2514: 4 Reasons to Simplify Your Nutrition & Workout Habits by Nia Shanks on Reducing Stress & Enhancing Focus

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[00:01:08] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2514. Four reasons to simplify your nutrition and workout

[00:01:15] habits by Neashanks of Neashanks.com and I'm Dr. Neal. Hey there, happy Wednesday and welcome

[00:01:22] back to Optimal Health Daily, where I read some of the best health and fitness blogs to you and always

[00:01:27] with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now, like I do every Wednesday since it's sort of the

[00:01:33] middle of the week and we may have a little difficulty getting through these last couple of days

[00:01:37] until the weekend, I like to share a little bit of inspiration with you. So with that, here's today's

[00:01:43] inspiration. Quote, never let yesterday use up today. Richard Nelson. All right, now that we're in

[00:01:52] the right frame of mind, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life.

[00:02:00] Four reasons to simplify your nutrition and workout habits by Neashanks of Neashanks.com

[00:02:08] I'm a fan of minimalism. Whether it's being a minimalist when it comes to material possessions,

[00:02:13] having a website without ads or side bars to put the entire focus on the articles,

[00:02:18] and definitely when it comes to building and sustaining a health and fitness regimen,

[00:02:23] I'm all about minimalism and keeping things simple. Minimalism in regards to fitness

[00:02:29] allows you to keep things simple because you'll only focus on the few important things that

[00:02:34] truly matter and provide the majority of the results. Leonardo da Vinci once said, quote,

[00:02:42] Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. End quote,

[00:02:47] There are several reasons why you see a sane and simple theme in my articles because

[00:02:52] keeping things simple works. Why simplify? Here are four reasons why you should simplify your

[00:02:59] health and fitness regimen. One, less stress. Your health and fitness regimen should enhance your

[00:03:06] life. It's something that should reduce stress and not increase it. When you keep things simple,

[00:03:12] you won't be overwhelmed or stressed out as is common when trying to revolve your life around

[00:03:17] a rigid diet and complicated routine. Two, develop habits that stick. If something is simple,

[00:03:26] you're more likely to do it consistently, and consistency is what develops long-term habits.

[00:03:32] Long-term habits ensure you achieve and maintain results. This is the main goal

[00:03:38] to make certain habits fit into your lifestyle so they eventually become effortless or at least

[00:03:44] so they don't require much thought. Three, greater flexibility. A few simple guidelines allow you

[00:03:51] to accommodate for everyday occurrences. Let's face it, life is unpredictable and can throw us curveballs,

[00:03:57] but simplicity allows us to adapt. For example, if you have the goal of eating real whole foods most

[00:04:04] of the time, you can indulge in your favorite not-so-healthy treats and meals when a special occasion

[00:04:10] presents itself or you have a craving. You'll also be able to make a good food decision no matter

[00:04:16] where you're eating if your sole goal is to eat mostly real foods. And four, greater focus.

[00:04:24] When you choose to focus on a few big things, instead of a dozen or more smaller things,

[00:04:29] you'll be significantly more focused. That means you'll get more done.

[00:04:33] So as you can see, there are some great arguments for simplifying your health and fitness regimen.

[00:04:39] If you're convinced of the benefits, it's time to start simplifying and experiencing the results

[00:04:44] for yourself. How to simplify. One, begin by changing one thing and one thing only.

[00:04:53] Where are you struggling the most in your health and fitness routine? Do you work out consistently

[00:04:58] but struggling to make better and more consistent nutrition changes? Then make the only change

[00:05:04] in your current routine be to eat more slowly or maybe you can focus on eating more real whole foods.

[00:05:11] Just pick one simple thing to focus on exclusively for a period of four to six weeks.

[00:05:17] Once you've nailed that one thing as a habit, do one more small thing.

[00:05:22] Are you having trouble sticking to a workout program? If so, why?

[00:05:27] Is it because your current routine doesn't fit your schedule or you're trying to force yourself

[00:05:32] to work out too often? If so, follow a two day per week or a three day per week program that

[00:05:39] more easily fits your schedule or perhaps you want to save time and would rather do bodyweight workouts

[00:05:44] at home. Whatever the case may be, find a way to make your routine fit into your life

[00:05:50] and don't revolve your life around an unrealistic routine.

[00:05:54] Two, ask yourself, is this essential? There's a good chance you're focused on too many small things

[00:06:01] that don't have much of an impact on your goals. Some things may only increase stress or cause you

[00:06:06] to get too concerned with insignificant details. For example, if you find yourself obsessing over

[00:06:12] small details like, should I eat white or brown rice? Ask yourself, is this essential?

[00:06:19] Is trying to decide between white or brown rice essential to improving my health or reaching

[00:06:24] my goals? The answer in this case is no. Focus on the main things that produce the vast majority

[00:06:31] of the results and forget the rest. And three, stop searching, start doing.

[00:06:38] According to Wikipedia, analysis paralysis is an anti-pattern, the state of over-analysing

[00:06:44] or overthinking a situation so that a decision or action is never taken in effect, paralyzing the outcome.

[00:06:52] I understand you want to do the right things, you want to be armed with knowledge,

[00:06:56] so you go to those other fitness websites or flip through the latest magazine. Perhaps

[00:07:01] you even read debates and research articles. As a result of consuming so much information,

[00:07:06] we get too caught up in looking for the next big thing, the best workout program,

[00:07:11] or waiting until we have all the information before we take action. The details of nutrition

[00:07:16] and fitness will always be debated but most people can agree on a few key principles.

[00:07:22] Eat a variety of mostly real, whole foods. Be physically active whether you choose to

[00:07:27] strength train, participate in sports, play instead of exercise or any combination thereof.

[00:07:34] Get enough sleep and do these things consistently. Take action and do those things consistently

[00:07:41] and you'll be well on your way to improving your health and fitness. If you're not achieving the

[00:07:46] results you want or find yourself constantly searching for the next big thing, simplify.

[00:07:52] Focus instead on the few things that matter most and experience the benefits for yourself.

[00:08:01] You just listen to the post titled, For Reasons to Simplify Your Nutrition and Work Out Habits

[00:08:07] by NiaShanks of NiaShanks.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:08:14] Between today's article and my inspirational quote at the top of the show, this episode is jam-packed

[00:08:21] with quotes but it's not jam-packed enough. Here's another. Don't let the perfect be the enemy

[00:08:28] of the good. As today's author Nia said, instead just start. Don't worry about finding the perfect

[00:08:35] diet or the perfect workout routine. Well first because neither exist. Second, when searching for these

[00:08:42] non-existent perfect diets or routines, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all of the information.

[00:08:48] We may end up going down a rabbit hole and coming up for air even more confused than when we started.

[00:08:55] So yes, just start and keep it simple. All right that'll do it for today. Thank you so much

[00:09:01] for being here. Thank you for listening all the way through to the end. I hope you have a great

[00:09:06] rest of your day and I'll see you back here on tomorrow's show with your optimal life awaits.