Optimal Fitness for the Entrepreneur: Your Biggest Competitive Advantage
I believe fitness is the biggest competitive advantage an entrepreneur can have. If you’re already exercising, you’re well on your way. But are you optimizing your workouts for mental sharpness and overall business performance? In this post, I’ll tell you why consistent exercise is so powerful for entrepreneurs and how much you really need to reap those key benefits.
Embracing Fitness as My Competitive Edge
I used to be interested in competitive CrossFit, but I realized that path would derail my entrepreneurial goals. The truth is, you can’t be both a world-class athlete and a world-class business owner (at least, not at the same time). I chose business. But I didn’t ditch fitness; I tailored it to optimize my entrepreneurial performance.
That means prioritizing brain health, daily energy, and the feeling of being ready to tackle whatever challenge comes my way.
The Science of Fitness and Brainpower
Here’s a scary fact: We lose 10 milliseconds of brain speed every decade starting at age 20. The difference between a healthy, lightning-fast brain and a sluggish one is only 100 milliseconds! So, we need to fight back against this decline.
Two books that transformed my understanding of fitness and the brain are:
- Younger Brain Sharper Mind – This one delves into brain speed, mental exercises, supplements, stress management, and, of course, physical exercise to combat age-related brain slowdown.
- Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey – This book shows how just 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily can drastically improve cognitive function (even boosting kids’ academic performance!).
The Optimal Fitness Plan for Entrepreneurs
Forget about burning yourself to the ground every workout. As an entrepreneur, you need longevity. Here’s the framework based on the science:
- Type: Aerobic exercise or heart-pumping strength training
- Duration: 20-30 minutes daily
- Intensity: Moderate – enough to get your heart rate up, but sustainable for a full hour
I personally train longer and harder, but I’ve built up to that over years. This dose is enough to give you the edge.
Why This Matters NOW
Technology is exploding. AI, robots… they’re going to make so many things easier. Sadly, that also means lower critical thinking skills for the average person. But here’s the thing: being a high performer in this future world will be shockingly simple. All you have to do is:
- Exercise consistently
- Think for yourself
- Do those basic “try harder” things that everyone else is going to forget
If you want to dominate in your business, just be a better human.
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Time-Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:30: Intro to fitness as a competitive advantage
- 01:04: My shift away from competitive CrossFit
- 02:19: Why I focus on overall performance
- 03:37: The science of brain speed decline & the book “Younger Brain Sharper Mind”
- 06:47: “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” & optimal exercise dose
- 09:19: Why entrepreneurs shouldn’t crush themselves at the gym
- 10:26: Tech, the future of work, and why being a high performer will be easier than ever