By Jonathan Lee
Physiotherapist
Narrow Gate Physiotherapy
If you’re a driven professional who thrives in the boardroom and loves competing on the weekend — whether it’s on the football field, basketball court, or tennis court — you know the high-performance mindset doesn’t switch off. You push hard at work, you push hard in sport… and sometimes your body pushes back.
At Narrow Gate Physiotherapy, we see this all the time — successful men who know the value of looking after their health but still find themselves battling recurring injuries, slow recovery, or fatigue that affects both work and play.
Here’s how to manage the balancing act between high stress and high performance.
1. Understand the Cumulative Load
Stress isn’t just what you feel at the office. Your body sees mental stress and physical stress as part of the same overall “load.” A tough week of deadlines and back-to-back meetings can slow your recovery from sport just as much as an intense training session. Pro tip: If you’ve had a high-stress work week, adjust your training load accordingly. A lighter, more mobility-focused session can keep you moving without tipping you into injury territory.
2. Treat Recovery Like a Meeting You Can’t Miss
In business, important meetings are non-negotiable. Recovery should be the same. This means:
- scheduling physiotherapy sessions
- sports massage
- mobility work
- active recovery days
Prioritising your health by adding it in your calendar before other commitments crowd them out.
Pro tip: Think of recovery as an investment in your next performance, not an optional extra.
3. Upgrade Your Warm-Up and Cool-Down
We’re not 15–18 anymore, where you could just run onto the field and start playing at full tilt. As we get older, even as fit and competitive athletes, our bodies take a little longer to prepare and recover from intense workouts. Flexibility and range of motion can decrease, meaning we can’t afford to skip pre-activation exercises before the game.
Pre-game: Add dynamic mobility work and activation drills to fire up key muscle groups and prepare your joints for the demands ahead.
Post-game: Use targeted stretching, breathing drills, and light movement to shift your body from “high gear” back into recovery mode.
4. Address Small Issues Before They Become Big Ones
Your body is like your business: small problems ignored become costly later. That mild shoulder twinge or knee ache might be a simple fix now — but without attention, it could cost you months on the sidelines.
A thorough physio assessment can spot movement inefficiencies or hidden weaknesses before they lead to bigger injuries.
5. Keep your body well oiled
Our bodies get used to whatever we do most. If you spend most of your week sitting in meetings or at a desk, your muscles and joints adapt to that — and that’s a very different demand compared to sprinting, jumping, or twisting on the sports field.
That’s why it’s so important to keep things moving during the week. Think of it like keeping the engine running smoothly — a mix of strength work, mobility, and light conditioning helps your body stay ready for the weekend, instead of shocking it with a sudden burst of high-intensity sport. Not only will you play better, but you’ll recover faster and avoid those annoying “Monday injuries.”
The Takeaway
Balancing work stress and sports recovery isn’t about doing less — it’s about managing your resources like the high-value asset you are.
When you invest in your recovery, you’re not just protecting your body — you’re maximising your performance in every area of life.
📅 Book a session with Narrow Gate Physiotherapy and we’ll help you stay strong, agile, and injury-free — from the boardroom to the playing field. You can book online through our main website page or call us on 0478 260 200.