For years I called it doing the little things. Then one day I heard the expression "Maximizing your human potential." Well up until very recently, I had been maximizing my human potential.
Things came crashing down on me a month ago. That first week of December I went out to Ohio to lift in the NOV Non-Invitational with Jim Wendler and Matt Rhodes. I also closed on a new house along with all the joys of selling the old one, moving, contracts, finances, utilities, address changes, and the list goes on. Now the house and the meet were both great things, but after they were over, I thought I'd give myself a break. As it turns out, giving yourself a break from all the things that keep you feeling great is stupid!
So with the holidays approaching I backed off my training and conditioning. I figured all the moving I was doing with the house such as boxes and furniture was good work. The problem was, with all my training there is mobility work built in to the warm ups and the actual training.
The same goes for my regular treadmill sessions. With the moving work, I figured it was unnecessary. How soon I forgot, that work isn't just to burn calories, but it is great for recovery. Speaking of recovery, I was lax on my greatest recovery tool - sleep. With being so busy I wasn't getting to bed at my regular time, big mistake!
I think one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is nutrition. I have not been eating well. That's not to say I'm eating all garbage, but I am eating more junk than my body is used to. As a result I am not getting all those micro-nutrients that fuel and repair my body.
Now this has not just caused me to suffer as a strength athlete, but even more importantly, in everyday life. Along with moving houses, I have had a terribly challenging year at work. Looking back, the break I thought I was taking actually removed the the critical elements I needed to manage my stress.
I remember a podcast I heard with Tim Kennedy who is a mma fighter and more importantly has served as a Special Forces Sniper (I believe he is still active in some capacity). They were discussing the awful conditions he's had to endure along with the psychological strain of being a sniper. He said he was able to handle it better than others because of his lifestyle of eating well, exercising, not drinking, and having a good support system of friends and family. It's not until now that I realized, doing all the things I think makes me a better athlete, actually makes me better in my everyday life.
For me, MAXIMIZING MY HUMAN POTENTIAL consists of:
-Training, which includes mobility work
-Nutrition, getting both my macro and micro-nutrients
-Recovery, for me sleep addresses this better than any other tool
-Conditioning, this is for fitness as well as recovery benefits
So the next time I'm considering taking a break from my routine because I think I need it, I am going to ask myself "Do you really want to take a break from feeling great?" I think I already know the answer. Lesson learned.
Now just think, what can you be doing better to maximize your human potential?
