more evidence?

Or do you simply need to give yourself permission to play more?