business
‘Peak Performance’
JUDY GREENWALD
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Brad Stulberg
P
eople are conditioned to
want to give their best, no
matter what the endeavor.
Peak Performance (Rodale), a new
book written by Michigan native
Brad Stulberg, is a study in what
drives us to excel in whatever
task we undertake. The book was
released June 6, and the reviews
are extolling the book’s ground-
breaking ideas.
Stulberg, 30, a graduate of
North Farmington High School
who attended Temple Israel’s
religious school, moved from Ann
Arbor five years ago and now lives
in Oakland, Calif., with his wife,
Caitlin. A University of Michigan
graduate, he has worked as a
consultant for leading global firm
McKinsey & Co. and helped in the
development of President Barack
Obama’s health-care initiative.
Stulberg, an athlete and run-
ning enthusiast, is a columnist for
New York and Outside magazines
and has also written for Forbes,
NPR, the Los Angeles Times and
Runner’s World. He and co-author
Steve Magness, a performance
scientist and Olympic athletic
coach, wrote this book to help
individuals achieve their personal
best in a sustainable and healthy
manner, using the concept of per-
formance science.
“For us, performance science is
the study of what leads to excep-
tional performance,” Stulberg
explained. “In writing the book,
we found that regardless of the
task at hand, a few common prac-
tices drive performance.
“Whether someone is trying to
qualify for the Olympics, break
ground in mathematical theory
or craft an artistic masterpiece,
many of the practices that lead to
great success are the same — and
are accessible to anyone. We call
this the growth equation: Stress
plus rest equals growth, which
means the universal way to grow
is to challenge yourself and then
allow for rest and recovery.
“The pressure to perform is so
high these days that far too many
people are engaging in unethical,
unhealthy practices or completely
burning themselves out. My co-
author and I wanted to show
folks there’s a better way.”
The book, a culmination of sev-
eral years of research and report-
ing, combines inspiring stories
of outstanding performance in
athletic, artistic and intellectual
pursuits from such diverse people
We are an in-home service provider for the elderly, ill and disabled.
We assist with personal care, home making and more up to 24 hours.
We are insured and bonded.
Call 248-262-7111 or 313-272-1222
4PVUIåFME3E 4UFt4PVUIåFME.*
XXXITITTMMDPSHtITITT!BUUOFU
as Taylor Swift’s drummer Matt
Billingslea, fastest-ever distance
runner Deena Kastor, distin-
guished Mayo Clinic researcher
Michael Joyner, chess prodigy
Josh Waitzkin and five-time
Olympian Bernard Lagat.
Each of the three sections
in the book outlines the con-
cepts developed by Stulberg
and Magness: first, the “Growth
Equation,” which explains the
importance of balancing stress
and rest to promote growth; sec-
ond, “Priming,” which details how
you can optimize your routine
and ready yourself for the task
at hand; and “Purpose,” which
involves moving past the “self ” to
fully achieve your goals.
The book has been garner-
ing praise from many critics,
including businesswoman and
columnist Arianna Huffington,
former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo
and New York Times bestselling
authors Kelly McGonigal, David
Epstein and Adam Grant.
Stulberg said he and Magness
will soon begin a monthlong
national book tour that will
take him to such places as Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Houston,
Scottsdale (Ariz.), Boston and
New York, in addition to his
hometown, Detroit.
Stulberg has enjoyed speak-
ing at his former high school,
as well as at U-M’s School of
Public Health, and said he’ll be in
Michigan at Thanksgiving time
and is looking forward to once
again participating in similar
local events, which may include
Detroit’s Jewish Book Fair.
A busy schedule presents no
problem for this active young
man — he loves climbing and
also competed for the United
States in the World Duathalon in
Spain. Stulberg describes himself
and his wife as “total running
nerds” who enjoy being outdoors.
“I love pushing myself physi-
cally, and my wife is also an
avid hiker and runner,” he said.
“I think that in addition to the
beauty of being in nature and the
growth that comes from setting
out to achieve something with
your body as your only tool, a
huge benefit of endurance sports
is that they teach you to be com-
fortable with being uncomfort-
able.”
However, a very familiar Jewish
concept is also important when
it comes to another aspect of the
growth equation — the idea of
Sabbath rest.
“I think lots of people get the
‘stress’ component of the growth
equation correct; but then don’t
make time for the ‘rest’ part,”
he said. “I think the notion of a
Sabbath — a day where we dis-
connect from our work and the
technologies that bind us to it
— is very conducive to long-term
performance.” •
Find more information at amazon.com/
Peak-Performance-Advantage-Science-
Success/dp/162336793X or www.
peakperformancebook.net. Visit Stulberg’s
website at www.bradstulberg.com.
THE $ 20 BLOWOUT
6 days a week
Length, volume, texture, curling iron, or flat iron can add additional cost.
Selected Stylists only. Mention this ad for offer.
6219 Orchard Lake Rd. (Inside the Sugar Tree Plaza)
8&45#-00.'*&-%t 248.539.1234
Visit www.dallevas.com for our Monthly Promotions!
jn
June 22 • 2017
2158810
New book
shows us
how to
achieve.
43