By reducing stressful reactions, regular exercise empowers you to go beyond fearful hesitation

What’s the worst part of your work as a producer? If you answered “prospecting,” then join the club.

Without a doubt, most producers say that prospecting is the worst part of the whole job. And that’s hardly surprising since even the thought of prospecting can generate a lot of anxious feelings.

Every cold call can be a challenge from beginning to end – automated phone attendants, surly gatekeepers, trying to find the right contacts. All that uncertainty, hope, fear, and frustration adds up to plenty of anxiety.

And because it’s only natural to avoid things that are stressful, prospecting frequently becomes the last thing producers get around to – if they get around to it at all.

Now new studies are shining a brighter light on the power of regular exercise to protect you from work-related stress and its sometimes inhibiting effects.

Investigators have known for a while that physical exercise changes the brain chemistry so we’re better able to cope with stress. But the benefits go beyond simply coping.

An ongoing exercise regimen makes you less vulnerable to stress’s detrimental effects. That in turn boosts self-confidence. Because you’re able to deal with stressful situations without experiencing negative effects, you’re not blocked from engaging in anxiety-producing activities like prospecting.

It’s like wearing a wet suit in freezing ocean waters. But you don’t have to be a SEAL or an avid sea kayaker to benefit. With greater stress tolerance producers can dive more confidently into cold calling activities and reap the benefits.