Don’t Get Bored With The Basics

Give me t-shirts, jeans and a cup of black coffee and I’m happy.

A turkey sandwich for lunch and a movie at home on Friday night? That’s me. 

In other words, you could say I like to keep things simple. 

That means I’m not everyone’s idea of a dream date. Some might even call me downright dull.

But there are a few things my simple style can teach us regarding nutrition and fitness.

The Basics Never Change
If you are serious about losing weight, getting fit, and living a better life, I encourage you to stick with some basic, time-tested principles. In my experience, most people make mistakes by getting too detailed with their nutrition and exercise. Then, when things get too complicated, rigid, and unrealistic, they are impossible to maintain. The result: we fall off the wagon.

So today, let’s take a step back and dial in these fundamental practices. Then, when the time is right, we’ll be ready for more advanced approaches.

Nutrition
If you follow nutrition news, you would be forgiven for thinking that nutrition consists of the latest fads, misinformation, miracle supplements and even the misguided vilification of entire macronutrients. 

The simple truth is that the vast majority of people would reach their body goals by following two basic (there’s that word again) rules:

1. Eat high-quality foods. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods should make up the majority of your diet. 
2. Eat appropriate portions. Despite what you have heard, quality protein, fat, and carbs are essential to healthy nutrition. After all, fruits and vegetables are carbs, and it’s tough to eat too many of them. Real problems arise when limiting protein and eating large amounts of ultra-processed carbohydrates and fats. 
3. Please, keep it simple. Gotcha! I said two rules, right? This is more of a tip, really. I think we place too much emphasis on variety. Find healthy, supportive meals and stick with them. Unless you have all the time in the world, love cooking, or HAVE to have something different, stick with what works. My lunch is a turkey sandwich and an apple five days a week. Exciting? No. Quick, easy, and healthy? Yes. 

I’ve created a nutrition “cheat sheet” that puts it all together for you. Download it HERE 

Exercise
Movement is medicine, and I can’t emphasize its importance enough. Here are the three most important tenants of exercise.

1. Get your steps. Ten thousand steps a day is a worthy goal to shoot for if you don’t want to be completely sedentary. It won’t cure all of your ailments or chisel your body into a supermodel, but its benefits are through the roof. Improved circulation, lubrication of the joints, and burning some calories are just a few ways you win. 
2. Lift stuff. Strength training should be the foundation of your exercise regimen. If you get two or three hours of planned, purposeful weight training each week, you can give yourself “Brad’s Basic Weight Training Award.” If you are lost in the gym or just plain uncomfortable with how to implement weight training into your routine, hire a professional to coach you. Reply to me, and I will help you put it all together 🙂
3. Add it up. Look for opportunities to be more active every day. Get a standing workstation, do household chores at night while watching TV, or just park further away from your office. Every little bit of movement helps.

There you have it. Are these tips glamorous or sexy? Nope. Are they basic? Yep. Boring even? Maybe. But can they help change your life, your health, and your happiness? Definitely. 

Plugging away at the basics, and making them second nature, are your best stepping stone to the next level. Try following these rules faithfully for 21 days, and you will find that the results are not boring at all.

~Coach Brad