Welcome to the first blog post of Preston Performance! I wanted to use this post as an opportunity to introduce myself. How else are you supposed to trust an internet professional with something as sacred as your health and performance?

First off, something you might notice while following with me is my upbringing abroad. Spending my childhood in Germany, Hong Kong, and Shanghai had a pretty significant influence on how I think about our lifestyles. I was also never truly immersed in the “American Culture/Lifestyle” until I started college (if you can call college life that), which means some of my ideas go beyond the American norms I’ve noticed, especially concerning with food.

What we might have a little more in common is our involvement in athletics. Growing up, depending on the seasons, I was either playing rugby, at track and field meets, or just finding my way through the gym. Like many, I wasn’t one of the 5-7% who found a sport to play competitively in college. So, when I found myself in (1) a new culture, and (2) a lack of sports for activity, I struggled with my own health and performance. In college, I just couldn’t figure out the lifestyle that supported my personal goals. Sound familiar? Ever kill it for 4-5 months, then just get tired of the grind? It wasn’t until I started to develop my own approach to training and nutrition that I found a strategy that I enjoyed. Which meant I found a sustainable lifestyle that supported my health and performance aspirations.

But this didn’t happen out of sheer will. So what did it take? I -

1.     Graduated USC in Human Biology (their major for kinesiology)

2.     Interned as a Performance Coach at Athletic Lab

3.     Attained a Masters of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at Teachers College Columbia University

4.     Became certified as a Registered Dietitian and NSCA-Strength Coach.

So as you can see, it took time, knowledge, and experience for me to realize (1) what I’m capable of doing, and (2) how I can translate that to pursue my goals. That’s why I, and most of my fellow professionals, don’t expect you to be able to simply figure it out. And why I believe my role is to guide you towards creating sustainable habits that keep you on track.

Forget about your history of shake diets for weight loss, or cycling in and out of the gym a few times a year. We shouldn’t be in this for the short-term; instead, we want to think about the long haul. Because that’s where we benefit. And while our short-term priorities might change, and they do for everyone, we can strategize how to fit those priorities into your long-term lifestyle.

You might wonder what I mean by that. Well, take me for example. I played rugby at Columbia. This meant my priority with training and nutrition was to optimize my athletic performance for rugby. I might’ve had secondary goals regarding PRs or hypertrophy, but my sight was set on improving my play on the field. Once I graduated, however, those priorities changed. I wasn’t playing rugby anymore, and so I set my priorities towards health and aesthetics (and maybe a little bit of performance). While playing rugby, I felt I gained a few pounds I didn’t need, so set my sights on dropping a little weight and defining some muscle. Did I drastically change my lifestyle to do this? Not really. I still went to the gym, ran or cycled instead of practiced, and managed my nutrition instead of fueling up on carbs. I kept up the lifestyle that I enjoyed, I just had to tweak certain behaviors to help achieve my new priorities.

For me, the most important thing I’ve realized is how essential establishing your lifestyle is to sustain your pursuit. The specifics of your training and nutrition might change a little, but those details will always depend on your current interests and goals. As long as we develop an adherable lifestyle that supports a foundation, we can conquer whatever priorities we set. And that’s my goal with Preston Performance. I want to help you understand what lifestyle helps you achieve lifelong success in whatever priorities you set for yourself. And while the grind of training might always be hard (as it should be), crafting your performance lifestyle will only make supporting it that much easier.

So, what can you expect here?

1.     I’ll review insights into life choices and strategies that might help you develop your performance lifestyle.  

2.     I’ll discuss training principles to consider when you’re grinding in the gym to first build a foundation and then specialize for your priorities.

3.     I’ll help you understand how nutrition comes into play, whether it’s learning to balance your calories, emphasizing micronutrients, or analyzing your need for supplements.

4.     I’ll introduce you to culinary skills and recipes, which I’ve found to be a saving grace in my life. Food can be one of the most difficult things to control in our life, so when you can consistently meet your nutrition goals with meals you love, it’s amazing how easy sustaining your lifestyle becomes.

Alright, before I blabber on into a thesis, I better sign off. I’m excited to start this journey at Preston Performance and to be a part of yours. I hope you’re ready to craft the lifestyle for your performance demands.