Here is the stuff that actually makes a difference
Let’s start with a recap of what most of us know we should and shouldn’t be doing to stay healthy. Most research points to 5 different healthy habits that have an outsized impact on health and well-being. Here are their brief descriptions.
Stay physically active – Get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week to meet the minimum recommendations. Ideally, you should include a mix of aerobic, high-intensity, and resistance training.
Don’t smoke – This one is pretty simple. Research on the negative impacts of smoking on health is overwhelming at this point.
Moderate or avoid alcohol consumption – This applies to recreational drug use as well. But overuse of alcohol is most accepted by society compared to the other options and therefore most difficult to keep in check.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night – Having a regular bedtime, unwinding before sleep, and sleeping in a cool, quiet, dark bedroom can improve sleep quality.
Maintain a healthy weight – This one is tricky because it requires a combination of the above plus a healthy diet. It helps to focus on getting enough protein (~1,6 g per 1 kg of body weight) and eating nutritious foods such as fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, eggs, and fish.
Of course, there are other things such as maintaining strong relationships, coping with daily stress or finding life’s meaning. But even if we just take the five basic healthy habits above, people have a really hard time sticking to them. A study from the United States found that only 6% of Americans do all five of them.
Why have you stopped trying?
When was the last time you heard a cycling friend say: “I’m thrilled to start getting 8 hours of sleep this year”? Probably never. Why is that? For many, it’s a case of “I tried it all before”. And it’s true – most people interested in health and athletic performance focused on all of those basic healthy habits at some point in their lives. It’s old news.
Unfortunately, the basics aren’t exciting or rewarding in the short term. On the other hand, buying new gear, trying a new training approach or experimenting with a popular supplement feels more like you’re making progress. Those basic healthy habits take a back seat as you pour your energy into pursuing those new gadgets. And the problem is that without consistently covering the basics, it’s very hard to make any progress.
In this series, we’ll take an honest look at why you might be distracting yourself from the basics. We will go over the barriers preventing us from acting, and learn to prioritise and how to be ready for the bad days. Hopefully, by the end of the series, you will be committed to doing, consistently and long-term.
