The Boring Part

Jan 17, 2022

Given it's the time of year to make extreme changes I wanted to pump the brakes a bit and dial in the most important aspect of your training plan. Nutrition. As awful as it feels there's no amount of vomit-inducing conditioning that I could possibly prescribe that will outpace poor nutritional habits. There is no magic pill, diet, tea, or shaman in the jungle coming to spot reduce your muffin top.

The aim of this post is to give you a few points for you to check in with yourself to ensure you're being realistic about your nutrition so that you'll stick with your plan and crush any goals you may have.

80/20 Rule:
Chances are you're probably already doing this. On average you're eating 3x a day 7x a week. 21 meals. 4 opportunities to stray from the norm and try something new. Maybe date night or being social. Unless you're crushing several large pizzas a week, having a slice of cake on your kiddo's bday isn't going to kill you. The more restrictive you are the less likely you are to follow the plan. Remember this is a game of sustainability. It only takes one meal or workout to be back on track with your plan.

Protein; Cover your bases.
We can get into the weeds with formula's and all but lets keep it simple. 1g per pound of bodyweight. You'll feel more satiated, and have a better time recovering in between workouts when you're adequately hitting this number more frequently. We'll save the additional benefits for another post.

Have a plan.
Simple - pack a lunch; maybe even breakfast. If you've already got food to eat you will be less likely to grab something awful just because it's "easy". Let me stop you before you say "I just don't have the time". None of us do. You're actively choosing to not make nutrition a priority. Self accountability is a bitch. I'm not here to lecture you on the "grind" or being a "savage". It's  just reality. If you want to do it; you'll make the time. Which brings me to my final point.

Self-Accountability.
Are you checking yourself? Probably not. A simple way to this is the notes app on your phone every morning. First rate your food intake on a scale of 1-10 for the previous day. Next ask yourself one simple question. Did yesterdays habits surrounding that intake take me further from or closer to my goal? I've been coaching for a decade now and everyone swears they only eat salad and water. When I ask you to do this it's not because we're judging what you're about to tell us, I will demolish a large pizza just as fast as the next guy. Everyone's got a vice. We just need data to initiate change. It's brutal, but if you aren't willing to be realistic with yourself things will never change.

-Mike