Four Steps to Sustainable Peak Performance – Do More and Feel Better with Scott Peltin

Posted on January 4th, 2011 by Keith Ferrazzi

You can't build authentic, consistent relationships when you feel like $#%$. I know this well, which is why I eat right (veggies and meat) and make sure exercise is a part of my schedule almost every single day.

Scott Peltin, author of Sink, Float, or Swim, teaches companies and their employees how to think differently and take better care of themselves. Typically he finds that only 5 percent of any given company are sustainable high-performers who know how to maintain their peak over time.

Recently Scott lead an RMA masterclass around creating new habits in four key areas – mindsets, nutrition, recovery, and movement – so that brain and body can stay at their maximum capacity.

Peltin points out that you make 1000 choices a day and each of them either increases or decreases your brain’s performance. Many of us make bad choices out of habit; Peltin’s goal is to shake that up. Here are four ideas you can put into practice immediately.

1.    Mindset: You have over 60,000 thoughts a day. Reframe thoughts that drag you down. Instead of thinking “I’m overwhelmed, “ think “I am present.”

2.    Nutrition: FORTY PERCENT of how you feel right now is due to your last meal. Did you eat a meal that set you up for success? Make sure that every meal you eat fuels you properly for your activities of the next three to four hours.

3.    Recovery: Take breaks! Plan small downtimes during the day. The brain can only work for about 90 minutes without needing a break. Plan your schedule in 90 minute blocks, and take a break at the end of every increment.

4.    Movement: Add more movement to your schedule. It doesn’t need to be hard-core exercise, just anything that increases your body’s range of motion. For help, download 10 simple “daily prep” movements, all tied to breathing exercises, at tignum.com.

What’s your best tip for sustainable peak performance?

Send a trackback!
29 comments // In Personal Development
Bookmark and Share
« Previous Post Next Post »

29 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Great advice. Set up a simple routine to start the day strong and include drinking a large glass on water to spark up your system and hydrate your cells !

  2. Keith,
    Thanks for the valuable reminders about the control we do have over whether we achieve peak performance or not. I like to use a pedometer to count my steps and find that some of my best ideas come when I'm trying to walk 10,000 steps in a day!

  3. Catherine Atherton says:
    January 4, 2011 at 4:58 am
    Reply

    So true! What works for me is doing 20 minutes of yoga before breakfast. This has helped me get rid of back pain and is a great boost to my energy level.
    Then I have a healthy breakfast: mixed cereal with dried fruit, almond milk, no sugar. I used to skip breakfast until a therapist told me the low energy I felt in the middle of the afternoon could be related to my skipping breakfast. She was right!

  4. Where is the download for the 10 simple 'daily prep' movements. I can't seem to find them. Thanks.

  6. like Alicia, I could not find the 'daily prep' movements/exercises. Thanks

  7. like Alicia and Steve, I could not find the 'daily prep' movements/exercises. Thanks

  8. Keith you are amazing

    thanks for your huge contribution
    to people´s lives.

    all the best in your life,

    Javier

  9. Good advice, but in Point #1 be sure when reframing that you don't replace a negative thought with an unrealistic happy thought. I don't want the pilot flying my plane to look at a blinking red light in the cockpit and think, "Oh, that's no problem." Flexible thinking is key, but not at the expense of reality. Once you've done everything you can to handle a situation, then's the time to err to the positive.

  10. Thanks for all the great points. Another is sleep. 7-8 hours for most people. Go to bed and get up at the same time everyday so your body gets into a proper and healthy cycle. Health and success to everyone in the New Year!

  11. I receive my inspiration while enjoying a warm and relaxing shower. That seems to be the moment when I get in direct touch with myself and make ussually right decisions. So, in the morning, in the shower i plan my day ahead.

  12. Love it!
    The 60,000 thoughts per day is right up my alley. I replace them and actually find that the combination of good food and good exercise shifts me from having negative thoughts to positive thoughts. If food and sport don't work, cranking the tunes surely does! Happy New Year and thanks for the great reinforcements.

  13. Justin Mitchell says:
    January 4, 2011 at 8:18 am
    Reply

    I find I am able to maintain my peak when I do the things mentioned plus keep my commitments to myself. Letting myself slack on certain things because I worry about what others will say or think, or thinking to myself that I don't have enough time to do them causes me more heartburn and internal stress.

    Not doing the things I intend to do wears me down more than doing them due to the fact they add value to my life.

  14. Jennifer Yoon says:
    January 4, 2011 at 9:33 am
    Reply

    Nicely organized enlightenment for starting a new year! I would love to know more in details about what you meant by eating a meal that set us up for success. Thanks for all great points!

