The Foundations of High Performance – Part 2

How to Build on the Foundations and Take Your Life to the Next Level

Building on the Foundations

Welcome back! If you’ve read Part 1, you’ll know that high performance isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter, recovering better, and optimising everything that impacts your energy, mindset, and results.

In Part 1, we covered the core foundations of high performance:

• Mastering routines and habits
• Breaking self-limiting beliefs
• Structuring your environment for success
• Prioritising sleep and recovery
• Getting organised to reduce friction

Now, in Part 2, we’re moving beyond the basics into advanced strategies that help you perform at an even higher level. These are the tools Ben has used for years, not only as a coach, athlete, and entrepreneur but also to help thousands of others unlock their potential.

This is where good becomes great. Let’s get into it.

The Power of Coaching, Mentorship & External Accountability

No elite performer succeeds alone.

Ben has worked with coaches and mentors in multiple areas, from fitness and business to mental clarity and emotional well-being. His approach proves that guidance accelerates growth.

Why coaching works:

• Coaches see what you don’t. They identify blind spots and help you course-correct before mistakes become patterns.
• You shortcut the learning curve. Why struggle for years when a coach can help you make progress in months?
• Accountability keeps you moving forward. When someone is expecting progress, you show up differently.

Ben’s story: “I used to think I had to figure it all out alone. Then I hired a leadership coach, and suddenly I was making decisions with more clarity. I worked with a trauma release specialist, and patterns I didn’t even realise were holding me back started shifting. The best in the world all have coaches, so why wouldn’t you?”

Action Step: Find a coach, mentor, or accountability partner for something you want to improve, whether it’s fitness, mindset, career, or performance. Even one session can shift your trajectory.

Mental Training: Visualisation, Priming & Focus Strategies

High performers train not just their body, but their mind.

Ben uses visualisation and priming techniques to get his brain in the zone before workouts, presentations, and big decisions.

Why this works:

• Mental rehearsal primes the nervous system. Studies show visualising a task activates the same neural pathways as actually doing it.
• Confidence improves. By imagining success, you’re more likely to achieve it.
• You reduce performance anxiety. Instead of fear, your brain recognises the task as something familiar and achievable.

How to apply it:

• Before training – Close your eyes for 60 seconds. Picture yourself executing perfectly, lifting powerfully, running effortlessly.
• Before a big event – Imagine walking into the room with confidence, control, and focus.
• Daily priming – Spend 3 minutes every morning setting an intention: Who do I want to be today?

Ben’s story: “Every time I train, I spend a moment picturing the movement before I lift. The mind drives performance, so why wouldn’t I train my brain the same way I train my body?”

Action Step: Before your next workout, meeting, or challenge, take one minute to visualise success.

Mastering Nutrition for High Performance

Most people assume fueling the body is just about hitting calorie targets, but where those calories come from is just as important as how much you eat.

Think of your body like a high-performance car. 

You wouldn’t put low-grade fuel into a Ferrari and expect it to run smoothly, so why would you fuel your body with low-quality, ultra-processed food and expect to perform at your best?

Why Food Quality Matters

Every cell in your body is built from the nutrients you consume. Your hormones, energy production, brain function, and muscle recovery all depend on the quality of your diet.

The difference between nutrient-dense food and junk food:

• Junk food may match your calorie needs but lacks essential nutrients. A burger and chips may contain the same calories as a salmon and quinoa bowl, but one provides processed fats, refined carbs, and little micronutrient value, while the other gives your body anti-inflammatory omega-3s, quality protein, and fibre for digestion.
• Blood sugar stability matters. Whole, unprocessed foods help keep blood sugar stable, reducing energy crashes, mood swings, and cravings. Junk food spikes blood sugar rapidly, causing a short burst of energy followed by a crash.
• Nutrient-dense foods help your body repair itself. After an intense workout, your body needs high-quality protein to rebuild muscle tissue and anti-inflammatory compounds to speed up recovery. Ultra-processed food lacks these recovery-boosting nutrients.

Ben’s core nutrition rules:

• Hydration: 30 mL per kg of body weight daily. Filtered water + minerals (Awesome Hydrate) boosts absorption.
• Calories: Eat for your output, fuel your body, don’t deprive it.
• Protein: 1.6-2g per kg of body weight. It’s essential for recovery and performance.
• Healthy Fats: Prioritise omega-3s and monounsaturated fats (think Mediterranean diet).
• Gut Health: Aim for 30+ plant-based foods per week. It boosts digestion, energy, and immune function.

