3 KEY PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS
It’s not sexy, it’s not a new supplement, a fad diet or a fancy wearable with ten graphs you don’t understand.
But if you want to feel better, train harder, recover faster, and not feel wrecked by life? Fix your hydration, protein intake & aerobic fitness.
Master these three things (I mean really commit to them) and I guarantee everything else feels easier.
Hydration: The Most Underestimated Performance Enhancer
You think you’re tired. You think you’re sore. You think your brain’s just not working today.
You’re probably just dehydrated.
Even a small drop in hydration, like 1–2% of your bodyweight in water, is enough to tank your focus, mood, physical output, and coordination. Your blood gets thicker, your heart has to work harder, your body’s ability to regulate temperature falls apart, and your brain turns to mush.
This isn’t just about sweating during training, I'm talking about your ability to stay sharp at work, make decisions quickly and feel like a functioning adult human throughout the day. Chronic low-grade dehydration is way too common - it shows up as brain fog, low energy, poor recovery, and cravings you mistake for hunger.
(And it’s also why you probably felt exhausted and your workout felt like a slog)
Want to perform better without changing anything in your program? Drink more water!
Protein: Not Just for Muscles - It's a Hormone and Brain Health Powerhouse
Everyone thinks they eat enough protein, but chances are you aren’t even close..
Trying to stay lean, build muscle, train consistently, and not feel like a train wreck between sessions…and you’re having an egg at breakfast, a ham & cheese toastie for lunch and some meat at dinner - you're barely scratching the surface on what’s required.
Protein isn’t just about muscle. It’s about function.
It helps regulate appetite (no more 3 pm munchies), supports neurotransmitter production (so your mood and focus aren’t in the toilet), balances hormones, stabilises blood sugar, and fuels repair and recovery.
Your immune system is built with protein. Your brain chemicals is built from proteins. Your ability to bounce back from hard training and not feel like roadkill the next day? Yep. Protein!
So if you’re under-eating protein and wondering why your having energy dips, your brain’s foggy, or your training isn’t going anywhere… start there.
Aim for 1.6–2.2g per kg of bodyweight per day (eg. 70kg women 112g - 154g)
Prioritise whole food sources, distribute it across your meals, and actually track it for a week so you know where you’re at. Because when you guess, I’m guessing you’re grossly underestimating what you’re having.
Aerobic Fitness: The Foundation You Didn’t Know You Needed
In the fitness industry “cardio” gets treated like a chore, an optional extra or only what endurance athletes do. But your aerobic system isn’t just about running further or faster, it’s about how well your body functions.
Aerobic fitness determines how efficiently your body delivers oxygen, clears waste, recovers between sessions, regulates stress, and fuels your brain. It builds mitochondrial density (a key factor in determining a cell's energy metabolism and overall function), helps balance your nervous system and improves sleep quality, mood, and hormone regulation.
It’s not just for runners or endurance athletes, it’s for anyone who wants to not feel like a dumpster fire when life gets hard. That includes parents chasing toddlers, busy professionals trying to think clearly at 4 pm, and weekend warriors who want to let loose on a Sunday without pulling a hamstring.
You don’t need to run marathons. But if you don’t have a solid aerobic base, you’re operating on a fragile foundation. Every stressor hits harder. Every session takes longer to recover from. Every bad sleep, skipped meal, or hard training session knocks you on your ass.
And let’s be honest, if you get breathless walking up a hill or can't recover between sets without the need to vomit, it's a sign your aerobic engine needs work.
This is the stuff that everyone glances over because it’s not flashy. But it works 100% of the time, it’s simple to implement, and once you nail it, it doesn’t just change your training — it can upgrade your entire life.
Stop chasing hacks. Build the foundation.