In today’s fast-paced world, the term "high performance" often brings to mind elite athletes or top-tier business executives. But true high performance goes beyond excelling in one area of life—it's about excelling across all aspects of life: physical, mental, emotional, and relational. Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, or someone simply striving to be a bit better every day, integrating health, mindfulness, exercise, and fostering strong relationships can enhance your performance in life, fitness, and business, while also reducing stress and optimizing longevity.
Physical Performance: Exercise is Medicine
In my opinion, high performance starts with the body and our ability to move it. Exercising isn’t just about improving aesthetics or building muscle; it’s about optimizing your physiological health so you can perform at your best in any environment. Regular physical activity has profound effects on cardiovascular health, muscle strength, bone density, metabolic function, and neurological health.
From a neurological standpoint, exercise is one of the most powerful tools for enhancing brain function. Research shows that physical activity increases levels of a hormone called brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) which helps facilitate neuroplasticity—the brain’s forming of new connections—which is essential for adapting to new challenges, learning new skills, improving problem-solving capacity, and maintaining cognitive function as we age. Regular exercise has also been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disease and metabolic dysfunction while it also improves focus, memory, and mental clarity. These benefits are critical for high performance in both business and personal life.
Physical exercise is also a proven stress reducer. If you're already an exerciser, you've probably felt this first hand. This may seem contradictory when you consider that the act of exercising is in itself a stressor to the body. However, the physiological effects after an exercise session have a robust neuromodulatory effect while also training our body to better accommodate to stressful circumstances. Think of exercise as a form of stress inoculation.
Scientific research shows that physical activity can have a clinically meaningful effect on stress reduction which can help us better manage or reduce things like anxiety or depression. When you engage in activities like resistance training, aerobic exercise, or even yoga, your body releases endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin—neurotransmitters that boost mood and reduce anxiety.
Neurological Performance: The Brain-Body Connection
The brain is the control centre of the body and responsible for all that we are and all that we do. High performance doesn’t only rely on physical strength; it requires a finely tuned nervous system capable of processing information, making decisions, and maintaining emotional balance when exposed to stress. The link between brain health and performance is undeniable. Studies show that mental clarity, cognitive function, and decision-making abilities are directly influenced by physical activity, sleep, and diet.
The practice of mindfulness—training your mind to stay present and focused—can also greatly enhance neurological performance. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to improve cognitive function by improving activity and neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for higher-order functions like attention, decision-making, and impulse control). Mindfulness helps reduce the negative effects of stress, which can impair brain function and lead to burnout. By practising mindfulness regularly, you create a mental environment that is conducive to problem-solving, creative thinking, and emotional regulation, all of which contribute to high performance in business and our relationships.
Relational Performance: Building Strong Connections
High performance isn't just about what you achieve individually; it's also about how well you function in a team or community. Strong, healthy relationships are key to maintaining optimal performance in life. Whether in business, sports, or personal life, our interactions with others have a profound impact on our mental and emotional well-being.
Research shows that social connection can buffer against the negative effects of stress, lower blood pressure, improve heart health, and even enhance immune function. When we cultivate positive relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, we create a supportive environment that encourages resilience and personal growth. These relationships not only reduce stress but also provide the necessary emotional support to navigate challenges, maintain motivation, and celebrate successes. One of the common characteristics of "Blue Zones" (areas of the world where people tend to have longer and more robust lifespans) is the strength of their communities and relationships.
The quality of these relationships—whether with a spouse, team, or business partner—can significantly influence your performance. Communication, trust, and empathy are essential components of strong relationships that foster a high-performance mindset. Building and nurturing these connections requires intentional effort, but the payoff is substantial.
Mental Performance: The Power of Adaptability and Mindfulness
In the face of constant demands from work, family, and society, mental performance is often the differentiator between those who thrive and those who struggle. True high performance is about being adaptable, resilient, and able to handle stress in a healthy way.
Cognitive flexibility—the ability to shift between tasks, handle uncertainty, and adapt to changing circumstances—is a hallmark of high performers.
The practise of mindfulness and stress management techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation, can enhance mental performance by reducing the physiological effects of stress. Chronic stress impairs cognitive function, disrupts sleep, and damages the body’s systems over time, making it difficult to maintain high performance in all areas of life.
Mindfulness doesn’t just enhance brain function; it also improves emotional intelligence (EQ). High EQ is essential for effective leadership, decision-making, and interpersonal relationships. By being aware of your emotions and learning to regulate them, you increase your ability to handle pressure, make sound decisions, and communicate effectively with others.
How Lifestyle, Exercise, Mindfulness, and Relationships Facilitate High Performance
The key to true high performance is not focusing on one area of life at the expense of others. Instead, it’s about creating a lifestyle that integrates physical, neurological, relational, and mental well-being. When these elements are in balance, you can perform at your best—whether at work, at home, or in the gym.
It's important to note that the so-called balance between all these modalities that contribute to high performance may be different from person to person. This is why the concept and topic of high performance is so nuanced - it is likely different between individuals.
Wanting to be a high performing parent? Athlete? Entrepreneur? All of the above? Depending on your goals, the recipe for high performance is going to be unique to you. The important thing to remember is that it's always multifactorial. If you ignore the fundamentals of regular movement, nutrition, recovery, mindfulness, social support and maintaining neurological health, you are likely leaving some performance on the table.
Conclusion: A Holistic Approach to High Performance
High performance involves excelling in multiple domains of life: physical health, mental clarity, emotional resilience, and relational strength.
I challenge you to begin incorporating these elements into your daily routine, but start small. Win each day. Start with a 5-minute mindfulness session. Or reach out to an old friend you haven't spoken to for a while. Start training for that 10km you want to run. Whatever it is, dose these things appropriately so that you can stack little win after little win and build momentum towards the high performing life you want to live.
High performance isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter, with balance and intention.
Here's to a high performing life!
Yours in good health,
Andrew
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