Could your healthy lifestyle actually be making you tired? The answer is yes.

As humans, we absorb a lot of misinformation about healthy diet and behavior.

Endurance athletes are especially vulnerable, because we really do need excellent nutrition and exercise habits in order to reach our goals. But a lot of conventional wisdom about healthy lifestyle is actually wrong.

And let's be honest. How healthy do we actually need to be anyway to reach our goals? Do we have to be perfect? Of course not — even though we're bombarded with this message from advertisers and fellow athletes.

So in today's podcast episode, we'll talk about five ways your healthy lifestyle might be wearing you out, and how you can correct these missteps.

Ready? Let's do this.

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In this episode, you’ll learn …

• Why endurance athletes are uniquely vulnerable to perfectionist fantasies about healthy lifestyle. The importance of following a "good enough" approach to health, exercise, and nutrition.

• Underfueling pitfalls. What happens when you don't eat enough during endurance training. Why you are probably underestimating your fuel needs. A simple strategy for ensuring you eat enough every day.

• The importance of a carb-centered diet. Carb myths you can ignore. Why your brain and body actually need healthy carbs. Differences in American and Kenyan athletes' attitudes toward high-carb foods.

• All about complete proteins. Why plant-based athletes need to eat a variety of foods. Some examples of food combinations that form complete proteins.

• Overtraining traps. Why sometimes in endurance training, less exercise is more. The importance of balancing work and rest. How emotions and stress impact recovery.

• How adhering too perfectly to a healthy lifestyle can backfire. The key connection between perfectionism, emotions, and health. Ways to set yourself up for success.