You're Thinking About Your Lifestyle Problems All Wrong

It turns out it's far simpler than you imagine it to be, despite being flooded with...

• "The one exercise that will sculpt your abs."

• "This food type is causing you to gain fat."

• "Here's what this genetically gifted ex-athlete does to stay at 8% body fat year round."

• "Here's how said celebrity got fit for said role."

• Etc.

The list goes on and on and on.

You, I, and everyone else are constantly being sold on "the secret" to make a difference in our bodies especially, whether you want to build muscle or lose body fat.

These headlines are so alluring because they are backed by incredible amounts of funding and social equity (attention) to make them so - pulling on our insecurities, psychological and emotional triggers, and delivering false promises.

Many people fall for this and are led by a carrot for years in a direction that, in reality, has no direction.

They are also all for show, literally. They are made to look good from the outside when there is far more going on behind the scenes than you can care to examine (someone is on T or Ozempic or doesn't actually do what they say).

This is why education and personal experience mean more in today's information age than ever before.

Without it, you can get lost in the current wave of hype. And the next one. And the next one.

Learn The Basics Of Health And Wellness - The Foundation For A Good Life

Learning how to take care of yourself is the modern struggle.

It all comes back to attention, principles, and good old hard work.

1. Pay Attention To What You're Doing

When was the last time you sat down alone and audited yourself? Try it now, ask yourself (and listen to your inner voice):

• "Am I following through on my fitness goals?"

• "Do I take preventative health measures or am I just reactionary?"

• "Do I have any hold on my stress levels?"

• "Is there something I'd like to do or do better, that I'm holding back on?"

Tough questions. I ask myself these and it is difficult, it is uncomfortable, it is stressful.

But it's also revolutionary.

Revolutionary in the way that things are born, live, and die.

Maybe an outdated thought about yourself needs a revolution.

Maybe that old habit needs to finally die and be replaced with something better for the current version of you.

I get it, this can be as difficult and scary as it seems, but we all need this in our lives one way or another (some of us do better with trusted support).

And the best place to do this work is within, inside your internal landscape (your own thoughts, feelings, emotions).

Do not allow an external source to make you believe it has the answers for you.

Pay less attention to social media's ideas for you and pay more attention to your own ideas of yourself.

Simpler, not easier.

2. Get Straight On What Leads Your Life

Does health mean much to you? How much? Enough to live principally?

Living a principle-led life means you are able to effectively filter actions and ideas. Essentially, you hold a scale on determining the risk, reward, and value of anything that comes to your attention.

Principles simplify your life.

Whether or not you show up to the gym when you don't feel like it is based on principle ("Working out and being disciplined is more valuable to me than my current, elusive feelings of tiredness").

Whether you exercise control over your food choices is based on principle ("I will give myself a limit on tonight's beer and pizza [or cheese and wine] because how my body looks, feels, and performs means more to me than these temporary pleasures").

The power has been and always will be, in your hands. If you create a strong lineup of principles to lead your life, decision-making becomes far simpler.

3. You Have Got To Do The Work

One of my first principles is showing up.

Sometimes we (myself included) get caught up in our heads about the complexities of things. And yes, nearly all things are infinitely complex (if you allow them to be).

However, what if you resolved to show up first, and then follow through on the hard work you're so worried about being too difficult or too demanding?

Showing up is really where it's at.

I can't tell you how many times I did not want to train or to sit down with myself and just think a bit, or to read and learn instead of lounging after work.

That was until I realized that if you show up first, then you'll find yourself flowing naturally into a state of ease - knowing that you really did just do the hard part.

Once you're standing in the gym, once you have the clean ingredients in your kitchen, once you set that time to go for a walk at night... you actually enjoy the process of doing it and improving!

The next thing to do becomes clear in these moments, and life becomes a bit simpler because of it.