You're overcomplicating it.


To view this email as a webpage, click here

I know you’re overcomplicating things, because everybody does.

Including me, the nerd who studies this stuff for a living.

I shared a quick story the other day on Threads (and Instagram):

A few thousand people resonated, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the replies. Magdalena jokingly said it best:

When life asks me to juggle chainsaws and then sets those chainsaws on fire, I tend to get away from the things that keep me functioning as a fulfilled human.

Lately, I found myself feeling a bit discombobulated and sluggish in the morning and struggled to focus.

So I asked myself where I was overcomplicating things and could simplify.

I went back to basics.

I got some exercise. I ate a balanced dinner (protein, vegetables, mini potatoes). And even though I’m hooked on Playstation’s Astro-Bot (delightful), loving Slow Horses on AppleTV+ (Gary Oldman is the man), and I’m really enjoying my time on Threads

I put down the phone.

I turned off the TV.

I climbed into bed at a reasonable time.

Instead of scrolling social media, I read some of Matt Haig’s new book The Life Impossible, and then went to bed.

Weirdly, I woke up feeling like a million bucks

I had no problem focusing on my work.

I felt better.

It works. Crap.

Simple, Not Easy.

Many companies manufacture complicated problems to sell us complicated solutions:

“Be afraid of THIS ingredient, balance your gut microbiome, take these expensive supplements, do this complicated workout, buy this expensive mattress and mask and glasses and machine, only eat between 12:17pm and 7:34pm!”

Here’s your friendly reminder to go hard in the direction of simplicity:

Eat the right number of calories for your goal weight. Eat protein, fruits, and vegetables. Strength train 2-3x per week. Go for walks. Put down the phone and go to sleep.

If the scale isn’t going down, reduce calories consumed. Full stop.

Once we accept that the solution is simple (but not easy), we can figure out WHY we can’t get ourselves to do it.

This is the far more important question. We have hormones and kids and jobs and messy fights with our spouses and we’re all overwhelmed with inputs and information 24-7. Of course doing these things isn’t easy!

We don’t need to make it harder by focusing on the complicated. Instead, we need to remember that the simple solution is the right one, and put our focus on making that behavior the default one:

Speaking of which, Coach Matt Myers from Team NF put together a new resource that dives into both aspects of the above:

It’s our Starter Guide: how to eat and how to train, AND how to get yourself to do those things.

You can download it free here at the top of our Free Guides page.

What part of your journey are you currently overcomplicating, and how can you simplify it today?

-Steve

P.S. Our Free Guides page not only has the new Starter Guide, but over a dozen other resources. There's no catch, just a thank you for being here.

###

Level Up Enterprises Inc. - 1831 12th Ave S. Unit 271, Nashville, TN 37203
Unsubscribe · Preferences

Hi there. I'm Steve.

I founded Nerd Fitness way back in 2009. Wherever you are coming from, I’m glad you are here. Every week, I send out a short email that’s guaranteed to make you live a tiny bit better, think a little deeper, and overcome the obstacles that get in the way.

Read more from Hi there. I'm Steve.

To view this email as a webpage, click here I stumbled across a reddit thread that really grabbed my attention. Somebody asked “What was the ‘one thing’ that finally made weight loss work for you?” And this question had 5,400 replies (and counting). Some of the answers involved environmental changes or changing how they prepared their food: “Pouring snacks into little ramekins to eat them. Suddenly I ate a normal amount of snacks.” “I meal prepped my typical amount of food and instead of...

To view this email as a webpage, click here Last week, I flew to Massachusetts to visit my 94-year grandmother in the hospital. Let me tell you about this amazing woman. Barbara, Auntie B, or Gramma to us grandkids, was born in 1930 to first-generation Newfoundlanders. (No wonder I love the music of Alan Doyle (and Great Big Sea), it’s in my DNA!) Gramma was a preschool teacher for 22 years and has been an active member in her community for her entire life. She was a heck of a quilter and...

To view this email as a webpage, click here We have two choices for how we spend the rest of 2024: Path A: Coast and say “I’ll start back up in January.” Path B: Treat it like a Beta Test for 2025. Our brains are going to try and convince us to pick Path A. I want you to pick Path B. Here’s how Beta Testing works: We’re going to experiment with our lives and find out what we want to work on in 2025. We’re not looking to stick with the perfect workout, or trying to build a flawless streak of...