from foods rather than synthetic vitamin supplements, and control-
ling stress. These and other specifics are discussed throughout this
book.
With the realization that fitness and health are different also came
the conclusion that these states are elements of an even larger concept
— human performance. When health and fitness are balanced, the
result is optimal human performance. We often associate human per-
formance with the fulfillment of some athletic feat, like winning an
Olympic gold medal. But in the true sense, human performance per-
tains to all aspects of life, including personal, family, social and work
functions. Performance pertains to either physical or mental activi-
ties, or both. The benefits of improved human performance include
increased energy, productivity, creativity, and better relationships
with people. In my practice I had the pleasure and excitement to actu-
ally see people improve their human performance, and thus succeed
at whatever their primary goal in life was at the time. These goals
included winning the Ironman Triathlon, achieving career success,
and being the best-possible parent. The secret to reaching any of these
goals is optimal human performance, and its foundation is balanced
fitness and health. Thus, we can define human performance as the opti-
mal balance between health and fitness that allows a person to
achieve success in all areas of life. Or, the simple equation:
Fitness + Health =Human PerformanceThis is a relatively simple concept to understand, but it’s impor-
tant to note that this equation is not one-directional, as its effects are
actually cyclical and exponential. In other words, increased human
performance can, in return, also bring about even greater improve-
ments in the foundational elements of fitness and heath. Thus, as you
improve your fitness and health, thereby improving your human per-
formance, this additional human performance can fuel even further
improvements in your fitness and health. There’s virtually no end to
this cycle, meaning that a person can achieve virtually unlimited
physical and mental energy. It’s really just a matter of how far you are
willing to go to improve your fitness and your health.
14 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH