Outside of specific personal goals, most people that come to be are looking to feel better, improve their body, and be as healthy as possible.
So, what are the things that we need to prioritize to get to a point where we are happy with these goals?
I want to lay out my top 5 things I like to prioritize to get to a point where we are proud and excited with the work we have done.
#1: Be as strong as you can without pain
I see minimal to no downfalls to being a stronger version of yourself. And no, getting stronger does not necessarily mean you are going to be gaining A TON of muscle.
But being able to improve your body’s ability to handle load in just about every area WILL be a positive.
With that, strength should not come with pain. Having back pain is not a good byproduct of improving strength. Strength has to be strategic and safe.
Don’t push past your limits
Improve your overall work capacity
Focus on your weaknesses
Fix your Imbalances
Take your ego out of It
Good quality movement is key
#2: Fuel Your Body Correctly
This is a wide range because we get fuel from a lot of different things, but the first thing we think of is food (as It should be).
For the broad aspect of this article, the best thing I have found for most people is to eat whole foods ONLY throughout the day. These are foods without an ingredient list (eggs, meat, potatoes, rice, veggies, fruit).
No added crap, no manufacturer (to a point), cleaner food. There is still variety with this style of eating but It allows your body to function at Its highest level. And you may not be entering an ironman anytime soon but there are not many downfalls to having your body function at Its absolute best.
Along with your food, what about other things such as water, salt, supplements?
If you aren’t tracking your water, give It a shot. Whatever you are drinking right now, add more. Yes, you are going to pee more, It’s okay.
Now, with your whole food diet, we need more salt to make sure your body can keep performing at its best even when you work hard. So do not be afraid to salt your meals. Sea salt and iodized salt are both great options with different benefits.
Supplements are tough because I do not know you and what you need. For me, I have been on magnesium and vitamin D and see HUGE advantages to those. Some people have great results with mushroom based supplements or collagen or cod liver oils.
I would discuss with a doctor first and then begin on some supplements. Find out what you are deficient in and attack those areas first. Remember our goal is to optimize the function of our body!
#3: Sleep like you’re hibernating
If you don’t sleep 7-9 hours per night,
Wake up more than once per night,
Don’t fall asleep within 20 minutes of being in bed,
Don’t feel rested,
Then It’s time to focus on your damn sleep.
Create a good environment for you to sleep straight through the night and look forward to getting to bed every night.
Cool/cold room
Dark as hell
Don’t look at a screen while you’re in bed
Dim the lights and cut back the screen time before bed
No food before bed
Take It seriously, It has more impact than just your fitness level. We all have heard these things so many times but most people I talk with still sleep like shit, so why aren’t things changing?
#4: Change Your Mentality
There is nothing more important than your overall health.
A lot of times we will sacrifice our health to “look” a certain way. If I can just drop another 5lbs by not eating this week I will achieve my dream body!
This is NOT the mentality.
Your health is your longevity and It’s also going to shape how you feel. We want to be on this earth as long as possible, but we also want to function well during that time!
We talked about this last week so I am going to keep this section short, but know, health is always first.
#5: Move Every Single Day
If there is something you could add to your daily life right this second it should be some sort of movement.
Whether walking, hiking, cleaning, yard-work, playing with your kids, playing with your pets, whatever It is, do it every single day.
Movement is one thing that can give you so much more back than the effort It requires to get It done. You aren’t just going to be burning calories.
You will be:
Increasing blood flow
Adding more steps
Staying more active
Increasing your available energy
Activating brain function
Getting sunlight (in most cases)
Improving recovery
A good measure I use with a lot of people is to aim for 8-10k steps everyday. Now you might have a very active day and get those 8-10k steps in easily. For most of us, It is going to take some effort to get to that point.
We are going to have to be conscious of how much we move on any given day. If we still can’t get there It might be time to add in a walk or get a walking pad for while you work. You can even drink more water so you have to get up and pee more!
These 5 things are not complex, they aren’t “the new thing”, but they work better than most. The hard part is getting yourself to actually do It. We will find time and energy to do the things we find important, so if you find your health and your goals important, you will do the things that will benefit them.
In good health,
Jeff
