Don’t get lost in the weeds
Keep things simple.
It’s time for another blog! I have had such wonderful feedback from some of you on the more rambly type of personal blogs I have been writing recently, so I thought I’d continue on. This month I want to discuss the idea of keeping things simple and not getting lost in the weeds. We are all almost constantly bombarded with information on how to live our best lives. Whether it is what life changing supplement to take or which completely revolutionary exercise program to do… There is an insane amount of information out there. For the vast majority of us, including myself, too much information sometimes causes me to feel paralyzed in the good old paradox of choice. “Should I take creatine to boost my energy?” “Am I okay to drink regular electrolytes or should mine contain carbs?” “Is 100 g of protein enough for me?” “Should I do more pilates?” “What is the perfect amount of cardio to do in a week to maintain my speed uphill?” “Is coffee evil?”
Move more, eat less or healthier and prioritize sleep.
As a PT, I love learning new things about the body and how to make it as resilient as possible. However, what I often find is we get so tangled up in the fine details of health that we sometimes miss the bigger picture. If you are someone who wants to get more fit but you barely exercise, don’t eat great, and get poor sleep- I would start with just walking more, swapping out some starches for vegetables and working on a better nighttime routine. I wouldn’t worry about any particular diets or workout plans. Just moving more, eating less or healthier and really prioritizing sleep will be a great place to start.
As humans, we love to get bogged down in the details. When things are complicated, it gives us an excuse to not do them :) Like “I would love to get more fit, but it’s so confusing what I should be doing”. “I would eat healthier, but I’m so torn on the exact amount of carbs I should be eating”. Deep down we know that if we just move in some way, or eat something healthy it will set us down a better path. The “fixes” are usually easier than we think.
I have compiled a short list of ways to simplify your life with the hopes of getting more healthy and fit. Hope they help:
If you are having one of those days where time is getting away from you, but you reaalllly wanted to exercise… try this: Pick 6 exercises. Take 3 of them. Do them each for 30 seconds, 3 times through. Rest. Repeat for a total of 3 rounds. Do the same with the other 3 exercises you chose. This will be a very quick <20 minute workout which will leave you feeling good!
If you are waking up early to exercise and are super confused how to most accurately fuel your body…Just drink some juice. When I exercise early, food is the last thing on my mind, but I also don’t want to get hungry. So I either swig some juice, palm some berries or eat a fruit. Or maybe a cookie. Carbs. Perfect. Onwards.
Protein intake. Your protein intake highly depends on what kind of athlete you are, but the range generally is 1.2-1.8 g/body weight kg. Don’t make it complicated. If I haven’t had the best day of eating, sneak in a protein shake or a can of tuna. Done. No need for anything fancy.
Exercise form. If you are new to exercise I always recommend getting in with a PT or a personal trainer to ensure you are doing the exercise safely and won’t hurt yourself. However, analyzing the exact angle of foot turnout with a squat or worrying about hand placement within a couple inches on the barbell is a bit overkill for a new gym goer.
Get off the internet. This one is the most important. Lot’s of creative exercises out there claiming to cure all of your pains. Unfortunately, some injuries just take a bit of patience, the right combination of programming, improved lifestyle habits and a positive outlook. That one move you found online might be fun to try, but sticking with the individualized program your PT has provided for you will be better than getting seduced by some of the stuff you see online. Most of it is to get clicks and followers. Not to help you get better.
Start 2025 off right!
Hope this was fun to read and was helpful for some of you. Let’s start 2025 off right with sticking to the basics and getting the big picture stuff dialed in. Good sleep, healthy eating, a good mix of strength/cardio/stability/mobility work, healthy relationships and a healthy mindset. Once we’ve got all of that taken care of, we can explore the web for other ideas. But until then, just keep it simple and don’t get lost in the weeds!