HOW TO DO LESS BUT MORE
These past few months I have ventured into the industry of Fashion. I never considered myself to be fashionable but when I started creating my own apparel collection for my fitness business I gained a higher appreciation for fashion. Learning about the hand of garments, different materials used, and influential silhouettes based on what big city they came from. It is truly fascinating how the history of fashion has influenced many cultures in the world. But what I have noticed is a similar direction in which the fashion and fitness industry are going in. It seems to be making it harder to find high quality results these days.
Fast Fashion
Nowadays, there is trend that is happening in fashion and it has not been sustainable for our environment. It is the concept of Fast fashion which is a design, manufacturing, and marketing method focused on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing by creating garments from low quality materials in order to bring inexpensive styles to the end consumer.
I recently listened to this excerpt from the most accomplished male super model David Gandy on a podcast. He spoke about how we need to get away from fast fashion and begin to think about buying less but more. Knowing that it is easier to buy the $5 t-shirt but understanding that it will only last a handful of washes before it breaks down. The solution brings back the perspective of previous generations in fashion that buying higher quality materials will be durable enough to last longer for the consumer.
The Current State of Fitness
After countless consults with clients in my career I have noticed a trend recently of quantity over quality. I am observing that people are holding themselves back by the concept of paralysis by analysis. Every time they rip through their social media feed, which apparently is this novel expertise platform that gives you all you need to know in a headline, they are bombarded with more strategies on how to acquire your goals yesterday. If this is you, you are not alone trust me. The internet has been somewhat of a catch-22, where you have in the palm of your hand all the answers but with that comes an overload of answers of the opposition canceling each other out. And don’t get me started on those keyboard warriors who have a lot more to say behind a screen but nowhere to be found in the real life.
The problem with most clients I have worked with is that they go shallow into multiple directions yielding the least amount of results instead of going deep in one direction and dedicating quality time into the main pillars of health and wellness. For example, when we look at detoxification (aka the current in Vogue concept of Detox) people think that water filled with apple cider vinegar, lemon, turmeric and a magic detox pill will push detox for fat loss however detoxification is a phasic process in the body that is predicated on amino acid availability. In layman’s terms, if you simply do not eat enough high quality protein you will not be as efficient in Phase II of Detoxification which is the process at which we excrete the toxins. Why spend all your time with multiple low quality materials to acquire zero result when you should shift focus to having the proper amount of high quality protein per day and gain results?
Another example is training for fat loss. Look around the gym and notice the people dragging ass on the cardio machines. Come back in 6 months and notice the variability of change. More than likely they are probably looking the same, exhausted and just as unhappy as they were before. When we look at aerobic training it is a highly adaptable system during cyclical, rhythmic types of training. All the body wants to do is be in a constant state of homeostasis. When you perform on a treadmill, elliptical or bike for a pace, your body gets into a rhythm and becomes extremely efficient utilizing as little energy as possible to complete the task. You do not create enough change to disrupt homeostasis resulting in unnecessary stress on the body with no real return on your efforts.
Now, let’s take a look at weight training and why this approach is more efficient for fat loss. As you perform exercise against a resistance you breakdown the fibers inside the muscle which in turn disrupts homeostasis. The body then has to utilize as much energy as possible to repair the muscle to bring itself back to pre-exercise state. So for the next 24-48 hours you are using energy to repair your muscles but the muscle is now stronger. The next time you workout you have the option to progressively overload leading to long term progress and adaptability. Weight training demands more energy from the body in a shorter amount of time than aerobic training so you can do less but have more.
Foundations for the Win
The best results with my clients have come from a dedication to high quality actions that have everlasting progress in your life. Do not waste time on too many cheap actions that bring you the least amount of ROI, lasts for a short period of time and breaks you down rather than build you up. Busyness does not equal success, fine tuned focus in one direction does. Begin to adopt the ‘Functionally Lazy’ mindset which is a concept of putting the least amount of effort in with highest return on investment. Don’t waste your time with the trivial many but the highest quality few. Here are some examples of sustainable habits with the highest return on investment.
Drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day
Aim to consume 1g/lb bodyweight in Protein per day
Eat vegetables at each meal
Perform 30 minutes of Exercise or Activity per day
Walk 8,000-10,000 steps per day
Dedicate time to a Sleep routine each night
Brain Dump Journaling 20 minutes per day
Meet One New person each day
Read 10 pages each day
Steven Nickel provides a Tailor-Made Fitness Experience for the individual who wants to acquire high quality results. Providing Exclusive Personal Training, Made to Measure Coaching and Ready to Train Collections. To learn more Inquire Here or write to steven@stevennickel.com
