Have you ever found a hack that made something in your life so much easier?
I remember making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a kid and using a paper towel to wipe off the knife before shoving It in the jelly jar. Then one day my grandmother showed me that she wipes off the knife on the other piece of bread.
Now that is a hack that changed my sandwich making for the rest of my life. Thinking of that, I haven’t had a good PB&J in quite some time.
These types of hacks are great. They save time, energy, and resources.
Other hacks that are coming up all over the place are the bio hacks to improve your overall health, function, and longevity.
Things like:
-Cold plunges
-Sauna/Steam
-Fasted cardio
-Enemas
-Microdosing
-Meditation
This is just a short list to name a few, but for the most part (depending on the results) SOME of these things can find a way of helping you in your life. Although I don’t have many of my clients performing enemas on a weekly basis.
SO WHAT’S THE DEAL?
The deal is that hacks are NOT always going to be the right way to go. A hack can be beneficial like the PB&J trick or improving your body’s ability to acclimate to cold temperatures using ice baths. But are they always a positive thing?
The first idea that pops into my head are the people looking for the newest “hack” on how to get fit and healthy. Some people even buy products that guarantee them some success.
-Diet pills
-No fat diets
-Crazy cardio plans
What I am trying to drill home is there are no “hacks” around getting in better shape.
BUT the closest thing I have to hacks are the things that will help you out get there the right way.
#1: Drop the HACK mentality
Step one is getting yourself in the right mentality. There is no need to think about the fast track or the next new thing to get you there. All you need to focus on is the task at hand, know It’s going to take effort/consistency, and know that shortcuts aren’t going to make the process any easier.
Once you get yourself in the right mindset things become a lot easier. There is nothing worse than doing work toward a goal but always thinking that there is a better way to do things. You will never be fully committed and leave so much potential on the table.
#2: Get Your Health In Check
Most of us have a goal of looking better or feeling better. Whichever you lean towards will not make a difference in this case.
Your body will function better and get better results when you are in a healthier state. What does that mean—>
-Drinking enough water
-Sleeping 7-9 hours per night
-Eating quality foods (proteins, vegetables, fruits)
-Managing your stress
-Moving your body everyday
Even just getting these things in line you will be closer to your goal than you would have ever been using fitness hacks to move the needle.
Your health is the key thing we want to focus on. Not much matters if you are not healthy enough to enjoy It.
#3: Work HARD
The time you spend on yourself is time dedicated to seeing change as a result of that work. SO, we need to work hard during those times. Why waste that time? It makes the process just that much longer.
You should push yourself to find your limits. Train hard to see progress in areas that need work. Now working hard does not mean we avoid working smart. Making sure our workout plan is set in a way that we are doing effective work in an efficient way.
Peeling an apple with your fingers is hard. If only you had a tool that would make things so much more efficient. See where I am going with this, HARD WORK done SMART is a recipe for success.
Now, let’s tie this in to what we have already talked about. You can push yourself hard because your health is on point. When all those things we discussed in #2 are in check, you will have more energy, less stress, and recover optimally from the hard work you put in. Other ways we can ensure we work hard:
-Knowing when we may be pushing too hard
-Doing things we enjoy
-Eliminating distractions (phone, email, T.V.) during your training sessions
Now those are my main hacks that I need to get some detail on. Here are few more to help along the way:
-Eat mainly whole foods
-Limit drinking your calories
-Strength and muscle are not the only factors to focus on
-Your recovery will have a bigger impact on your results than you may realize
-Consistency is king
-Eliminating a nutrient (carbs, fat, proteins) is not always the answer
-How you FEEL has a strong correlation to your progress
-Low intensity cardio may be more beneficial to you than high intensity cardio
