The FitSpan Principles

These are the non-negotiables. When in doubt, return here.

1. Biology Wins. Every Time.

You can negotiate with your calendar, your boss, your responsibilities — but not your physiology.
Action: Prioritize sleep, movement, nourishment, and recovery before optimization.

2. Capacity > Intensity.

Your long-term adventure capacity matters more than any short-term PR.
Action: Train in ways you can repeat next week, next year, next decade.

3. Play Is Fuel.

Joy restores systems that discipline alone can’t touch.
Action: Schedule one playful activity per week that has nothing to do with metrics.

4. Identity Drives Behavior.

When you see yourself as an athlete, your daily choices line up automatically.
Action: Choose one identity-aligned habit you can perform daily (walk, water, warm-up, lift, breathe).

5. Precision Beats Volume.

More reps won’t fix poor strategy.
Action: Focus on better movement, better recovery, better load, not more.

6. Recovery Is a Performance Tool.

Not a luxury. Not optional.
Action: Insert one recovery ritual (breath, sauna, mobility, yoga, nature) into your daily or weekly rhythm.

7. Your Nervous System Sets the Floor.

If the governor is fried, everything collapses.
Action: When HRV, mood, or energy tank → adjust load, don’t push through.

8. Measurement Creates Mastery.

Data is a compass, not a crutch.
Action: Pick 2–3 metrics (sleep, HRV, steps, lifts, zone 2 minutes) and review weekly.

9. Your Future Depends on Today’s Choices.

You protect or narrow your 70-year-old options with every training block.
Action: Ask daily: Will this expand or limit what I can do in future decades?

10. Small Deposits Compound.

Your long-term fitness is built in micro-moments, not heroic sprints.
Action: When in doubt, do the 10-minute version.