You’re overcomplicating. | Nerd Fitness

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

Including me, a geek who studies this stuff for a living.

The other day I shared a quick story ​Threads​ (i ​Instagram​):

Several thousand people resonated, and I couldn’t help but laugh ​to the answers​. Magdalena said it best jokingly:

When life asks me to juggle chainsaws and then fire up those chainsaws, I tend to run away from the things that make me function as a fulfilled human being.

Lately I’ve been feeling a bit groggy and sluggish in the mornings and struggling to focus.

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

I’m back to basics.

I have practice. I ate a ​a balanced dinner​ (proteins, vegetables, mini potatoes). And even though I’m hooked on Playstation’s Astro-Bot (adorable), full of love Slow Horses on AppleTV+ (Gary Oldman is the man), and I’m really enjoying my time ​Threads​…

I hung up.

I turned off the TV.

I climbed into bed at a reasonable time.

Instead of scrolling through social media, I read some of Matt Haig’s new books ​Life is impossible​, and then went to bed.

Strangely, I woke up with a million dollars

I had no problem focusing on my work.

I felt better.

It works. Bullshit.

It’s just not easy.

Many companies manufacture complicated problems to sell us complicated solutions:

“Fear THIS ingredient, balance your gut microbiome, take these expensive supplements, do this complicated workout, buy this expensive mattress and mask and goggles and machine, only eat between 12:17 PM and 7:34 PM!”

Here’s your friendly reminder to strive for simplicity:

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

If the scale doesn’t go down, reduce your calorie intake. Period.

When we accept that the solution is simple (but not easy), we can understand WHY we can’t bring ourselves to do it.

This is a far more important question. We have hormones and kids and jobs and messy fights with our spouses and we’re all inundated with input and information 24-7. Of course, it is not easy to do these things!

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

Speaking of which, coach Matt Myers of Team NF has put together a new resource that addresses both aspects of the above:

It’s ours Beginner’s Guide: how to eat and how to train, and how to make yourself do those things.

You can download it for 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