The High Performance Journal - February 14th 2023

Two months ago, I had a 30-minute convo with a founder to help him get back on track with his body.

Ben (name withheld) used to be a former athlete and was in great shape when he was in college.

But when he started his business he got out of shape and fatter. He worked long hours, had lots of stress, and gained almost all his fat in the belly.

In the beginning, it wasn’t an issue. But as the years went by he started to notice feeling lower levels of energy, which affected not only his business but his time with his family.

Ben was facing a challenge that other entrepreneurs face: He was trading his business for his body.

In today’s issue, I’m going to share our discussion, my recommendations, and his results.

Ben 3 biggest challenges were:

• Letting work takes over his exercise habits
• His diet was a mess. He could avoid eating through the day but would overeat at night.
• When the afternoon hit he’d face an energy dip that caused him to drink more coffee, which messed up his sleep later on.

His main goal was to drop 30 lbs in a sustainable way and increase his energy levels while keeping up with his busy entrepreneur schedule.

I asked him to walk me through his typical day so we could find some opportunities for improvement.

Morning: He wakes up, helps the kids get ready for school, skips breakfast then is off to work.

Once at work, he works on his 3 most important tasks of the day for the first half while doing important meetings for the second half.

Afternoon: Productive work, more meetings, and strategic planning.

Evening: Home for dinner at 6:30 pm and sometimes more work when the kids go to sleep.

When you look at that schedule it’s a bit mental. It would be hard to fit exercise or even eating into what he does daily.

But when we went through the schedule we also found some opportunities and some tasks he was doing that were quite redundant.

First Recommendation: Strategic Time Blocking

We made put a time in his calendar for 1 hour each afternoon. This would be his recharge time.

We treated the time as if he was meeting with one of his most important clients of the day: HIM.

His assistant protected that time and we used it to hit the downstairs gym for a quick 30 minute workout. If he was tight for time we’d have him do it in his office. If it wasn’t a workout day he’d go out for a walk.

We call it “recharge time” because for him to have more energy he needs to expend it with physical activity.

Once he started doing this he reported back increased amounts of focus and energy, which he used to crush the rest of the day.

Second Recommendation: Put High Quality Meals on a Schedule

Part of the reason he was overeating at night was that he wasn’t eating enough during the day.

Not eating is a major stress. When you compound that on an already stressful day it will overeating or, in some cases, drinking.

We started his day with a quick protein shake with creatine and greens. He’d take this along with a few supplements.

After his workouts (or walks) he’d eat a quick low carb high protein lunch then be back to work. All liquids were in the form of water or coffee.

After doing this he found his nighttime munchies go away and felt less stressed as a result.

The Results: 21 pounds lost in 2 months, 5 inches off the waist, and massive amounts of energy gained. Dropped 36 lbs overall.

We took advantage of what was working for him already: His commitment to schedule.

By putting his physical activity in the afternoon it acted as an energetic recharge for the rest of his day. We recruited support by asking his assistant to protect his recharge time.

When we put his eating on a schedule we minimized the threat of overeating at night. We also increased the quality of his foods to be nutrient-dense and high-protein.

Since then Ben has not only dropped the pounds but is experiencing a level of energy he hasn't had since he was a college athlete. He doesn't need an afternoon coffee anymore and that has helped him make significant improvements to his sleep.

The lessons here are powerful:

1. You need to block off time in your calendar for what matters. Remember, that you’re the most important client on the planet and the ship only runs as well as you do.
2. The more routine you can make your health the more freedom you’ll achieve. If your day is random find peace by incorporating a routine of eating and exercising.
3. Get help. You can’t keep on doing the same thing expecting a different result. If this has been an area of your life that you can’t get right then you need to invest in yourself with coaching.
   
   

Even though you may not be a founder you can still use these lessons to incorporate better health into your schedule.

If you’re interested in getting lean & boosting your energy levels like Ben, I’d recommend reading this article or this one.

I hope you found this newsletter helpful.

- Dan

PLUS whenever you’re ready, here is 1 way I can help you:

Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape in 2023?  Apply for one-on-one coaching here.