What Is Optimal Performance? 

See related article: Longevity is the Mastery of Recovery

It is simply you performing at your best. But it requires much more than just good training programming to be on the mark. The list that helps us all with longevity is the same as the one you need for optimal performance, whether young or old.  The difference is dependent upon the individual's needs, goals, and athletic or tactical profession, of course, but also programming intensity. While it is true that the younger athlete can do more on average than the older athlete, both must still follow the rules of rest, recovery, and nutrition/hydration. Without the following in near-perfect balance, you (young or old) will not be at your personal best or reach optimal performance for your mind and body. 

Optimal Performance is Made in the Bed, Kitchen, and Gym (largely in that order)

A complete list of the elements of recovery to master to help you with this daily battle of above-average physical performance:

Sleep (get 7-8 hours) # 1 recovery tool. Do it well. 

Nutrition (eat well) Nearly as important as sleep but just as critical to fuel, recovery, and energy to train and compete at the highest levels. 

Hydration (Drink more water) - You will die without water!  Yes that is now much lack of water consumption can affect your performance.  Heat casualties are killers to your performance. I often say, half of fatigue is body heat. Stay hydrated my friends.  

Exercise (move more with purpose) - Usually for high performers preparing for intense spec ops selections, as a coach I have to pull the reins on them and have them do less. See why Less is More when it comes to some people on the border of mentally tough and stupid. 

But Also Be Still (breathe and relax) - Focus on learning HOW to breathe (box breathing is a good start) - Learning HOW to breathe to slow down your nervous system.  Simply lengthen inhale and exhale with a short pause in between both in through the nose / out through the mouth. Take a few minutes and try box breathing for starters (4 secs IN, 4 sec hold, 4 sec OUT, 4 sec hold). 

Flexibility / Mobility - Do NOT skip mobility day

Out of all of the above single options to help you recover, they ALL have at some point in my life been life-changing once I got it correct.  Whether it was for a day's energy levels and event performance or it was long-term pain reduction and injury recovery, mastery of the above is the KEY TO LONGEVITY. The allowance to keep training and be injured all the time also goes hand in hand with optimal performance and longevity. 

The Two Podcasts Recently Done with LTCol Barringer (PhD - Nutrition) and Dr. Kirk Parsely (Sleep Remedy) discuss the importance of both their specialties on both optimal performance and longevity and how they are intertwined but often neglected by both young and old athletes:

Nutrition for Spec Ops Level Performance

The #1 Recovery Tool with Dr. Kirk Parsely

You Have To Get Serious At Some Point & Drop Some Bad Habits Too...

Smoking, Drinking Alcohol, Doing Drugs, and Too Much Caffeine

All of the above are habits that are difficult to break due to the addictiveness of these substances. There are things in that list that can be done with moderation (alcohol/caffeine), but tobacco products and narcotics are NOT something that will be helpful in a quest for longevity. These absolutely ruin your ability to recover - mainly sleep well - but some are just deadly and horrible for your health period. Sorry to be the VICE cop but it is true. Though you may still live a long life with a lifetime of bad habits, those final years will be the result of their accumulation. 

Know the Signs When Stress / Over-Training Start to Show

Typical Stress Symptoms are not that different from physically over-training symptoms.  Hormonally speaking, they are the same, and the same methods of recovery apply to all forms of stress:

Save this picture and give it to someone who cares about you, as they will see these symptoms before you will. Though fitness is great for reducing stress, it can also lead to greater stress if you are not smart about it.  Typically, overtraining is a neglect of the recovery methods (sleep/nutrition primarily). 

Over the years, I have written and made podcasts on the many ways to actively pursue recovery. The complete list of recovery content that further explains better nutrition, hydration, sleep protocols, training, mobility, de-stressing, and attitude/happiness are complex to master all at once.  This mastery may actually take decades. But with each year, if you have the mindset of "actively pursuing recovery" and improve on ALL THE ABOVE one at a time, you may develop all the necessary tools and be a Master of Recovery or a Lord of Longevity. 

 Related Articles and Video Podcasts on ALL Elements of Recovery 

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