Companies bring extraordinary rigor to how they apply new technology to transform customer interfaces, open new markets or re-jigger supply chains. What if people took that same technological rigor and applied it to their own health?
Mark Verstegen, the founder of EXOS, a company that offers the kind of data-driven, personalized performance training plans enjoyed by professional athletes and the military, told the crowd at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech, that the technical term for the company’s mission is “human capital optimization” and “human capital preservation.” But, “we solely exist to upgrade lives.”
While it’s delightful to think about super-charged executives charging into meetings and winning new business like elite athletes, non-upgraded lives is a serious workplace issue, he says. Just one example: Some 40% of absenteeism can be blamed on unaddressed muscular-skeletal pain. And for a leader whose energy is sagging under the weight of work, kids, aging parents, and market volatility, it’s also about re-connecting to purpose.
“We focus on the four pillars of health, mindset, nutrition, movement, and recovery,” he says. If you’re not sleeping, it’s important to know why you’re not sleeping. It’s not just moving more, it’s assessing the quality of the way you’re moving every day. “We want people to think proactively, to think about their health before they come in with a symptom.”
Verstegen says 30 of the top Fortune 100 brands are on board—including Humana and Adidas—along with plenty of individuals who have begun to think more deeply about how their wellbeing is affecting their lives. EXOS currently works with clients in over 400 locations worldwide.
The performance plans they offer may be technical in origin, he says, the philosophy behind them is quite simple. “Sleep, work plus rest equals success.”