When our third grade PE teacher introduced us to the Presidential Fitness Challenge (semi-annual test for pull-ups, mile run, sit and reach, shuttle run, and sit-ups) was my first taste of competition and breaking school records.  I loved that excitement and sense of accomplishment.  And, I wanted more of it.  From that day forward, I committed myself to pushing my upper limits - in conditioning, school performance, number of activities, length of keg stands - with legit pushups of course, work performance, completing another beer tour, sprint triathlon to Ironman, adding another degree and another certification, just always something more.  In the spirit of performance, it all seemed great.  Until it wasn't. 

It took burnout, loss, and injury for me to wake up and see that what appears desirable - having high drive to seek accomplishment - when left unchecked, can result in dysfunctional patterns that affect our bodies and minds, resulting in the exact opposite of what we're seeking.  Because of all of my classroom and real world education, I've now discovered you can actually detect early dysfunction before it results in impaired hormone production, pregnancy loss, or ACL rupture resulting in you sitting on the sidelines when you'd rather be breaking records. 

It's possible to experience peak performance, energy, and happiness when you learn what your body needs rather than arbitrarily chasing "more." And, that's why I love coaching people on what my younger self, the one pumped about training for pull-ups, stressed about the mile run, overcommitted to doing more, who felt like she was following all the rules but turns out they weren't the right rules for her particular body at that time, needed to know and hear for finding peak potential.   

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