avatarTony U. Francisco

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Why Your Lifestyle Matters for Success

And how to create a high-performance lifestyle

Image by the author on Canva. Link to free guide.

Mark Verstegen, founder of the sports performance company EXOS, usually spends most of his time dealing with the one hour or so that athletes see him to train on a daily basis.

Yet, he noted that it is the other 23 hours in the day that matters most for high performance. The one-hour workout is also something that most people focus on when looking to lose weight, build muscle, or otherwise achieve their physical goals. Yet, as noted by Verstegen, this single hour matters little when compared to the other 23 hours in a day.

“Working out for one hour a day is easy. The hard part is living a high-performance lifestyle the other 23. “— Mark Verstegen

The other 23 hours are what make up your lifestyle, and it is composed of various factors: sleeping, eating/drinking (refueling), activity, inactivity, leisure, relaxing, recovering, working, household tasks, family time, commuting, school, and so on.

Figuring out how to optimize these hours is the key to success and high performance.

Behaviors and Self-Identity

Most people believe that their identity is what they think it is. They construe an image of themselves, and that is who they believe they are.

However, our identity is more related to what we do. Thus, our behaviors define who we are. When there is a disconnect between what we think or say and what we do, our identity suffers. We lose trust in ourselves. We lack the ability to follow through on things we commit to, such as goals or challenges. Our character suffers; the “stuff” we are made of doesn’t seem to be very tough.

“They consciously think one way, but they are being the opposite. When the mind and body are in opposition, change will never happen.” — Dr. Joe Dispenza, in Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself

The seemingly small things we do or don’t do every day matter most in this regard. Accomplishing small daily tasks builds momentum and gives us a sense of accomplishment that can lead to bigger, more complex tasks. This is why your lifestyle matters so much.

You can establish process-based goals in the form of small tasks. These daily actions lead you to a much bigger outcome goal and transform your identity while you are doing it. Your behavior, and the actions you are taking becomes who you are. You are no longer trying to be neat, wake up early, and eat healthier. Instead, you become the type of person who is neat, wakes up early, and eats healthily.

The difference matters a lot, but it requires the daily action, the small task, or as author Jeff Olson would note, the slight edge.

“Show up. Show up consistently. Show up consistently with a positive outlook. Be prepared for and committed to the long haul. Cultivate a burning desire backed by faith. Be willing to pay the price. And do the things you’ve committed to doing — even when no one else is watching.”— Jeff Olson, in The Slight Edge

Process Goals

When it comes to goal setting, most people rely only on the outcome goal to guide them.

The outcome goal is the end product and is great to have, but it is usually too broad of an idea to attack every day. For example, if your goal is to lose 50 lbs., then thinking about those 50 lbs. on a daily basis can be overwhelming. It is also such a big goal that it is hard to take action, and the tendency to put it off will usually supersede your drive to complete the goal. Process goals specify the exact behaviors that the individual will complete to achieve their goal. This is usually expressed in smaller terms and defined by specific daily actions.

Returning the outcome goal of losing 50 lbs., process goals will be much more achievable:

  • Lose 1–2 lbs. per week
  • Walk between 7,000–10,000 steps per day
  • Work with a personal trainer on Tuesdays/Thursdays, focusing on resistance training
  • Perform 20–30 minutes of cardio on Monday/Wednesday/Friday
  • Eat protein with every meal
  • Drink at least 100 ounces of water per day

None of these goals are so overwhelming that they seem insurmountable. Each goal is defined by day and metric and is purposely bracketed in a way that promotes continued success. Instead of 10,000 steps, the goal is 7,000 to 10,000 steps, which gives some leeway for busy days or rest and recovery.

The critical key to achieving any goal is sticking with the process long enough. “Stacking wins” builds momentum and reinforces the positive self-image necessary to become the type of person who is reflective of your outcome goal. Instead of trying to be a person who is healthy and active, you become the type of person who eats healthy and works out.

Process goals are simply daily behaviors that help to transform a person’s self-identity, how they see themselves, and what they are capable of doing.

