There’s an epidemic in the health and fitness space of worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter.
- Can I drink coffee within 30 mins of waking up?
- How many reps in reserve is best?
- Should cold plunge every morning or sauna every evening?
- How do I isolate the lateral head of the triceps?
- How do I get sunlight when I wake up when there isn’t sunlight when I wake up?
Minutiae in the health & fitness industry is a big problem as it distracts from what really moves the needle and gets results.
As for who’s responsible, you can thank Greed & his wingman, Ego.
You can only package & sell the fundamentals of fat loss or building muscle so many times. Eventually you gotta “expand it” and make a jazzy 2.0 version.
So you work in a collection of supplements, magic exercises and devices, and “cutting edge methods” that have worked for absolutely nobody not on the payroll or without some secret sauce. Or to be charitable, aren’t sustainable or worth the effort to 99% of the population.
As for ego, the fundamentals mentioned earlier are all very simple. They can seem almost trivial, especially to intelligent, high-functioning people.
So when a smart, successful person can’t follow a simple plan that requires just a little planning & discipline, it can be a real shot to their self-esteem.
In defense, they assume the plan was the problem, not their lack of willpower. They didn’t have the “best” information or the up-to-date methodology.
However, the end result is the same: another failure.
But even though minutiae isn’t a new problem, it seems to get worse every year. And it’s at an all-time high.
I hit my tipping point when a guy sent his daily schedule of 20+ trivial to-dos, including a morning cold plunge and reviewing his mission statement, and then asked for my thoughts?
“Meh. Consistent diet, training and sleep is what works. Focus on that,” I said.
A polite way of saying “none of the bullshit on your dorky schedule is going to get you bigger, stronger, leaner, and I doubt even healthier.”
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A personal example.
This time last year I spent way more time in hospital rooms than lifting weights or counting macros.
Two family members had gotten sick and were admitted to ICU.
The good news is they both miraculously survived. The bad news is what happened to my lifestyle.
Morning cardio, then working, then lifting, then meal-prepping became eat what I can, sleep when I collapse, and take care of clients on hospital wi-fi.
At least I avoided alcohol, somehow.
Yet afterwards, I felt disappointed in myself.
“I should’ve been better. If I can’t maintain my routine when life gets real-life-stressful, then what’s the point?”
Then I reframed things.
I may have failed at sticking to my diet or lifting or even sleeping, but I was effective when it mattered. I was there for crucial conversations and made good decisions.
I also didn’t add to the problem by falling apart emotionally or physically or become a self-destructive liability.
So I met the challenge and when the smoke cleared I resumed my normal routine, no worse for wear.
I was able to keep the boat afloat through very dangerous waters.
And that’s a REAL sign of a healthy lifestyle.
It’s not checking a bunch of silly lifestyle boxes that accomplish nothing except impress strangers online.
It’s about becoming healthy and strong, physically and mentally, so you may operate at a high level in good times but especially in bad.
Because life WILL test you. Do the things you make a priority every day make you better, stronger, and more resilient in the real world?
Or are you just keeping busy, determining “optimum” deck chair placement on the Titanic?
If you’re the least bit unsure then change course now.
The sky is dark and the sea is cold. And your iceberg is waiting for you.
It’s not a matter of IF you hit it, but WHEN.
Coach Bryan