big picture health

When we think of health, we typically think of the big pillars:

Training & Nutrition

Which makes sense. Because these are the big “bang for your buck” elements. Someone who trains hard and eats a great diet are already checking huge boxes with their health.

But I think there’s more to it.

When we zoom out from the whiteboard of health (those big scribbles that grab your attention), new little things come view, which quietly shape how we feel, perform, and recover.

I think we need to embrace those little things.

It’s what I call, “Big Picture Health”.

Here are some quick-fire examples:

Spending time with friends

Managing stress

Getting out into nature

Committing an early night (or dare I say it, 2 or 3)

Putting the damn phone away for an entire evening

Going for a walk, not because the dog needs to pee or because you have somewhere to go, but purely for the sake of spending time outdoors

These quiet details are your every day. And they take up more storage space in your life than the training and nutrition do.

A shitty boss that’s on your case every day, or doom scrolling until the phone smacks you in the forehead every night, or never getting out into nature… these things are having a legitimate physiological effect on you.

Now you can’t just check the little details without dialing in on those big pillars.

You have to train hard, and you have to eat well.

But health is multifaceted.

(As is performance, by the way. So if you’re one of my athletes reading this thinking you’re too young for this to even matter, turns out it affects you too. You’ll play harder. Make better decisions under pressure. You’ll recover quicker and you’ll reduce risk of injury.)

So with all that in mind…

What’s one habit you’d like to be more attentive towards over the next 4-weeks that’d positively contribute towards your big picture health?

I’m genuinely interested!

And if you let me know, not only am I happy to help you map it out if you need (for free don’t worry it’s not a trap haha) - but you’re probably more likely to stick to it as well.

So, what is that one thing?