Why High Performers Fail at Health – and What They Need to Fix First

Listen to the 55 minute podcast here

In this week’s podcast episode, I sat down with Dr Matt le Roux — a certified health clinician, chiropractor, and functional medicine practitioner with over 20 years of experience. He works with everyday people, top-tier executives, and elite athletes across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and high-performance sports environments.

His message is blunt: most people are running their lives on borrowed time, and the biggest lies we tell ourselves are costing us our energy, clarity, and long-term performance.

The Lie: “I can outwork an unhealthy lifestyle.”

Dr le Roux sees this constantly. Business leaders believe they can cut sleep, skip meals, rely on coffee, and “make up for it later”. They treat their bodies like balance sheets — trim from one side, add to another.

It doesn’t work.

This mindset creates:

• Brain fog

• Poor focus

• Impulsive decision-making

• Stress overload

• Blood sugar swings

• Chronic fatigue

  
  

As Dr le Roux puts it: you can’t out-exercise or out-supplement bad habits.

Sleep: The Swiss Army Knife of Health

According to Dr le Roux (and leading sleep researcher Dr Matthew Walker), sleep is the single biggest difference between elite performers and people constantly putting out fires.

Most people think they perform fine on 4–5 hours. They’re wrong. The next morning brings elevated cortisol, stress, erratic blood sugar, and a foggy brain.

And the real killer? Inconsistent sleep times.Sleeping at random hours creates the same disruption as jet lag. Six out of seven days should have the same sleep and wake time to keep the brain’s rhythm stable.

Why Leaders Struggle More

Poor sleep and chronic stress directly affect the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain responsible for decision-making, creativity, emotional regulation, and focus.

The result:

• Snapping at staff

• Poor strategic decisions

• No creative output

• Reactivity instead of leadership

Your brain needs downtime. There’s a reason humans evolved with clear wake–sleep cycles.

The 2:30 Crash: Not Normal

If you're hitting the wall mid-afternoon and reaching for caffeine or energy drinks, it’s a sign of:

• Disrupted sleep cycles

• Poor stress regulation

• Bad blood-glucose control

Most people grab quick, processed carbs for convenience, then crash. Dr le Roux notes this is common, but not normal.

Stabilising blood sugar with planned meals, protein, and healthy fats immediately reduces that crash.

The Bottom Line

High performers — athletes or executives — invest heavily in recovery. LeBron James reportedly spends millions each year on it. Not for luxury, but because recovery is performance.

For everyone else, the starting point is simple:

1. Sleep consistently

2. Move daily

3. Eat properly

4. Manage stress before it manages you

It’s free, foundational, and the fastest way to improve brain function, energy, clarity, and long-term health.

To get in touch with Dr. Matt le Roux, visit https://www.mattleroux.com/