Eliminate Extremes for Better Results

“Little and Often over the Long Haul”- Dan John

While that might be the least sexy quote you’ll see on the internet this week, the amount of value in the phrase is profound. Over the last decade we have all become fascinated with getting more results with less time. I’m not sure if this popularity has caught traffic because people like to feel the extreme pressure or if social media has made it more enticing to show people your dedication to something for a period of time. Either way, things like 75 Hard, Whole 30 etc. are and replicating as fast as people can get through a challenge. At first glance, these seem like a great idea, but I believe that it leaves out a key lesson in all experiences which is Learning. Learning new skills and strategies is what makes all journeys great and actually stick long term. Let’s look at 3 ways these challenges could be doing more harm than good and also a better strategy to have in place to help you achieve your goals. 

Change is Stress 

Your brain signals change as a stress to the system. Your body doesn’t know how to differentiate stress from work, family, training, nutrition and so on. It all is bundled up and our system has to process it effectively to move on with our life. Stress can be a great tool when used in small doses as we can build a tolerance to make us more resilient for the long term. When we have too much stress, it’s too much for our system to process. Simply put, when we change exercise, nutrition, sleep, unhealthy habits etc all at once, it throws our body a curve ball. This can do things like affect our sleep, mood, and appetite. For some people, the act of driving to the gym might be a huge hurdle to overcome. This means there should be a recovery built in for that. Any changes should have a recovery period accounted for. When we change several things at once, it eliminates the possibility of recovery from the new stimulus whether physically or mentally. 

Try This

Write down the things you would like to change. Maybe a broad list of 10 things such as:

“I need to exercise more”

“I should stop drinking pop”

“I should reduce my screen time an hour each day”

And so on. 

From your list, simply pick the easiest 1-2 items that you can have success with. Set a period of time that these are the only changes you’ll make and monitor. Then work your way through the list. 

What Made the Success?

When we change everything and notice a change whether good or bad, we don’t know what caused the changes. The more things we change at once, the harder it becomes to gauge the effectiveness of each change. I always use supplements in this example. Many new fitness enthusiast will load up a gym bag full of different supplements when they begin exercising. When you ask them what they notice from each supplement, they often don’t know how they feel with or without each item. Slowly make your adjustments so that you can monitor each change and truly figure out what is working or not working for you. Working with a coach to create these markers and evaluations is incredibly helpful because sometimes we don’t acknowledge the domino effect of some of our changes. An example could be someone improving their sleep quantity and quality each night for a month. After a month, their digestion is better which has lead to a lower body weight and improved mood and energy throughout the day. This is an example of one lever being pulled and affecting many other areas.

Try This

Using your 1-2 changes from before, you can make a chart that tracks each measurable at that time of starting. Examples could be bodyweight, joint pain, appetite etc. After your 6-8 weeks of monitoring you can look back at your data collection and see the real changes that took place. 

Life’s a Dance

Life is a dance that we go through adjusting as needed based on the season of life we’re in. We just had our first child and since then has been constant adjustments for training, nutrition, and recovery. When you prescribe to strict rules set in place by someone you’ve never met or collaborated with, you lose the learning experience of how to apply it to real life. You might be able to something for 30 days, but can you do it for 30 years? If the answer is no, then it’s not beneficial to you long term. I’ve seen this cause a lot of extra stress to people that isn’t necessary in anyone’s journey. Create a plan that sounds fun and exciting and realistic to your stage of life. Think of being just slightly pushed beyond your level of comfort when starting then simply just move the needle over time. 

Try This

Make your own game  with boundaries that seem exciting, not restrictive and stressful. Some of this is dictated by things like work and family while other aspects are dictated by your personality type. Some people will love rigid while others thrive in an environment where they can have creativity over the plan. Find what works best for you. 

If you’re tired of trying the new thing, you’re not alone. Our team of coaches has helped so many people get out of the cycle of extreme cycles. If you’re looking for help with your forever plan, reach out to us and lets get started.

Nick Showman

Showtime Strength & Performance