Staying focussed and adjusting goals while working on the frontline during COVID * Simon Ward and Dr. James Risley

My guest today is Dr. James Risley a consultant in emergency medicine at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

James and I have been working together for almost 7 years and it's been an interesting journey, which I hope that we can outline today. Initially, James came to me with ambitious goals (as most triathletes do), centred around Ironman and mostly focussed on training. In the intervening period, we've worked together to adjust this approach to one which focusses on achieving a better lifestyle balance and optimal human performance. As you will hear, James' life is no different from that of most of you, filled with daily challenges from many different quarters.  The goal has been to find a sweet spot. It's not been a linear journey, he’s concentrated on the long-term goals rather than short-term gains and he’s been very successful on this journey.

Some of the topics covered include:

• How the Oura ring has helped James to understand sleep requirements, and how life stresses influence overall recovery 
• Finding a sustainable approach to everything - love, work, nutrition, training
• Learning to ignore the outcome and trust the process
• Why getting to the start line is the big win
• The real benefits of studying for an MBA
• Lessons from working on the front-line during COVID - Adapting expectations, stress management, thinking clearly under pressure
• Daily habits and rituals 
• Being the best you can be every day

Some of the other elements that we discussed include

The Oura ring - Track your sleep, readiness & activity 

The Dunning Kruger effect - check out this article to understand the theory

 

Books mentioned in the show

Driven - Douglas Brackmann

Sleep - Nick Littlehales

 

James' Book Recommendations

Chimp Paradox - Dr. Steve Peters

Primal Endurance - Escape the ‘Chronic Cardio training approach' - Mark Sisson & Brad Kearns

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Visit Simon's website for more information about his coaching programmes.  Links to all of Simon's social media channels can be found here.  For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.