Work Hard, Play Hard

Young entrepreneurs go to extremes to relieve stress.

The notion that exercise is important to relieve stress andboost energy isnothing new. These days, however, youngentrepreneurs are just intosports--they're into extreme sports.Why the need for the extreme? Why not atamer diversion, like yogaor golf?

"Yoga is just not profound enough for thisgeneration," observes Dr. Jim Loehr,a renowned sportspsychologist and author of Stress for Success(TimesBusiness, $14, 800-726-0600). "It doesn't take themfar enough to really createexcitement and thrills."

Loehr identifies four key benefits to extreme sports that manysuccessful youngentrepreneurs are tapping into:

Staying fit--and having fun doing it."Extreme sports almostalways push you physically," saysLoehr, "which gives you a goal: to get morebalance in yourlife so you can handle the physical demands of your life."

Establishing key relationships. "Ifyou're CEO of your company,you're fairly alone," Loehrsays. "You really can't share a lot of personalthings. Butwhen you get out in these extreme sports, you developfriendshipsthat are extremely dynamic and rich."

Recharging your mind. "Extreme sports enableyou to switch gears.You don't think about your business for aminute--and that gives you completerecovery," says Loehr.

Building self-confidence. "The world isasking more and more ofus all the time, so you really need to haveexpanded limits," Loehr advises."You need a tremendousamount of resiliency and stamina. Extreme sports kind ofsuck thatinto you."