What would it take to become a superhero like Captain America?
I’m sure all the fanboys are rolling their eyes, thinking, “The Super Soldier Serum, duh!”
OK, maybe the Captain is out of our league – but not by too much.
Attaining consistently high performance without breakdown, with the help of nutrition and recovery, has been my main focus for many years.
I developed an approach that helps to identify, rectify and maximize human performance and supercharge health. This system is the result of 20 years of extensive research in the highly fragmented field of sports performance. I conducted my own expert interviews, as well as incorporated my own real-life experience working with professional athletes, which currently includes 20 out of the world’s top 50 golfers.
Chronic Inflammation
The core principle of my method is to eliminate chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is like a slow fire burning constantly through the body, leaving a path of scarred joints, muscles and tendons that are prone to injuries, both minor and major. Chronic inflammation is also the keystone in the development of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, premature aging, fatigue and insomnia. It makes sense to me that controlling inflammation is paramount for success, not only in sports but in life in general.
This discovery has prompted me to ask many questions:
How can I identify inflammation?
Can I measure it? How early can I pick this up?
Can I pick it up before my patient feels symptoms and their performance suffers?
How can I treat it?
Can I reverse it quickly?
How can I reverse it as quickly as possible?
Can I monitor my patient’s progress?
These questions have guided my investigation into the development of five main pillars. These are the most important factors influencing human performance:
Turn Off Chronic Inflammation
Uncontrolled inflammation is, in my opinion, the primary factor that shortens the lifespan of an athlete, and significantly impairs athletic performance. Chronic inflammation makes a person susceptible to injuries and creates an environment that inhibits rapid and complete recovery.
Eradicate Hormonal Imbalance
Hormonal imbalance, comprised mainly of estrogen dominance and adrenal fatigue, significantly impairs sleep, absorption of nutrition, tissue repair and recovery, and leads to fatigue, brain fogginess and a malfunctioning immune system.
Rejuvenate Gastrointestinal Health
Seventy-five percent of your immune system is in your gut. Research has shown that brain cells can be found in the gut, confirming the brain-gut connection. Living a highly stressful competitive life with poor nutritional choices causes chronic irritation in the gut, which in turn causes fatigue, poor decision-making, mental fatigue, irritability and lack of mental clarity during stressful situations. An inflamed gut is unable to absorb the nutrients required to synthesize the chemical messengers that govern brain function. It becomes leaky, and allows toxins to enter the bloodstream. The liver, which has to clear out these toxins (detoxification), becomes exhausted and overwhelmed. When detoxification is inefficient, the delicate brain gets exposed to these toxins.
Turbocharge Brain Function
When we don’t adequately absorb protein and are exposed to toxins, we cannot sufficiently make neurotransmitters required for efficient brain function. This deficit manifests in mental sluggishness, fogginess, fatigue, lack of motivation and difficulty in both concentration and the ability to push through challenges that require razor-sharp focus and patience.
Restore Deep Sleep
Poor sleep drains your vitality in many ways. It’s long been acknowledged that poor sleep leads to mental and physical fatigue. What is less established is that poor sleep (in both duration and quality) leads to premature aging, heart disease, dementia, cancer and has been shown to significantly reduce your lifespan. The World Health Organization has classified shift work as a cancer risk. Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt said it best, “Fifty percent of my training is sleeping because it allows my body to absorb the training that I do.” Lack of high-quality, refreshing sleep (including jet lag) is currently an epidemic among high-performing athletes who strive to maintain a well-balanced life.
Abundant scientific and peer-reviewed research has shown that improving each pillar individually results in a 75-100 percent increase in performance. However, I found that combining improvements for the five pillars has a cumulative effect resulting in a 300 to 500 percent boost in performance. Take that Captain America.
The Five Pillars of Superhuman Performance
- Turn off chronic inflammation
- Eradicate hormonal imbalance
- Rejuvenate the gastrointestinal system
- Turbocharge brain function
- Restore deep sleep
