Live Well, Lead Well: Ben Reese

"Live Well, Lead Well" is a series profiling leaders at Duke who balance work and life. Healthy habits boost mood and energy and combat diseases, which can also reduce healthcare costs for you and Duke as a whole. Through exercise or other behaviors, these leaders are role models.Benjamin Reese   vice president, Office for Institutional EquityRegimen: For the last two years, pretty consistently, I juice five days a week. I prepare the juice at night for me and my wife, and we drink it in the mornings just before we leave. Last night, I juiced about a cup of coconut water, a handful of spinach, two zucchinis, two Brussel sprouts, about a quarter of a red pepper, I threw cantaloupe in there, an apple and a pear. Then I put in about a tablespoon of chia seeds and a tablespoon of flax seeds. At night, I put it all in the blender and put the blender in the refrigerator. In the morning, when I take the blender out, that’s when I put in the banana. I turn it on, mix it all up and have a full glass. Wellness mantra: Maintain a healthy balance. I will have a special Saturday dinner here or in another country – I love to travel – that’s probably fairly rich in fat and stuff that isn’t particularly healthy, but I feel that I balance that Saturday night meal with a week of paying attention to high-vegetable, high-fiber, high-fruit, low-animal meals. I was recently in the Dominican Republic for a quick, four-day trip; I didn’t eat particularly healthy for those four days. I really enjoyed it, and when I got back, I got right back into my routine. That’s the balance to me. Top health and wellness goals: Keeping up what I’ve been doing: Regular attendance at the gym, juicing, and making sure I eat vegetarian three to four times a week. How a healthy lifestyle affects my work: I’m convinced that a balanced lifestyle, exercise and regular juicing helps keep me energized and focused during the work week. I’m not sure if it’s my lifestyle or my genetic disposition, if you will, but I tend to sleep about five to six hours a night. All my life, I’ve had lots of energy.Biggest fitness accomplishment: The fact that I’ve been consistent with my juicing. My friends, they used to juice and did it in cycles or in phases. Advice: You have to develop a healthy rhythm that aligns with your own lifestyle, your own interests, the structure of your work life and your play life. One of the reasons I could never see myself using a trainer is I don’t need someone to tell me what my rhythm should be for exercise. I develop a rhythm that fits me. Do you know a colleague who exhibits healthy behaviors? Nominate him or her for our "Live Well, Lead Well" series.