Physical
Physical energy is the fundamental source of fuel in life.
Physical energy is derived from the interaction between oxygen and glucose.
The two most important regulators of physical energy are breathing and eating.
Eating five to six low-calorie, highly nutritious meals a day ensures a steady resupply of glucose and essential nutrients.
Drinking sixty-four ounces of water daily is a key factor in the effective management of physical energy.
Most human beings require seven to eight hours of sleep per night to function optimally.
Going to bed early and waking up early help to optimize performance.
Interval training is more effective than steady-state exercise in building physical capacity and in teaching people how to re-cover more efficiently.
To sustain full engagement, we must take a recovery break every 90 to 120 minutes.
Emotional
• In order to perform at our best, we must access pleasant and positive emotions: the experience of enjoyment, challenge, adventure and opportunity.
• The key muscles fueling positive emotional energy are self- confidence, self-control, interpersonal effectiveness and em- pathy.
• Negative emotions serve survival but they are very costly and energy inefficient in the context of performance.
• The ability to summon positive emotions during periods of intense stress lies at the heart of effective leadership.
• Access to the emotional muscles that serve performance depends on creating a balance between exercising them regularly and intermittently seeking recovery.
• Any activity that is enjoyable, fulfilling and affirming serves as a source of emotional renewal and recovery.
• Emotional muscles such as patience, empathy and confidence can be strengthened in the same way that we strengthen a bicep or a tricep: pushing past our current limits followed by recovery.
Mental
• Mental capacity is what we use to organize our lives and focus our attention.
• The mental energy that best serves full engagement is realistic optimism—seeing the world as it is, but always working positively towards a desired outcome or solution.
The key supportive mental muscles include mental preparation, visualization, positive self-talk, effective time manage- ment and creativity.
Changing channels mentally permits different parts of the brain to be activated and facilitates creativity.
Physical exercise stimulates cognitive capacity.
Maximum mental capacity is derived from a balance between
expending and recovering mental energy.
When we lack the mental muscles we need to perform at our
best, we must systematically build capacity by pushing past our
comfort zone and then recovering.
Continuing to challenge the brain serves as a protection
against age-related mental decline.
Spiritual
Spiritual energy provides the force for action in all dimensions of our lives. It fuels passion, perseverance and commitment.
Spiritual energy is derived from a connection to deeply held val- ues and a purpose beyond our self-interest.
Character—the courage and conviction to live by our deepest values—is the key muscle that serves spiritual energy.
The key supportive spiritual muscles are passion, commitment, integrity and honesty.
Spiritual energy expenditure and energy renewal are deeply interconnected.
Spiritual energy is sustained by balancing a commitment to a purpose beyond ourselves with adequate self-care.
Spiritual work can be demanding and renewing at the same time.
Expanding spiritual capacity involves pushing past our comfort zone in precisely the same way that expanding physical ca- pacity does.
The energy of the human spirit can override even severe limitations of physical energy.
