As mentioned in the previous newsletter and post, it’s easy for us to state the outcomes we would like for ourselves but harder to execute on the process that helps us achieve those outcomes. In the previous example, I laid out an outcome goal of 21lbs of weight loss and 5% loss of bodyfat from now until Christmas. What process goals can I use to achieve this? Jerry Seinfeld has a great bit on systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joJlc4YJIow . So, what is the system? For a financial retirement goal, a system could be setting up an auto deduction from your paycheck into your 401k or IRA. In our specific fat loss goal, my main inputs are going to be nutrition, movement and sleep.

The sleep system for me is the simplest. My goal is 8 hours of sleep each night and I tend to thrive on that. Lately this has meant in bed and asleep by 11 PM and up at 7. AM School is starting next week, and this will likely move that schedule up an hour to in bed at 10 and up at 6. Why is sleep so important for fat loss? We can do a deep dive on sleep in the future, but the short of it is the less sleep you get, the more your hunger increases and your ability to handle blood sugar decreases. Both are bad for fat loss, so get off the screen and go to sleep!

Movement is also not a huge obstacle for me as I love to train. I enjoy lifting weights, I enjoy running, I enjoy yoga, so convincing me to move is not an issue. I also own a gym business, so I have stacked the deck in my favor. I realize that this is not the case for everyone, so you will have to set up a system that gets you to the gym. For most people, my recommendation would be to take an early morning class three days a week. There are no work meetings at 5:30 am. Or happy hours. Or soccer games. I trained before work at 5 am back in my accounting days. It wasn’t always easy, but I got it done. I would meet my friends at the gym knowing the hardest part was getting out of bed and getting there. This brings me to part two of the movement system. Get a workout buddy. You are far less likely to cancel and stay in bed if you know your buddy is waiting on you at the gym. We all have friends that need to get their health in order. Make them come to the Union!

So, take whatever class you enjoy 3 days a week, get outside and walk every day. If you can get in more classes, that’s fantastic. A 30-minute walk on off days is great. An hour is better. If I’m at a one of my children’s sports practices, I run or walk. When my son was doing karate as a little kid, I would drop him off and head out the door for a run. 20 mins out and then 20 mins back. Recently, my daughter had her track practice at 6 PM in the evenings this summer. I would park, get her situated (let’s be honest, she situates me), and then head straight out for a run in the neighborhood by the school. Do you need to run? No, but we all need to walk. Just get up and move and get 10,000 steps a day. Take 3 classes a week at the Union and hit 10,000 steps. No earth-shattering magic pill here. Just consistent activity and nutrition applied over and over again. Chop wood & carry water. This is the way. Next time we will discuss the final piece which is obviously nutrition. We will go into how I will integrate our nutrition challenge that is kicking off in September into a system