As I continue to write about my research and the path one must follow in order to become the very best in the world of sport, in particular ski racing, it is important to also take a step back and look at our own lives. Since most of us will never be standing at the top of a race course hoping to win the World Cup slalom title or standing on the base line trying to win the US Open Tennis Championship, how do we make the champions approach to sport work in our lives?

For the champion ski racer, maintaining a strong and healthy body is required to have any chance at success. Further, for the athlete it is not only a strong and healthy body, but a level of fitness that is discipline specific. A downhill ski racer needs to be able to hold a tuck and manage high levels of speed, while a slalom racer is upright and needs quickness from foot to foot.

The rest of us, who are not elite ski racers also need a base level of fitness. We need to wake up every day with the energy to live life and complete the workday to the best of our ability. We need a base level of fitness to give us the best chance for a long and healthy life. Then if we play weekend sport such as pickup basketball, golf, skiing or participate in activities like bike riding and hiking we also need a more specific level of fitness. Or if we have knee osteo-arthritis we need a program that keeps us moving and healthy without causing unbearable pain.

The approach taken by the very best ski racers in the world, to get to the very top in their sport can also help the rest of us to achieve a goal in life. Champion ski racers work to control every variable that can be controlled and they know that the primary pillar for consistent success and winning is a strong and healthy body. The science behind regular exercise and a healthy diet is unequivocal – Regular exercise followed by a healthy and balanced diet are the critical components for an active and long life. A strong and healthy body makes it possible for elite athletes to win on the playing fields, courts and slopes and a strong and healthy body gives the rest of us the opportunity to succeed and win at life.

When are you going to start living “The Champion’s Way”?