Now is the Time for Peak Performance
One of my goals this year is to get (back to) peak fitness performance. Spurred by an injury to my right shoulder from tennis and perhaps a midlife crisis (but I’m not gonna admit it), I didn’t want this to be the start of my decline.
Deeper than that, I see what my aging parents are going through. Dad was always physically fit but his health has been on a rock-solid slide downward ever since heart surgery years ago. Perhaps a bad draw of luck, or maybe it’s that his rehab didn’t result in a more active lifestyle. But I’ve always been determined to do what I can to get my health in the best state possible.
Yet, even deeper, is that yearning to be living an adventurous life. Surviving isn’t enough, our soul (and Instagram) demands us to be living our best life.
Here are 3 ways to achieve all of that.
1. Fitness Matters to Productivity
Tons of research and lectures about how incorporating a fitness component into our life has profound positive effects on being more productive.
“Facing Challenges: In SEAL training you are constantly pushed beyond your pain threshold, so much so that your “comfort zone” takes on a whole new definition. I follow the same theory when training by always pushing myself beyond my existing comfort zone. Doing so increases your stamina and mental ability to endure physical and mental suffering. As a business leader, you have to be able to face tough challenges every day while maintaining mental focus on priorities.”
— Brent Gleeson, Navy SEAL and author of Embrace the Suck
And one more quote:
“We do not train power enough, one of the things we lose, as we age, as we chill, as we convince ourselves we aren’t athletes anymore.”
DO THIS:
Pick one aspect of your fitness that you want to improve. Believe that you’re still an athlete and that you can push for better still. (And yeah, please consult your doc for sure before you do anything crazy or unsafe!)
2. Push to the Max (but only once in a while)
A while back I wrote about how Eliud Kipchoge, one of the greatest long-distance runners ever, does not give his full effort every time he trains, but rather saves it for the big events.
“Translate that into our regular lives, which means in my meetings, I’m giving it 70–90% in each one. Good effort, just not max effort. But for those bigger, important meetings, then yes I’m giving it the full 100%. Why is this important? Because like how overuse in running can cause injuries, in our daily life it can cause burnout.”
Currently, my favorite way to burst 100% while exercising is by sprinting. Here’s why:
“Increased muscle mass: Sprinting breaks down fast-twitch muscle fibers, and when your body repairs those fibers, it makes them stronger, leading to increased muscle mass.
Fat loss: You can practice sprinting as part of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. HIIT exercise elevates your heart rate and encourages the body to burn fat even after you’ve finished exercising.” [2]
DO THIS:
A random internet user suggested this, and I couldn’t agree more:
“walk then run slowly to warm up then run as fast as “you” can safely, that is a sprint for “you”, just because you are slower than others doesn’t mean you will not get the benefit, Go for it!”
3. Adventure of a Lifetime is Here
On October 24, 2022, Fjällräven Polar 2023 starts accepting applications for this monster of an opportunity:
In April 2023, Fjällräven Polar will bring together 20 people from across the globe for a 300km dog sledding expedition across the arctic tundra — and we’re inviting you to apply for a place.
Fjällräven Polar is not a dog sledding competition, nor is it an event that you buy a ticket for. It is an expedition that offers a way into winter outdoor life for ordinary people who want more wilderness in their lives, and it provides the inspiration and input needed for a fulfilling life in the great outdoors.
The adventure is grand and not practical for most of us, so why are we so drawn to it?
“They make one journey after another and change spectacle for spectacle. As Lucretius says, ‘Thus each man flees himself.’ But to what end if he does not escape himself? He pursues and dogs himself as his own most tedious companion. And so we must realize that our difficulty is not the fault of the places but of ourselves.”
— Seneca
The need for a grand adventure sometimes is just an excuse to distract us from ourselves.
DO THIS
Apply anyways and participate in the 3 challenges needed to qualify, even though we have no illusions of actually going.
References
- Book Review- Next Level. Your Guide to Kicking A$$, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond by Stacy Sims with Selene Yeager By runningtotravel
- Sprint Training: 4 Potential Benefits of Sprinting By Joe Holder
- All Runners (Even Marathoners) Can Benefit from Sprint Workouts By Chris Hatler
- 5 Reasons Why Good Fitness Makes for Better Entrepreneurial Leadership By Brent Gleeson
- A Stoic Response To Wanderlust (and the Travel Bug)