There is a great joke from comedian Chris Rock where he discusses people bragging about things that they are supposed to do.
To the often heard, “I take care of my kids!” Chris replies, “You’re supposed to!”
It doesn’t take a slap to the face to know what eating like an adult looks like or that we could all drink more water than soda.
The latest diet book, secret drink, or mysterious ingredient found in the Amazon is probably not going to be better than that.
You know what to do already and shouldn’t need a cartoon character on your food or toy to come with your meal.
You are an adult, so eat like one and don’t expect to be rewarded for doing the basics. (unless you are a child reading this! If so, wow)
What is challenging is paralysis by analysis due to information overload.
We make things so complicated that we would rather give up or not start, for fear of making a mistake.
If you’ve eaten fast food every night for 20 years, then abruptly switching to a strict healthy diet will be a challenge.
As a Personal Trainer, my job is to give reasonable and repeatable advice to my clients, and sometimes there are rules I ask them to follow.
For example, if your waistline is too large and fat loss is the goal, then eat more green leafy vegetables and do more inefficient movements.
I like the Kettlebell Swing. Or roundhouse kicks to a heavy bag.
The simple truth is that losing 10, 20, or maybe 50 pounds of unwanted fat will answer a lot of health problems.
Knees hurt? Diabetes? Ankles have arthritis?
Take a load off, seriously.
But outside of things that will land you in jail, rules are simply guidelines.
Don’t get hung up on being perfect with diet and exercise rules. This will only defeat you.
It’s not the end of the world if you do 3 sets of 8 instead of 3 sets of 10 Kettlebell Swings.
Guidelines are meant to help and guide; they are not set in stone.
What you should worry about is overall trends, not all of the little ups and downs of life.
So what if you didn’t lose 5 pounds this week? Are you moving in the right direction?
Consistent habits over time are the key to success.
And how do you know if you are doing the right things?
Yes you are special and are your own individual snowflake, but reproducibility is the key to research.
I do something and it works for me, then you try it, and it works for you. Then 3 of our friends try it and it works for them.
What we all did is more likely to be right than the one outlier who can get away with eating Pizza most of the time without health problems, or doing 2000 crunches a day without injury.
We all hate that person. It’s ok that you do.
Why not pay attention to the things that produce the greatest results for most people?
Are you managing your risks?
Then adjustments can be made based on our individual goals, biochemistry, genetics, abilities and limitations.
You don’t need to always go against the system or immediately argue with an opposing view.
Actually, if you are getting healthier, moving better and feeling better, you are part of the few, not the many!
If it works for other people and not you, maybe there is another issue that is preventing you from reaching your goals. Are you getting enough sleep?
Here is a simple way to start moving towards health instead of away from it from Dr. Joel Kahn, author of the Whole Heart Solution.
He calls it the 3 F’s:
Fork: Eat intelligently. We can go on for hours about this or just know that food is information. Good food powers you and your brain.
Good food can reverse plaque and diabetes.
Feet: You have to move the body. Millions of people are suffering from ‘sit-tosis.’ Maybe get up and move 10 minutes of every hour?
Finger: Don’t smoke. I wrote a blog post that expands on this point and the first F.
It’s a pretty simple formula to keep stay healthy, but you just have to be very disciplined in some steps.
Don’t argue, or make things more difficult.
Start by following only the three F’s!
If you can’t help yourself and really need more F’s, then go watch a Chris Rock comedy special.
-Oscar
Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi
Control Your Health
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