Five things you should be doing to increase your performance in your life. If you want to show up for your family, business, teammates, and organizations get on board. These aren’t anything new. You’ve heard them before. But somehow, we lose track of them. So here is a reminder.
First, let’s talk about hydration. If you are NOT hydrated, your body does funky things. (That is a highly technical medical term). While there are a lot of different calculations out there, the one that seems easiest is half your body weight in ounces. Ergo, if you weigh 200 pounds, then you need to drink 100 ounces of water. And yes, this is gross, but watch the color of your urine. Colorless to clear is amazing. Don’t wait until 6 p.m. to start drinking, you’ll be up all night! Here’s a pro tip: I mark my water bottle with times on it. This helps keep me on track.
Get rid of the soda. Yes, even the diet kind. It is awful. Did you know that one soda a day is the equivalent of 50 pounds of sugar, 130,000 extra calories, and 15 pounds of fat in a year! (according to Eat This, Not That, January 2019). Ew.
Ok, onto nutrition. I don’t do “diets.” There is a reason why the diet industry is a multi-billion industry. B. Billion. Because not every diet works for everybody, or every body. And even if a diet works for a period of time, is it sustainable for a lifetime? Probably not. And what happens if you eliminate an entire macronutrient? Funky things.
I approach my nutrition like this. What am I requiring of my body today and how do I fuel it so it can perform? As much and as often as I can, I fuel my body with whole foods. Meaning, if I couldn’t go to the grocery store and get them, would I have to pick, pluck, plow, hunt, harvest, fish or shoot it? And at the risk of offending anyone — did God create it? If I can answer yes, eat it! And I typically eat a protein, a veggie, and a carb. Yes, carbs! Woohoo! There is a big difference between an Oreo cookie carb and a sweet potato carb. Again, what am I requiring of my body? I know if it is a heavy lifting day, I need more carbs. I have tested this. I know my body needs more carbs on those days. Whereas, if it is a cardio day, I can get by with fewer carbs.
I need it noted, I’m not a certified nutritionist, so take all of this for the two cents it is worth. It is just lessons I’ve learned from being a lifetime athlete. My final thought on nutrition is this…let’s say you have a brand new 250k Lambo. It is red. It is shiny. It goes super fast. And you put sugar in the gas tank. What do you have? You have a 250k piece of sh**. Your body is the same. Now I am not saying avoid sweets at all costs. For me, I am NOT going to miss birthday cake on my children’s birthdays. And I’m sure I’m not going to miss pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. YUM! But can I eat a whole birthday cake every day? No, I’d weigh 600 pounds and have all sorts of diseases. I make room in nutrition for sweets. It keeps me sane. It keeps me balanced. Find what works for you.
Next up, sleep. Stop binge-watching reruns of The Office and get your butt to bed. Sleep is so important for peak performance. Studies have proven that driving sleep-deprived is worse than driving drunk. Think about that. I recommend going to bed and getting up the same time every day. Yes, even on weekends. While some can get by and 6 hours, others need 8–9 hours. I’m one of those. My body just naturally requires more sleep. What does your body require for you to feel fresh and energized to take on the day?
Exercise. People, get off your butt and move your body through time and space. Yes, I have been a CrossFit instructor for the last decade and fully believe in it. Having said that, I don’t care what kind of exercise you do. Run, hike, dance, Zumba, yoga, rock climbing, etc. Just do it! Make it fun, because chances are, if you don’t like and aren’t having fun, you won’t keep up with it. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Muscle confusion is a real thing.
My sister (who is a runner) told me the other day, “I run and I run and I can’t get any results.” That is because the minute her foot hits the pavement, her body understands what is required. You have to change it up! But get moving. And don’t forget the power of accumulated volume. Can’t fit an hour in all at once? Ok, great. A half-hour in the morning and a half-hour at night still adds up to an hour! Get moving!
Lastly, let me ask you something. How do you talk to yourself? Would you ever talk to your Mom, spouse, boss, or best friend the way you talk to yourself? Let’s go one step further. How would you feel if what you said to yourself was broadcast over Mile High Stadium (or insert your stadium here)? Didn’t think so. Why are we so awful to ourselves? I think Dr. Phil was right when he said, “The most important relationship you will ever have, is with yourself.”
Change the narrative that you have with yourself. Instead of saying, “I’m fat.” Try saying, “I have fat I’m getting rid of.” See the difference? And notice I said ‘getting rid of’ and not ‘lose.’ Because I feel like if you ‘lose’ something, your subconscious will try to find it!
Mindset is the difference between a gold and silver medal. It is the difference between the person you want to be and the person you are. Having studied high performers, I know that they have a different mindset. They expect to win. They embrace the process. They put in the reps. They choose to see everything as a chance to learn, improve and get better.
Let me tell you about the story of Robert, age 53. Married to his college sweetheart, they had 3 children, and he was the CEO of a multi-million dollar company. Robert was overworked, overstressed, overweight. He confided in me that his marriage was rocky and was disconnected from his kids. He worked constantly, answering emails 24/7. Until one day, he was getting on a plane and had a heart attack. They were able to keep him alive and he ended up with a quadruple bypass. He spent the next nine months rehabbing from that event. How important do you think his sales pipeline was? His marketing plan? His NOI? It didn’t. At least not to him or his family.
Simply put, if your body doesn’t work, nothing else will work. And here’s a truth bomb…if you don’t make room (time/money) for health and wellness, your body will force you to make room (time/money) for sickness. And being sick is EXPENSIVE!
Take care of you. If you don’t work, nothing else will. And if you want to show up as the best version of yourself for your family, company, and teammates, then take care of you.
