The Big Three

I was at the gym recently when a fellow gym-goer looked at me, exhausted, and said, “Man, I just don’t know what’s up with me. That workout felt so tough today.”

Ever have one of those days? It’s like the bar is actually packed with more weight than you thought you put on or the bike is sludging through mud. You start looking for the reasons why it feels so challenging. Could it be the humidity? The heat? Just plain getting older? 

When you recognize that you are having that “this is feeling A LOT harder than it usually does” kind of day (or month) here’s a pro tip of where to look FIRST:

The BIG THREE:

• How am I sleeping?
• What am I eating?
• Am I exercising?

I often refer to these three as “living right”. For my friend who was struggling that morning at the box, after a short conversation, he realized that he had not slept well for the last few days. His young kids had a summer cold and his bed had been invaded by rolling toddlers! 

Daily stresses can bump us out of our normal “living right” routine and can be so small that we may not recognize the impact at first. Of course, there can be other culprits for that lack of energy and decreased performance. Start with the BIG THREE – you’ll be surprised how much better you can feel just tweaking these behaviors.