Can High Performance Be Easy?

British Paralympian Stef Reid competing at the National Championships in women’s long jump

Sometimes, “High Performance” and “Easy” belong in the same sentence.

It’s been a struggle all winter for me to get on my turbo trainer. Every day, I would procrastinate and come up with sad excuses, like “It’s too cold”.

I told myself I should be tougher. All I had to do was walk 6 metres from my front door to my garage. I didn’t have to worry about rain or wind on my turbo. Meanwhile loads of cyclists were on the road braving the winter elements.

And sure, I could force myself to be tough.

OR….

I could move my turbo trainer into my dining room, where it is lovely and warm and light and there is a solid Wi-Fi connection where I can watch or listen to whatever I want during the workout.

I admit, it is a bit of an eyesore at dinner parties.

But there is no more procrastination because now I can’t wait to hop on it!

Making the work easier is an excellent high performance strategy.

If I was planning to complete a triathlon in the winter, then yes, I would need to get my butt out into the cold.

But I’m not.

My cycling goals are about fitness and stress release, and I can accomplish that just as effectively in a luxurious environment.

And actually, my numbers have never been better! I have Reynaud’s and my body responds really well to heat. It’s been back to back personal bests!

It's counterintuitive, and it took almost my entire professional athletics career to understand why easy can be an effective high performance strategy:

Consistency always comes before excellence.