  15. Thanks for these tips! I find that using the Tapas Acupressure Technique (tm) is very helpful to clear the energy holding negative beliefs in place. Rather than repressing negative thoughts (which come back to bite us) I clear them out and then replace them with the positive one's that work better. The Tapas Acupressure Technique (tm) is also useful for building behaviors that help me to be more successful in all arenas of my life.

  16. Mindset: If there is no enemy within, then the enemy outside can do us no harm._African Proverb

  17. Awesome article. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help eliminate the "groggy" slow-ness that we sometimes feel after lunch. I eat at 11:30 and 2:30 and find I have more energy in the afternoons compared to some of my colleagues.. :)

  18. What has helped me dramatically alter the direction of my life:

    Movement: do this everyday (can take as little as 5-10 minutes) and your body, joints, mind will love you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0aIuCIpEbk
    yoga, Ido Portal's Floerio

    Mindset: meditation and visualization, handwriting goals and intentions

    Nutrition: Look into Paleo (marksdailyapple.com, robbwolf.com) and intermittent fasting (leangains.com)

    Recovery: Pomodoro technique http://www.pomodorotechnique.com , related: Power of Full Engagement http://www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Performance/dp/0743226747
    Eben Pagan's Wake Up Productive:
    https://order.getaltitude.com/custom/alt/1012_wakeup/default.aspx
    http://wakeupproductive.com

    => The 1-Step Plan for Super-Productivity
    http://the99percent.com/tips/6954/The-1-Step-Plan-for-Super-Productivity

    • Great links to stuff I've never heard of. I think that you would like Paul Chek's work (www.chekinstitute.com).
      Keith, if you are reading this, you should talk to Paul about your bad knees. If he can't help you out then I would be very very surprised.

  19. I find movement (running) helps alot. Short quick runs clear my head + stress and give me energy again after a hard days work. A long slower run is a great time to reflect on things as my body follows the rhythm - my subconscious comes up with new ideas for knotty problems.

  20. Wow Keith! Thank you for sharing such great information with us. This is exactly the type of things one needs to read starting a new year. This helps us make good decisions, change bad habits and have positive energy to focus on the things we want to accomplish. Another great blog!

  21. I find as a coach that performance has more to do with your preparation than anything else. Outside of the mindset (which is probably the most important), the rest tend to be somewhat physical. There's a huge crossover between body and mind, even to the point of work performance. I wonder how much more productive corporations would be by incorporating daily exercise and nutrition (wellness) into their workplace culture.

  22. Having the correct mindset definitely helps especially on Mondays! Reciting a mantra or affirmation that has deep positive meaning sets the right mood to face the next hour eventually the whole day.

  23. My keys to peak performance: No sugar, yoga, and plenty of sleep.

  24. Hello Everyone,

    Thanks so much for your comments and your inquiries about the Daily Prep Movements. You can find the pdf with descriptions of our 10 Daily Prep Movements on http://www.sinkfloatorswim.com. The password is found in the book (both digital version on ibook and the print book) and it is swimmer (pretty clever huh :). I love all the simple solutions you guys have added. The key message that we want to share is that there are over 1,000 choices every single day that you have available to you that will either increase your energy, resilience, brain agility, and capacity or they will destroy it. Unfortunately, too many people miss these opportunities (floaters) or even worse they wait until it's too late (sinkers). Since business is built on relationships imagine how present and engaged you are when you are sleep deprived, jet lagged, hypoglycemic, or overwhelmed by negative low-performance thoughts. Through simple things from Mindset, Nutrition, Movement, and Recovery you can make a profound difference in your performance and your sustainability. Of course it is easy to ignore the simplest solutions just as so many people miss the simplicity of building powerful meaningful relationships.

    Keith Ferrazzi is a guy who really understands the power of just knowing the simple answers but actually applying the simple strategies. As a friend, a colleague, and as a businessman I am always impressed by the energy, focus, creativity, and resilience that Keith brings to everything he does. If there were a perfect example of what a swimmer looks and acts like it would be Keith. Even more important, if I wanted to show the impact that a swimmer can make I would again point to Keith. Imagine Keith at 75% (floating), what a shame that would be.

    Best wishes to you all for a great year full of energy and resilience.
    Scott Peltin

  25. Marc Halliburton says:
    January 5, 2011 at 5:24 pm
    Reply

    Keith: Interesting fact about the 90 minutes of band width. Like you, I workout with the weights at 4:30 am (amatuer bodybuilding) plug in 7 meals a day and without a doubt my energy levels are high all day. The young bucks are struggling to keep up most of the time. But the 90 minute attention span.....I will have to track this to see what the results are. As always great content and thanks.

  26. Don't forget Spirit as in taking care of Body, Mind, and Spirit. Depending on your beliefs, prayer and/or meditation does wonders for the soul.

Leave a Reply