The first key to the Spartan lifestyle is keeping to the big picture.

The first key to the Spartan lifestyle is keeping to the big picture. It’s not healthy to get too focused on any one aspect of your life. If you do, it will almost inevitably be to the detriment of others. Healthy foods, healthy attitude, healthy relationships, healthy mind, and healthy body together define a complete Spartan lifestyle—the Spartan code in action.

We want to be popular, good at sports, make good grades, receive parental approval. But we don’t necessarily know how to achieve that. The answer to all of these desires generally comes down to work harder. Practice more hours, study more hours, put more effort into changing your habits.

It’s not normal in our society to go out for a run on a Sunday morning and push yourself to the point where the pain is etched into your face. Similarly, it’s not normal for a business executive to wake up every morning and knock out one hundred burpees. It’s not normal, that is, unless you are getting in shape for a special event, or unless you are training for some specific goal.

Spartan Up!: A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life