LEAN EXECUTIVES

Podcast Version
(With NotebookLM AI)

​How to Stay Lean Without Losing Your Edge
​
Let’s face it—executive life is demanding. Meetings, deadlines, travel, and decision fatigue hit hard and fast before most people have their second coffee. But staying lean? That doesn’t require a sabbatical or a personal chef. It requires systems, not willpower. These 10 daily habits are how high-performing execs stay lean, focused, and ready for anything.

1. No Alcohol

Elite executives either cut it out completely or reserve it for rare, intentional moments. Why? Because alcohol is a triple threat: it spikes appetite, adds empty calories, and delays fat loss. Want to stay sharp and lean? Keep the champagne for the truly special deals.

2. 10,000+ Steps a Day

Lean execs engineer movement into their day. Walking meetings, stairs over elevators, parking far away, walking around the office while on speaker, … these are micro-habits that add up. 10K steps isn’t a number; it’s a mindset. Your day is your gym.

3. Endurance Training is Foundational

Want to build staying power? Prioritize endurance. Think early morning fasted cardio runs, bike sessions during virtual calls and webinars, or treadmill walks with a podcast. Zone 2 training is gold - low stress & high return. You’re not training to collapse on the finish line; you’re training to outlast the chaos.

4. Weightlifting is Critical for Durability

Muscle is your metabolic engine and your injury insurance. Resistance training 2–3x per week builds not just strength, but resilience. No time for the gym? Knock out bodyweight exercises during the day at the office: squats, push-ups, lunges or use resistance bands and work on your core strengthening while watching TV at night. Strength isn’t vanity, it’s strategy.

5. Sleep: The Silent Performance Enhancer

Lean execs treat sleep like a board meeting, with priority and purpose. Aim for 7–8 hours a night, ideally in 90-minute cycles. Quality sleep reduces cravings, boosts recovery, regulates hormones, and sharpens your mood and focus. Ignore sleep, and your performance will tank over time.
 
6. They Keep Themselves Honest

You can’t optimize what you don’t track. Always wear your sports watch or OURA ring, weigh in regularly and log your steps. Lean execs know their numbers as if it were there body balance sheet and PNL. This isn’t about six-packs. It’s about self-leadership. What gets measured gets managed.

7. Real Food Dominates Their Plates

Forget fads. The lean lifestyle is built on eggs, steak, chicken, fruit, and vegetables. Protein and fiber are the anchors. Processed food? Enjoy it—but rarely. Your taste buds can be retrained to crave clarity over convenience. If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, neither should your metabolism.

8. Breathing Excellence Powers Performance

High performers don’t just manage time, they manage breath. During training, techniques like LRC (Locomotor Respiratory Coupling) enhance endurance. At work? Box breathing and nasal breathing calm stress, boost clarity, and drop cortisol. Breathe better. Lead better.

9. Embrace Discipline

Motivation is fickle. Discipline is freedom. These execs don’t wait to “feel like it”—they show up regardless. They train when tired, eat clean when stressed, and follow the plan when it’s inconvenient. As Aristotle said: “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

10. It’s Part of Their Identity

This isn’t about hacks. It’s about habits embedded in who they are. Every action is a vote for the person they want to become. And when they slip? They reset, not retreat. It’s about standards—and surrounding yourself with the kind of people who raise yours.

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACH GLENN:

• Schedule movement breaks like meetings.
• Block 30 mins daily for endurance or strength—even if it’s broken into 3 x 10-minute bursts.
• Practice box breathing before big pitches or intense workouts.

Share this blog/newsletter with your friends, family, and colleagues who are also pursuing a sportier and healthier lifestyle!

(inspired by post Dan Go)