Sep
22
Energy Management for Peak Performance
I’ve been really physically active this summer, training Aikido nearly six days a week on average. One day, I trained for seven hours. This taught me that eating well and sleeping well make a huge difference. Vegetables make a big difference in stamina and recovery times. I feel best when when I eat lightly steamed vegetables with ground meat, and a generous portion of brown rice.
Today, I joined a construction work team to put up scaffolding around an apartment to be renovated. We had to climb the scaffolding and hand parts up so that the people at top could build it higher. My body feels good now, comparable to how it felt when I trained for seven hours – a full body exercise centering on core muscles. I wouldn’t have been able to do this if I hadn’t been training all summer. All the people working were healthy and fit. The job demands it – they would immediately face the consequences if they let their health slide.
I’m much healthier now than I was when I worked in the office. I would skimp on sleep and eat junk food, no doubt affecting the clarity of my thoughts. Desk work affords more leeway than manual labor, but one shouldn’t take advantage of it. I wonder how much more effective I’d be in the office if I managed my energy and health as well as I’m managing it now – getting good exercise, 6 to 8 hours of sleep, and eating nutritious food.
