The Two Metrics That Drive My Decisions

If you’ve been a client of mine in my Bespoke Coaching Program what I’m about to tell you will be no surprise. 

There are two metrics that I track religiously (I encourage my clients to do the same to ensure they are training to get the best results) and If you track them you’d make much better progress too. 

This morning I woke up after a long run and I was “feeling” tired and a bit sore. 

As a side note…yesterday wasn’t the longest I’ve done…but it was my son’s longest run so far and it was so great to experience another 1st with him!

He’s now gone from never running to cranking out miles most people never get to. 

It’s rewarding as a dad to see his progress and to get to be there to witness it first hand. 

Routines

Back to this morning. 

Upon waking I generally go through the same morning routine. 

I do the routine not because I’m a religious “this routine will change your life” guy. 

I do the routine because routine trains my nervous system to respond how I want. 

The routine primes me. 

I don’t make any decisions until I’ve completed the basics and warmed up for the day. 

By the way - this is the same mantra that I tell my athletes and use when I’m working out…just start. Warm up. Then make decisions on what adjustments need to be made. 

When I got up I logged two metrics into my custom EVOLVE Readiness tracker. 

These two metrics bypass “feeling” and work as two objective measures, two ways of seeing inside my body in a way that a feeling can’t. 

Once logged I know what’s going on with my body and I can make decisions for the day. 

One metric lets me know if I’m in a state of overall physiological recovery and the other tells me whether or not my nervous system is prepped and ready to go. 

Two metrics tracked.

That’s it.

Daily. 

Simple.

Obsessing About Infinite Games

I’m religious, maybe even a bit obsessive about tracking these two metrics because my number one goal is to stay healthy and stay in the game. 

The idea goes back to something James P. Carse talks about when describing game theory. 

In life we play finite games and infinite games. 

If you haven’t studied Carse’s work let me give you a quick run down.

Finite games are short and have a set of rules.

They have timelines and are completed within that time set. 

Playing basketball, soccer, or rugby are examples of finite games. 

The players all know and abide by the rules and the timelines and, in the end there is a winner and a loser. 

Infinite games, on the other hand, don't necessarily have winners and losers.

Infinite games have rules and parameters like finite games, but the biggest goal in an infinite game is to stay in the game. 

Live to fight another day. 

That’s what health and fitness really is. 

Most people fail in the health and fitness game because they think of it as a finite game. 

“I’m on a diet to lose weight in the next X months!” 

Finite game. 

But, true health, true fitness is an infinite game. 

And, like all infinite games the goal is to stay in the game. 

My goal, in my infinite game, is to stay in the game by staying healthy. 

So, when I wake up I track these two metrics and adjust what I do because I can’t afford to get sick or sidelined by bad decisions. 

Interestingly enough the infinite game concept plays into the two most powerful forces in the universe - love and compound interest. 

More on that in another blog post. 

Adjustments and Changes

The metrics educate my decisions. 

If my overall physiological stress levels are high, medium or low I adapt accordingly. 

This could mean that I take an unplanned rest day if I’m in the red (overstressed/overreaching).

Or, I could just scale back volume or intensity if I’m in a mild or moderate response.

The same is true for my nervous system tracker. 

If I’m showing deep fatigue or central nervous system breakdown I may use that day as a full recovery or skill development day. 

If the load is moderate then I may go through my scheduled plan and just try to hit the same weight, sets and reps I did last time - no progression. 

Despite how I “felt” when I woke up today, the numbers are telling me that it’s going to be an intense training day. 

Objective vs Subjective

Tracking these two metrics ensures that I have objective measures that dictate the majority of what I do. 

This doesn’t mean I’m a robot and don’t take into account my drive, motivation and mental readiness. 

The subjective measures are important, but I’ve found they play less of a role in my and my clients success than the objective measures…especially in a world where we can change, dull or ignore uncomfortable thoughts and feelings just by grabbing our phones and distracting ourselves. 

The objective measures are key to long term success and they represent amongst my clients a sort of “if you know you know” idea. 

If you are interested in learning more about how I coach my bespoke clients and have been thinking it’s time to really learn how to evolve let’s talk. 

Going into 2026 I’ve streamlined some of my processes and have room to take on 3 new clients in January. 

I know what you’re thinking - “nice marketing tactic Steve - create scarcity by saying you can only take on 3.”

But it is actually the case…I only take on a few clients at a time because of how intricate the process is in getting you the results you want. 

You work directly with me while my team is working behind the scenes on everything else you need to get results. 

And that means 100% bespoke customization of your program. 

Your nutrition, your workouts, your overall plan are designed for you and your body…not someone else's. 

I teach you how to use objective and subjective measurements to adapt daily to get results. 

You may be like my client Ryan, a business owner, who recently said “It just dawned on me that since we have been working together I haven’t gotten sick! Not once in the past year!”

“Yes, I’m leaner and stronger, but I just don’t get sick anymore!”

“I don’t miss work because I’m under the weather and I can get so much more done.”

So - if you’re ready to make a change let’s chat. 

There is no obligation to do a Bottleneck Discovery Call. 

At worst you walk away knowing exactly where your current bottleneck is. 

At best we work together and get you in the best shape of your life. 

If you’re ready to go respond back to this post or click HERE to pick a time to talk. 

Until next time - Keep Rolling!