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The best habits aren’t about optimization. They’re about sustainability, resilience and showing up as the healthiest, happiest version of you

Last year, I shared 9 Habits to help you better succeed in business, life and relationships, and many of you wrote to tell me how small shifts completely changed your energy, focus and confidence. This year, I’m taking it a step further.

In 2026, the goal isn’t nonstop improvement. It’s building sustainability, resilience and a healthier, happier, more productive you. Over the past year, I’ve deepened many of these routines and noticed more energy, strength and joy.

At 49, I’m the healthiest and fittest I’ve ever been, and that says a lot coming from someone who used to race triathlons and Ironman.

1. Strength-train four times per week

Muscle is longevity currency. It supports your metabolism, hormones and confidence. As we age, resistance training is the single most effective way to stay strong, mobile and injury-free. Muscle also keeps your metabolism active, your hormones balanced, and your body resilient as you age.

You can get started on an app such as Peloton or Ladder, or if you have the means, invest in a trainer who fits your goals and lifestyle. Schedule your strength training the way you schedule important calls: non-negotiable.

2. Go Zone 5 heart rate once per week

Dr. Stacy Sims calls high-intensity training “brain fertilizer.” Pushing into Zone 5 (that super hard exertion effort that makes you breathless) improves cognition, bone density and mitochondrial function.

It teaches your body and mind to handle stress, including the stress that we as founders and leaders face daily. Sprint run, bike, ski-erg, or swing a kettlebell — just hit that threshold at least once per week. (Spoiler: You feel amazing afterwards.)

3. Walk 30 minutes every day

Over 50% of adults in America spend about 9.5 hours per day sitting, and roughly 25% report no leisure-time physical activity outside their jobs. Walking is the most underrated productivity tool there is. It supports creativity, clears your mind, improves digestion, circulation and overall mood.

Many of my best ideas happen mid-walk, not mid-meeting. Swap one Zoom for a walking meeting or pace while on calls. In their recent book, Built To Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully, Kelly and Juliet Starrett explain: “Walking gets everything flowing in our body. It’s how we nourish all our tissues, how we decongest, how we stimulate the body to release waste.”

4. Protect your sleep like revenue

Sleep is the original performance enhancer. Seven to eight hours nightly fuels decision-making, emotional regulation and productivity. If you skip quality sleep, you’re essentially showing up jet-lagged to your work, your family and your health. Build a down-regulating evening routine and treat bedtime like a standing appointment with your future self.

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Great Habits

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