Performance starts in the body

Most high achievers treat their bodies like machines. Optimize. Override. Repeat. But your body is not a machine, it’s a living system that has natural rhythms. It speaks in tension, fatigue, cravings, and crashes.

Those signals aren’t problems to push through but should been seen as data to decode.

When you begin listening to your physical rhythms, you unlock a deeper intelligence. You make sharper decisions. You lead with more stamina and stability. You shift from surviving the day to partnering with it.

If you neglect physical energy, the costs are cumulative. Brain fog becomes indecision. And exhaustion becomes emotional reactivity. 

The choice is not whether your body affects your performance. It’s whether you choose to engage with it intentionally.

The most successful people we work with aren’t the ones who push the hardest, they’re the ones who learn to listen and adapt. Because when the body is primed, performance and life flow more easily.

These four areas form the backbone of physical vitality and of the physical energy domain. When these levers are aligned, your body becomes a source of stability and sustained energy.

1. Movement

Regular physical activity maintains good physical fitness and emotional wellbeing. Aim for 150+ minutes a week across ideally 4 or more sessions. Do a mix of cardio, strength training and flexibility, and don’t forget movement during the day as well. A short walk, stretch or three minutes of shaking tension out can help reset your entire system.

2. Sleep

Sleep is not optional but is essential for living and being well. It’s when your brain consolidates memory, your body restores itself, and your nervous system recalibrates. When and how much sleep you need varies by person, but most people need between 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Protect your sleep like your performance depends on it, because it does.

3. Nutrition

For sustained peak performance, see food as a performance fuel that can either help or hinder your progress. Each person has different requirements and preferences for food. The key is to learn about food basics and be deliberate about what and when you eat.

4. Recovery

Rest is not weakness, it’s highly strategic. Micro-recoveries throughout your day - moments of exhale, light, pause - are how you stay in the game long-term. See recovery as a daily ritual, not an occasional retreat.

To begin reclaiming your body as a performance asset, start by doing a simple physical energy check-in.  

Each week, ask:

• Where does my body feel under-resourced?

• When do I feel most alive?

• What’s one practice I can do this week to enhance my physical energy?

Your body keeps score. The sooner you start listening and acting on what you hear, the sooner you’ll notice a positive difference. 

Sustainable performance is built on rituals, not resolutions. The goal isn’t to be perfect, it’s to be consistent. Start with 1% shifts that compound over time.

Try:

• Stretch in the morning before checking your phone

• Take a five-minute sunlight break at noon.

• Get up and move your body in between each meeting or call.

These small practices might seem insignificant, but they are actually neurobiological resets that that train your system to access clarity, calm, and creativity more consistently. Focus on designing rituals that are realistic, rooted, and repeatable.

The most powerful practices are the ones that actually fit your life.

Begin with this:
What’s one habit your 80 year old self will thank you for?

Download our free Energy Scorecard Tracker at www.potentialacademy.org/energytracker to track and rebalance your four energy domains, starting with the physical.

Next in the series: Cultivating emotional energy and resilience, where we explore why inner strength and emotional clarity are essential to sustainable performance.