👋 Hey.
Welcome to issue #21 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter. Thanks for being here!
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🪢 Framing nerves
Job interview? Tough conversation? Big game? However you define high performance, nerves are unavoidable if we’re gonna step into the arena.
But that’s a good thing…
See there’s research that tested different high performers (athletes, musicians, actors…) before a performance.
Some said they were scared shitless. Some said they were pumped.
Here’s the cool thing:
They all had the exactly same physical response. Heart pumping. Breath racing. Hands clammy. Etc.
The only difference was how they labelled the moment.
Crazy!
We essentially have a decision…
When the nerves arrive, is it: “Ah no, this is fear, that’s negative, I can’t do this”?
Or is it: “Good, I’m more alert, more focused, I’m ready”?
Big choice. Choose wisely.
📺 TV series: Limitless
A 5 episode series (on Disney+) about living better longer.
Chris Hemsworth is the guinea pig. Putting science and himself to the test.
Each episode looks at one thing we can influence to help improve our performance in life: stress 🥵, shock 🧊, strength 💪, memory 🧠 and acceptance 🙏.
My favourite takeaways:
- 😳 Push the comfort zone. Learn to manage the stress we feel in those situations. Because when we do, we’re learning to cope with life's stressors.
- 💪 Train strength for the body and mind. Do it forever.
- 😴 Prioritise sleep for brain health and memory (you can get my elite sleep guide at bottom of this email).
If you only watch one, make it Ep. 02 on shock. Arctic surfing, swimming and saunas in the Nordic mountains. Quality viewing.
🦴 A systems approach to fixing low back pain
Lower back pain? 🙋
This one’s close to my heart… A footy career of rolling, triggering, stretching, de-loading, lumbar straps, treatments… Anything to stay on top of it.
This article from performance wizard Kelly Starrett gives us a really logical way to approach it.
First, we figure out what's causing the pain. Is it:
- 🛏 Environmental? Poor sleep (mattress, position), positions (sitting, slouching) or movement (not enough walking, stretching)?
- 🏃 Movement? Poor technique or posture?
- 🦵 Joint function? Stiff joints that are putting stress on the lower back?
- 💪 Muscle? Stiff muscles or poor blood flow?
- 🦾 Myofascial? Are our connective tissues no longer fluid (poor hydration, tightness)?
Improving one of these areas might help. But improving more or all of them is where the magic is (because there's usually a few moving parts).
Here's how (the treatment model):
- 😮💨 Desensitise with breathing techniques, simple movements and walking
- 🙆 Restore the function with stretching, rolling and triggering
- 😴 Prevent by improving our sleep quality, sleep environment and better habits (like more standing, walking and stretching).
If your lower back gives you grief, taking the time to read the article and watch the videos could be what you need.
And while we're on it. These are some habits and tools I've found to work for me:
- Stand-up desk – Sitting for long periods cooks me up. A stand-up desk has been a game changer for work.
- Lumbar strap – Sometimes sitting is unavoidable…Long car/plane rides etc. Not too tight though. Too tight and it’ll do all the work for you. Just enough to give you feedback. So you'll switch the right core muscles on to keep your back in a safe position.
- The bar hang
- Setting a neutral spine before sitting and moving
- Morning stretch – specifically the couch stretch and windmills for the back
✌️
That's it!
- If you've got a mate who'd enjoy this, please pass it on
- Is there a specific topic you want to see in future issues?
- Also, if you have anything interesting to share, I'd love to hear about it.
Have a great weekend 
Matt
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