Coaches carry more weight than people realize. The hours, the decisions, the late nights, the early alarms, the pressure, the expectations. It’s not just time. It’s an emotional load. And that load gets heavier every year.

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In that grind, most coaches stop noticing what their habits are doing to them. They skip meals, grab fast carbs between meetings, crush caffeine to stay alert, fight afternoon fog, then try to sleep on a full stomach and a racing mind.

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I lived that life for over twenty years. I regret the many missed opportunities to be better for my athletes, my work, my health, and most importantly, my family.  

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And here’s the truth I see now, from my work with XA Score and thousands of readiness data points:

Most coaches are running on fumes and don’t even know it.

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What I didn’t understand then is how much clarity, calm, and energy I was leaving on the table simply because of how I fueled (and mistimed) my day. One habit would’ve changed everything for me... Fasting.

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Not as a diet. Not as a trend.

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But as a discipline that restores clarity, steadies energy, sharpens leadership, and protects longevity.

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Why Fasting Makes Sense for Coaches

Forget the internet noise. Here’s what the science actually tells us:

• Fasting reduces inflammation and gives your cells time to clear out waste.
• It stabilizes blood sugar,  meaning fewer crashes during long days. 
• It increases ketone production, which your brain uses as clean fuel for focus and decision-making.
• It improves emotional regulation, the “sideline patience” every coach needs.
• It supports better sleep by avoiding late-night digestion.
  
  

You don’t need extremes.

You don’t need 3-day water fasts.

You don’t need supplements.

You need timing.

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Even a consistent 14–20 hour window between your last meal and your first one the next day can materially improve:

• Morning clarity
• Afternoon composure
• Recovery
• Sleep
• Immune resilience
• Weight management
• Leadership presence
  
  

This is why high performers in the business world, UFC fighters, elite golfers, and even coaches are using fasting as part of their weekly rhythm.

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And in our world, no example is more relevant than Vanderbilt’s head coach, Clark Lea.

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Clark Lea’s Example: Discipline as Leadership

In an ESPN College GameDay interview, Clark Lea revealed that during the season, he fasts three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

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This isn’t about appearance. It’s about discipline, clarity, and steadiness. He describes fasting as part of taking care of himself so he can lead with presence. He sees it as a form of “shared suffering” that connects him to his players. It’s a daily reminder that he’s in the grind with them.

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And according to those around him, the results were obvious:

• Clearer mind
• Better mood
• Improved energy
• Better body composition
• More patience and steadiness
  
  

Lea turned fasting into a leadership tool. Not a diet. Not a gimmick.

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A practice.

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And for coaches, that’s the real takeaway: Fasting builds the discipline we try to teach.

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My View Today: The Edge I Never Knew I Needed

I didn’t stumble into fasting because I was chasing performance. I started because I needed a reset.

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In September 2017, at 45 years old, I began experimenting with fasting. By Thanksgiving, I had lost more than 30 pounds. But the biggest change wasn’t physical. It was how my relationship with food shifted.

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For decades I was locked into patterns I never questioned.
- I never missed breakfast.
- I thought I needed a snack before every workout.
- I ate big dinners at 9 or 10 p.m.
- And I worried, more than I realized, about when I’d eat next. Sound familiar?

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Fasting broke those patterns. My mornings got clearer. Afternoon crashes faded. My mood and patience leveled out. By the time I took the head job at Benedictine in 2018, I was 45 pounds down from my highest weight and sharper day to day than I had been in years.

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What I didn’t understand at the time, but see clearly now, is how much these simple habits amplify everything else: sleep quality, composure under stress, problem-solving, and the ability to lead people without feeling like you’re running uphill.

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And that’s the part that stings in hindsight.

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I was fasting consistently, but other habits weren’t in place. My sleep was inconsistent. My environment wasn’t set up to recover. Workouts came and went. The coaching lifestyle moved me around, and I let the job dictate too much of my health. Eventually, it caught up to me and pushed me toward the doctor’s office, and away from coaching.

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Stepping out of the profession gave me a different lens. With fasting, quality sleep, delayed caffeine, early hydration, strength training, and simple routines, I’ve rebuilt a foundation I didn’t even realize I was missing.

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And here’s the truth I wish I knew when I was in it. The margins in coaching are razor-thin.
And most of us show up worse each week because we don’t have a system that protects us.

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That’s why I’m sharing this now. It’s not as a trend, a shortcut, or a hack. It’s a lifestyle shift built to help you do more than sustain.Because coaches today face more pressure, more noise, and more public scrutiny than ever before, and you need tools that actually help you hold the line.

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Fasting is one of them. And paired with the right habits, it can materially strengthen the way you lead every day.

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(This is also why I wrote my previous article, “The Cost of Good Coaches Stepping Down,” which you can find here.)

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How Coaches Should Fast (Without the Noise)

Here’s the coaching version. Simple. Practical. Effective.

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1. Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed

If you’re asleep at 10:30, your last calories should be by at least 7:30.

Your sleep quality will jump immediately.

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2. Do NOT add calories in the morning

Coffee? Yes, but black.

Tea? Yes, but plain.

Remember, hydrate with water first and no caffeine for the first 90 minutes.

Strict zero-calorie mornings = better results.

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3. Aim for a 16–20 hour fast

Coaches adapt quickly because your mornings are so structured.

Cut late calories → push the first meal → win the day.

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4. No caffeine after 1:00 pm

Caffeine’s half-life destroys sleep if used late.

More sleep = more readiness.

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5. One long fast per week (Coach Lea model)

Dinner-to-dinner once each week is enough to reset inflammation and restore clarity.

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Your First Drill: “The Coach’s Reset Fast” (24 hours, once this week)

Tonight: Eat dinner normally. Finish by 7:00 pm.

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Tomorrow (or pick the ideal day in the next 7):

• No calories until 7:00 pm the next day.
• Hydrate early.
• Black coffee only.
• Light movement or staff meeting is fine.
• Avoid caffeine after 1:00 pm.
  
  

Break fast with: Protein + vegetables + healthy fats.

Avoid sugar or heavy carbs.

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Track: Write it down. Morning clarity (1–5), afternoon patience (1–5), sleep quality that night (1–5).

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Do this once a week for 2–3 weeks.

Then decide if it stays in your routine.

It will surprise you.

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You don’t need more time. You need timing.

Coaches spend their lives helping athletes become sharper, steadier, and more resilient. But we rarely train ourselves the same way. Fasting is one of the simplest, oldest, and most effective tools to do that — to lead from clarity, not exhaustion.

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You don’t need a new program.

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You don’t need supplements.

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You don’t need more time.

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You need timing.

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Start small. Try one fast. Feel your body and mind settle into a sharper rhythm.

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You’ll coach differently.

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You’ll lead differently.

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And you’ll carry the load with more strength and less weight.

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Closing - Winning Edge Network

If this resonated and you want to keep building these habits the same way you build players,  small reps, stacked daily, I’d like to invite you to join the Winning Edge Network.

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It’s a free space where I break down the tools and ideas coaches don’t have time to dig into. The first three emails give you the foundation: how to time your caffeine for better clarity, how to hydrate and restore minerals after sleep, and how to improve your sleep environment so you lead with a cooler mind. After that, I’ll keep sending you the simple, science-backed habits I wish I had when I was in your shoes.

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