Lebron James & Enhancing Performance

I’m a diehard Golden State Warriors fan. I love the team, the coaching staff, the medical support staff, and the ownership. What a team!

You may find it hard to believe I’ve become a bit of a Lebron James fan. He’s:

• Competing in his 8th consecutive NBA finals against the Warriors this year, the fourth year these 2 teams have met.
  In his 15th year in the NBA.
• Playing more minutes this season than any other NBA player.
• Spending nearly $1 million dollars on diet, exercise, endurance training, etc.
• Playing complete games–all 48 minutes–of some playoff games.
• Exuding a passion for excellence and winning.

I sometimes laugh at Lebron when he looks so incredulously at the officials after he’s called for a foul or rules infraction. I imagine him saying to the officials, “What? Me? I’m Lebron James. I’m allowed to travel or commit an offensive foul with impunity.”

I happened to catch a few minutes of KQED (public radio) Forum program titled How Today’s Athletes are Playing Harder, Faster, and Longer. Here’s the intro to this program:

“Thanks to the evolution of sports science, professional athletes are extending their playing days well beyond their youth — quarterback Tom Brady is 40. Serena Williams is pushing 37. Soccer player Carli Lloyd turns 36 this summer. In “Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age” journalist Jeff Bercovici illustrates how science is extending the timeline of athleticism. What questions do you have about staying agile while aging?”

As work lives extend beyond age 65, I have to wonder how physical strength and agility impacts our mental strength and agility? There is a correlation.

What if we live a sedentary life today and we reallocate part of our time each day to exercising–aerobic and strength training? Might that enhance our mental performance and effectiveness? The answer is most assuredly yes.

We don’t have to invest huge sums of money like Lebron James to achieve enhanced mental performance. Diet and exercise are the key components.

Thought for the week:

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse in integrity.” – Tom Peters