The Reach Out: Trygve Olson
When he isn't speaking about democracy and autocracy to political, academic, and business leaders around the world, Olson turns to Canada's favorite sport to stay in shape.
As founder of Viking Strategies LLC, Trygve Olson provides customized sovereign political risk and public affairs solutions to clients worldwide.
Olson speaks about democracy and autocracy to leaders in the worlds of politics, business, academia, and the media. He has served in leadership positions on American presidential campaigns and congressional elections, and worked on elections in over thirty countries.
Olson has advised conservative political parties and their leadership in Norway, Germany, the UK, Poland, and Lithuania. In 2001, he opened the International Republican Institute Belarus program office in Lithuania, and was deployed to train activists fighting for democracy in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Central Asia.
Olson is also senior advisor to the Lincoln Project and a regular contributor to the Lincoln Project podcast.
I spoke with Trygve Olson about why exercise and fitness is important to him.
How do you make being active part of your life?
The most important thing for me is making sure to treat my exercise as an appointment on my calendar rather than a movable object. When restarting after a break or when I hit a plateau, working with a personal trainer or taking classes is always essential for motivation.
The other, and perhaps more important, dynamic is playing hockey. From a time standpoint, when you are an old-timer, games are usually in the late evenings or on weekends, which helps when work is busy. Fortunately, my wife is okay with late games as they interfere less with our kids, and if I want to sacrifice sleep for hockey, so be it.
As a Canadian, I’m obviously thrilled to hear that you love hockey!
Hockey, for me, isn't exercise, but rather a place where I get exercise and forget about everything else going on in my world. It has been one of my favorite things to do since I was six or seven. The best part is if I am not eating well, or working out beyond hockey, simply playing hockey inspires strength training and cardio: When I am out of shape on the ice, even if I am old, that is the motivation to do strength training or to skip snacking late at night.
As someone who travels a lot, do you maintain an exercise routine away from home?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Whenever I travel, I pack my workout clothes and tell myself that I'll go to the hotel gym to work out, but I never usually do.
When I lived in Lithuania for two years, I developed a workout routine that included playing hockey with a bunch of guys, some of whom were part of the national team.
What motivates you to exercise regularly?
I got really out of shape and fat during the pandemic. Some of it was due to everything -- like hockey and gyms -- shutting down. Some of it was unique circumstances around the pandemic which didn't really help with watching my diet.
So hockey ends up being a big motivation for me to do the other stuff, which is important for staying in shape. Getting back to playing post-pandemic has really focused me on dropping the thirty pounds of COVID weight I gained.
Ironically, it was the same when I got out of shape around the age of forty. My doctor said, “You need to lose weight -- what do you like to do for exercise?” I said play hockey. Once I did, I was really disappointed in how I played, so I decided to get a trainer to fix things. I promised myself then I wouldn't ever let it happen again, but I guess I never accounted for a global pandemic.
Another motivator for me is making sure that I’m fit as I get older. I want to try and play hockey into my seventies. Plus, I have relatively young kids for my age (10 and 13), so staying in shape makes keeping up with them a lot easier.
Hockey is a great way to end a long day because, as I said, for me, it doesn't feel like exercise. There's the social part -- I'm sure older guys playing hockey in Canada can relate to this -- and the fact that when you're playing hockey, you're only thinking about hockey. That serves as a great catalyst to go and exercise.
Do you listen to music, news — or maybe political podcasts — while working out?
It depends. Obviously not when playing hockey. When I lift weights or do cardio on my own, I listen to music -- an odd mix that ranges from 80’s Hair Metal to 70’s pop like ABBA. When working out now with my trainer, Jeff, at Method Fitness, they have lots of time yapping with him as well (I do that on the ice, too).
Do you find it helpful to wear an Apple watch or FitBit that reminds you to move?
I used to wear an Apple Watch all the time, even on the ice. About six months ago, I got an Oura ring, and I like that a lot better -- it is so easy and tracks more data. I would totally recommend it. You don't need to think about it. It stays charged for seven days. It tracks sleep, which is important for me as I often skip what I need to feel good if I am not doing that.
Is there a sport or fitness activity that you might like to try?
I have always wanted to try boxing or some kind of mixed martial arts. That isn't something I have ever done, but I think it would be cool. I used to play tennis as a kid but left the game behind. That, too, would be kind of fun, particularly teaching my girls how to play.
How do you think we can encourage kids and teens to be more active?
I am such a big believer in the importance of kids playing a team sport. In my case, I have encouraged my daughters to try several, and hopefully, they will find something they like. They kind of have — my older one likes volleyball, and the younger one has gotten into soccer. The lessons you learn being part of a team, and the friends you make, are so important for life and for staying fit throughout life as well.
Thank you, @trygveolson
Hockey is a great aerobic and anaerobic workout, and I got a kick out of hearing about Olson’s favorite workout playlists.😀
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