“Discipline equals freedom.” — Jocko Willink, in Extreme Ownership

You will also notice that there are only two hours every week dedicated to working out in a gym. This is what Verstegen was referring to when he discussed the other 23 hours and how they matter for a high-performance lifestyle. Process goals are very much lifestyle goals since walking more steps, drinking more water, and eating more protein all occur outside of the gym, yet matter just as much or even more in the spectrum of what it takes to achieve a high-level outcome goal, such as losing 50 lbs.

Regeneration: Sleep and Recovery

Ever heard the saying, “It’s a young man’s game?”

It is usually said in relation to some kind of competitive sport, competition, or challenge. Although generally accurate when surveying the field of competitors, this saying misses the mark. The unspoken truth about most competitive endeavors is that it is a game of recovery. Young people simply recover faster or have yet to suffer any type of debilitating injury. The ability to recover faster allows someone to train and practice more.

More reps equals more success, said the Hollywood star governor bodybuilder.

“There are no shortcuts. It took hundreds and even thousands of repetitions for me to learn to hit a great three-quarters back pose, deliver a punchline, dance the tango in ‘True Lies,’ paint a beautiful birthday card, and say ‘I’ll be back’ just the right way. … No matter what you do in life, it’s either reps or mileage.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

The best way to look at regeneration, a combination of sleep and recovery, is that it is a crucial aspect of your training regimen.

As you get older, the more important it becomes until you are Tom Brady, and it is the most important thing you can do to remain competitive. When it comes to recovery, it is easy to get distracted by all of the fancy new gadgets and gizmos, but it is important not to forgo the basics. It is best to adopt a daily mobility practice with soft tissue and range of motion exercises and some stability movements built into your training program.

This means you are constantly working on the pliability of your soft tissue, increasing your range of motion, and correcting imbalances. Once you adopt this practice, you can look at dedicating a day to cryotherapy, massage, cupping, electrostimulation, dry needling, hot/cold contrast, Norma Tec, and BFR.

Image by author on Canva. Link to website.

Probably the only thing more widely ignored than recovery is sleep.

What’s interesting is that there is growing evidence that shows sleep is actually more important than other lifestyle-related factors such as diet and exercise. Shawn Stevenson, a top nutrition expert and author of Sleep Smarter, actually argues that sleep is more important than diet and exercise combined.

“Work + Rest= Success” — Mark Verstegen in Every Day Is Gameday

Verstegen is noted for saying that work + rest = success and is a very strong proponent of sleep and recovery.

He notes in his book on the EXOS training system that recovery is the limiting factor of any training system. When we think about sleep, we actually don’t give much consideration to how to get better at sleeping. Sleep is just another skill that we can focus on by identifying the factors that affect the quantity and quality of our rest.

Better sleep comes down to creating a proper sleep environment free of artificial nighttime light. Next, follow a sleep ritual in which you go through a premeditated set of actions such as powering down devices, drinking herbal tea, practicing gratitude, taking a hot bath, and listening to calming music or sounds.

In the same manner, we have a pregame or pre-workout routine, we should have a pre-sleep routine that maximizes our performance.

Putting It All Together

Combining all of these various elements in a way that produces consistent, sustainable success is the definition of a high-performance lifestyle.

It means doing the same things over and over again because they are effective and avoiding or limiting the wrong things over and over again.

  • Outcome goals keep us focused. Process goals lead to mastery.
  • Reps x Reps x Reps make us better. Regeneration allows us to be consistent and persistent.
  • Our self-identity gives us confidence. Our behaviors give us our self-identity.

The recurring message throughout is that it is our lifestyle, what we do for most of our day and time, that makes us who are and determines who we can become. The underlying message, which is implied but not said directly, is that we determine our destiny.

We control our lifestyle, so we get to decide who we are and who we can become.

Several books contributed to the ideas in this story. You can see the links below to purchase a copy on Amazon. I get a portion of what you pay at no extra cost to you. I wish you the best in achieving your goals and living your best life. Thanks for the support!

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Self Improvement
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