Introduction
Human performance has always fascinated me and over many years working with athletes and a variety of different people, I developed 6 pillars of performance to help others unlock their potential and become a high performer. If there were a recipe to high performance these are the 6 ingredients I would use. Check each of them out in this article.
Nutrition
The act or process of nourishing or of being nourished; the use of food for life, health and growth.
Eating a well balanced diet has many health benefits to include managing your body fat, reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, lowering your risk of developing heart disease and facilitating growth and repair keeping you strong and healthy (1). Performing your best requires you to manage your energy throughout the day so you have the fuel to perform.
Movement
To change from one place or position to another.
Physical activity can lower the risk of long term (chronic) conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke. It can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, clinical depression, dementia & alzheimer’s disease (2). Physical activity could be enhancing sport performance, improving your fitness so you can keep up with the kids or improving your work capacity so you are able to deliver a presentation without feeling breathless.
Psychology
The science of the mind or of mental states and processes.
Understanding topics such as confidence, motivation, focus, stress, anxiety, resilience, leadership and group cohesion could be the key to raising yours or your teams performance. Having the tools and strategies to deal with everyday performance pressures could be a game changer.
Education
The act or process of imparting or acquiring knowledge or skills.
Sport is cut throat, you win or you lose. Business and life are the same in many ways. We live in a constantly challenging, changing and competitive world and the best athletes are the ones who are coachable, always learning and can adapt.
Support
To be actively interested in and concerned for the success of an individual or team.
The best athletes in the world have an incredible support system of people around them who cheer them on, believe in them and are there for them win or lose. Building a support system is essential to performing at the highest level.
Recovery
Restoration or return to a former and better state or condition.
Performing your best requires you to feel fresh and think clearly. Tiredness and fatigue lead to mistakes and injuries so it is extremely important to take rest days and recovery strategies seriously.
I hope this post was of value to you. I’d love to hear your thoughts, please do send me a message on Instagram (simonjamescoaching).
Thank you for reading.
Simon James
