Episode 246: Health, Habits & High Performance: How Entrepreneurs Stay on Top with Cam Harris.

Cam Harris on fixing the basics, building trust and leading health from the top

TL;DR

• Successful entrepreneurs often try to change everything at once, and it unravels within a couple of weeks.
• Cam starts every client with habits, then nutrition, training, sleep and NEAT (non-exercise activity).
• Small swaps, like walking instead of a three-minute cab ride, compound over time.
• Track progress with repeatable photos, weigh-ins, waist measurements and strength numbers.
• If Cam could get everyone to do one thing, it would be learning to cook a meal.

Introduction

Cam Harris is the founder of TRUTH Fitness, a London-based coaching business that works with entrepreneurs, business owners and senior executives. He's been in the fitness industry for about 20 years, and TRUTH Fitness is coming into its ninth year.

What I love about Cam's approach is how little of it is about the workout. We talked for a long time before training even came up. His focus is on the things people already do every day, like eating, sleeping and moving, and on doing them a little better.

Lesson 1: Don't try to change everything at once

Insight: Cam says one of the biggest mistakes he sees is that hyper-successful people try to transfer what works in business straight into their health. He spoke to a man the week before our chat who had 30 kilos to lose, ate on the go, ate out twice a week, spent a lot of time in wine bars and slept all over the place. He wanted to change everything at the same time.

That approach usually gets people a fortnight or a couple of weeks before it starts to unravel. Cam's view is that entrepreneurs are often all or nothing, so his job is to bring them into the middle. Get the basics right first, he says, then worry about protein shakes, supplements and fitness trackers.

Action: Pick one or two basics, like sleep and regular training, and get them consistent before you add anything else.

Outcome: You build a foundation that lasts longer than a two-week burst.

Lesson 2: You have to be ready to change

Insight: Cam was honest that only a small percentage of the people he talks to are ready to make changes. You can lead a horse to water, he says, but you can't make it drink. When someone is at the top of the tree in their business, they're used to being the one giving directions, so they need to be genuinely ready to listen.

TRUTH Fitness only brings on six new clients a month, and Cam's team will spend two to three hours talking with each person before even showing them a program. Part of that is making sure they'll be a good fit and will do the work.

Action: Before starting your next health goal, ask yourself honestly whether you're ready to follow a plan, not just start one.

Outcome: You start from commitment instead of hope.

Lesson 3: Flip your poor habits into better ones

Insight: Every TRUTH Fitness client starts with a customised habit list. Cam calls it habit optimisation. He gave the example of a CEO who wakes at 5am, catches the early train, grabs a croissant and a big sugary latte, then takes a cab to the office.

They don't change the early start or the train. Instead, they swap the croissant and latte for a double espresso and a bottle of sparkling water, and walk the short distance instead of taking a three-minute cab ride. Another client might be undereating protein, so their new habit is simply to eat protein with every meal. Like investing money, he says, these small changes compound over time.

Action: Write down your typical morning. Circle one habit you can flip without changing your whole routine.

Outcome: Your existing day becomes healthier without needing more time.

Lesson 4: The five pillars that matter

Insight: After habits, Cam's team works through nutrition, training, sleep and NEAT.

• Nutrition: a simple framework built around nutrient-dense foods, more protein, good fats and more green vegetables. Clients send a photo of every meal and get feedback on each one.
• Training: Cam says many people think they're training properly, but their form, weights, intensity or tempo are off.
• Sleep: he calls it one of the biggest pillars. Many of his clients drink coffee all day and drink alcohol at networking events and client lunches.
• NEAT: non-exercise activity thermogenesis, mainly steps. If you have an internal meeting, he suggests putting your AirPods in and taking the call on a walk around the park.

His quick wins for sleep are to stop caffeine by midday, cut back on alcohol, avoid drinks for an hour before bed, read and dim the lights, and keep phones and iPads out of bed. He's spoken with hundreds of people who think red wine helps them sleep. In his words, it's an old wives' tale.

Action: Tonight, finish your last coffee before midday and leave your phone outside the bedroom.

Outcome: You give yourself a better chance at a proper night's sleep.

Lesson 5: Quieten the noise and be coachable

Insight: A lot of my clients come to me saying they heard something on a podcast and now they need to do it. Cam sees the same thing. He says the answer is building trust, so people stop chasing every new idea.

One of his rules is that clients can't do any activity outside what the team tells them. He shared the story of a client who agreed to that rule, then went on holiday, had three cans of beer and agreed to a running race on the beach with his 18-year-old nephew. He tore his hamstring. Cam also called out the advice that everyone should just start running. For someone 10, 20 or 30 kilos overweight, he thinks that's a fast way to an injury.

When Cam works with a coach himself, he says he just does what they tell him, because they know what they're doing.

Action: If you're working with a coach, pick one plan and follow it for a set period before adding anything you've seen online.

Outcome: You get the results of the plan, not the results of mixing ten plans together.

Lesson 6: Track progress the same way every time

Insight: Cam's team tracks steps and sleep through a watch, plus weekly front, side and back photos. The photos help them spot changes in bloating, posture and body fat. Many of his clients sit at a computer for years and end up with neck pain, arched backs and hips out of alignment.

He says around 99% of his clients have some kind of weight loss goal, and he sees that as the gateway to everything else. The key is repeatability. Weigh in at the same time, on the same day, in the same conditions. Don't weigh yourself at 7am one week and 8pm the next. He's had clients move the scales across the bathroom and get a 2-kilo difference because the floor was uneven. For photos, stand in front of a white wall at the same time of day.

They also measure around the belly button, because reducing fat around the organs matters for long-term health, and they track strength on key lifts like the Romanian deadlift.

Action: Choose one measurement, like your waist at the belly button, and take it in the same conditions every week.

Outcome: You see real progress instead of day-to-day noise.

Lesson 7: Change the leader, change the culture

Insight: Cam has noticed a shift in who business people look up to. He believes more leaders now see their health as more important than their wealth. TRUTH Fitness even appeared at a wealth management event, and Cam's argument was simple: if you could have your money or another 20 years of living your healthiest life, he thinks almost everyone would choose the health.

He believes that when you help the boss or CEO transform their health, it flows down to their staff, their staff's partners and their kids. That's how you start to change a whole culture.

Action: If you lead a team or a family, make one healthy habit visible, like walking meetings or a proper lunch break.

Outcome: Your example gives other people permission to do the same.

Quick wins

• Swap one short cab or car trip for a walk.
• Eat protein with every meal.
• Stop caffeine by midday.
• Keep screens out of bed.
• Weigh in at the same time and in the same conditions each week.

Closing insight

I asked Cam what one thing he'd get every person in the UK to do. His answer was to learn how to cook a meal. You can exercise as much as you want, he says, but if you go home and eat chocolate and processed pizza, it won't make a difference. He sees it in his own kids. Scrambled eggs with good butter and a bit of salt keep their mood stable. A bowl of sugary cereal sends them all over the place. Teaching people what a good plate of food looks like could change everything.

Connect with Cam Harris

Find out more at TRUTH Fitness or connect with Cam on LinkedIn, where he posts every day for business owners and entrepreneurs.

Listen to the full episode

The full conversation is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, or press play at the top of this page.

Related episodes: Why Most Entrepreneurs Fail to Get Healthy, and What to Do Instead and Finding Your True Form: The Lessons From 2025