Ben’s biggest game-changer? Quitting alcohol.

“I went alcohol-free by accident. Within weeks, I was thinking sharper, recovering faster, and feeling better overall. Now, even one drink throws me off for days. I’m 14 months alcohol free now and i feel truly AWESOME, one of the best performance decisions I’ve ever made”

Action Step: For one week, track your food. Are you getting most of your calories from whole, nutrient-dense foods? If not, swap out one processed meal per day for something fresh, protein-rich, and full of micronutrients.

Managing Inflammation for Faster Recovery

Chronic inflammation is one of the biggest hidden obstacles to high performance, and most people don’t even realise it’s affecting them.

While short-term inflammation is normal (it’s how your body repairs after training), chronic inflammation is a long-term state of stress that slows recovery, impairs muscle growth, and even disrupts focus and energy.

Signs of Chronic Inflammation

• Persistent joint or muscle pain that lingers beyond normal post-workout soreness
• Brain fog: struggling to concentrate, process information, or feel mentally sharp
• Poor recovery: always feeling fatigued, even after rest days
• Frequent colds or illness: weakened immune function due to excessive stress on the body
• Digestive issues: bloating, sluggish digestion, or irregular bowel movements
• Low energy despite sleeping well: waking up tired even after 7-9 hours of sleep

Chronic inflammation isn’t just about injuries—it impacts every system in the body.

What Causes Chronic Inflammation?

• Poor sleep: if you’re sleeping less than 6 hours per night consistently, your cortisol levels remain chronically elevated, fueling inflammation.
• Ultra-processed food & refined sugar: processed seed oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and trans fats all contribute to cellular inflammation.
• Overtraining without proper recovery: pushing too hard without balancing intensity and rest leaves your nervous system in a constant fight-or-flight state.
• Mental stress & lack of relaxation: stress isn’t just psychological; it creates real inflammatory responses in the body.
• Food intolerances: many people don’t realise that certain foods trigger inflammation in their body, leading to bloating, joint pain, and brain fog.

Ben’s three-step system to combat inflammation:

Step 1: Fix Your Sleep

If you wake up tired and struggle with energy, your sleep quality, not just duration, needs improvement. 

Step 2: Identify Food Triggers

Ben suggests a trial-and-error approach to pinpoint problem foods:

• Remove a common trigger food (dairy, gluten, nightshades etc) for two weeks.
• Track your energy, digestion, and mental clarity.
• Reintroduce the food and observe changes.

If you regularly feel bloated, sluggish, or experience brain fog, your diet may be fueling inflammation without you realising it.

Step 3: Balance Intensity & Recovery

Many high performers push too hard without prioritising recovery. The best performers schedule rest just as seriously as they schedule training.

• Plan deload weeks. Scale back intensity every 4-6 weeks to allow your body to fully recover.
• Use active recovery. Mobility work, walking, and deep breathing can lower stress hormones and aid recovery.
• Reduce mental stress. If you’re constantly in a state of high alert, your body never gets a chance to heal.

Action Step: If you regularly experience brain fog, joint pain, or slow recovery, test removing one inflammatory trigger (poor sleep, processed food, or overtraining) for two weeks and track the difference.

The Best Supplements for High Performance

Supplements aren’t shortcuts, but they fill in the gaps and boost key areas of performance.

Here’s why each supplement matters and how it improves your daily function:

Awesome Strength (Creatine)

• Increases muscle power, strength, and endurance
• Enhances cognitive function and brain health
• Boosts recovery by reducing muscle breakdown

Awesome Power (Creatine + Beta-Alanine)

• All the benefits of creatine, plus beta-alanine for longer endurance and improved lactic acid buffering

Awesome Hydrate (Electrolytes)

• Keeps muscle contractions smooth, reduces cramps
• Helps absorb water more efficiently, preventing dehydration

Awesome Protein

• Provides a complete amino acid profile
• Easy on digestion, no bloating like whey

Awesome Sleep

• Enhances deep sleep quality
• Supports relaxation and recovery

Ben’s story: “Even with great sleep habits, I take Awesome Sleep, it still makes my deep sleep more effective. The data proves it.”

Action Step: Pick one supplement that matches your goal, strength, endurance, hydration, recovery, or sleep.

Final Challenge: Take the 30-Day High Performance Test

The challenge: Commit to two or three strategies for 30 days, track progress and adjust as needed.

Share your journey using #highperformance and tag @awesomesupplements

Ready to step up? Let’s go.