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3386: A Minimalist Approach to Fitness by Jen Hayes on Sustainable Weight Loss
00:09:15
Jen Hayes reveals how adopting a minimalist mindset helped her lose 50 pounds by stripping away fitness industry noise and focusing on what truly matters
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Podcast Host
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Dr. Neal
A Minimalist Approach to Fitness by Jen Hayes with simplyfiercely.com When I committed to losing 50 pounds last year, I decided to make some major changes to my diet and exercise habits. After beginning my journey, I quickly realized that some of the more traditional approaches, such as counting calories and high intensity exercise, weren't going to work for me. I felt that my new habits shouldn't make me miserable. Getting in shape was a good thing and it should make me feel good. I didn't want to be stressed out and overwhelmed by weight loss strategies that didn't work. I wanted to create a plan that I would be able to stick to for a long time. I decided that I need to take a minimalist approach to fitness. Minimalism is about getting rid of the things that don't matter so we can focus on the things that do. Adopting a minimalist lifestyle allows us to reduce clutter, save money, and live more simply. The same principles that can be applied to decluttering our homes and our budgets can be applied to fitness. The fitness industry, like most other industries, makes money by convincing you to buy things that you really don't need. They over complicate healthy living so that they can sell you overpriced gym memberships, personal training packages, supplements, Fitbits and other gadgets, and all kinds of other items that you don't need. Let's take yoga for example. What do you need in order to do yoga? A cheap yoga mat and some comfortable clothing. That's it. But when I tried yoga for the first time during a week long free trial at a yoga studio, I discovered that studios will try to convince you that you need so much more. They'll tell you that you need a block, a yoga wedge, a yoga strap, a $40 yoga mat, stylish $100 yoga pants and tank tops, a yoga towel, a strap or bag to carry a yoga mat, and so on. Instead of buying into these false ideas that you need to blow a bunch of money on things you don't need, here are some tips for adopting a minimalist approach to fitness. Do Exercises yous Enjoy Life is too short to waste it doing things you hate. If you can't stand running, don't run. If you think you hate all exercise, try some different types of exercise that you never tried before. You may not be a runner, but maybe you would love starting a walking program, becoming a yogi, going to Zumba classes, or doing acrobatics. I used to think that I hated all types of exercise, but I just hadn't found the right types of exercise for me. I hate running and I'm terrible at sports, but I love spin class, yoga and Zumba. You'll never know if you like something until you try it. Find what works for you. Whatever you choose, keep moving. Replace Fad Diets with Lifestyle Changes Following a strict diet plan can get complicated if the diet has a bunch of different rules about what types of food you have to avoid or how many calories you're allowed in a given day. Instead of following a fad diet, try changing your lifestyle. Eat more fruit, vegetables and other whole foods and eat less processed food. Eat when you're hungry and stop eating when you're full. If you switch from a diet heavy in processed food to a whole food diet, you'll probably notice that you become full much more quickly. Focus on Health if we focus too much on appearance, we will probably never be satisfied with how we look. There will always be someone who's thinner, stronger, or more attractive. Focusing on image is demotivating and ultimately meaningless. Instead, focus on health. Think about all of the things that you can do now that you couldn't do a few weeks, months or years ago. Notice how much stronger you are than you used to be. Whenever I feel frustrated because I hit a weight loss plateau, I remind myself that my healthy habits are still having a positive impact on my health. I think of how difficult yoga was when I went to my first yoga class and I realize how far I've come. I'm not an advanced yogi, but there are many poses that have become much easier than they used to be because I'm so much stronger than I was before. Buy only what you need. Don't waste money on a swanky gym membership, a personal training package, or fitness related gadgets like a Fitbit if you're never going to use those things. If you if you want to get in shape, all you really need are some comfortable clothes and a water bottle. If you're going to work out at home, you might want to purchase some handheld weights or a yoga mat. None of these things need to be expensive. A final note on minimalism. Minimalism is about getting rid of the things that weigh us down so we can focus on the things that actually matter. If your diet or exercise plan is making you miserable, try a different approach. Find a type of exercise that you truly enjoy, eat healthy foods that you like, and focus on improving your well being. Getting in shape won't be easy, but it should make you feel good, both physically and mentally. You just listened to the post titled A Minimalist Approach to Fitness by Jen Hayes with simplyfiercely.com Time it's always vanishing.
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Dr. Neal
Dr. Neal, here for my commentary. Whenever I instruct my exercise physiology classes, my students start to get frustrated. Wait, that doesn't make me sound like the best teacher. Hang on. They get frustrated because we talk about the different ways we could prescribe exercise to future clients. There are so many different schools of thought when it comes to achieving fitness goals. There are whole body workouts, bodyweight workouts, high intensity interval training, upper lower body splits, not to mention the countless workouts on YouTube or all those home DVDs for sale. So students in frustration ask, well, Dr. Neal, which routine actually works? Can you guess how I respond? I respond by basically echoing what Jen mentioned in this post. Every routine works so long as the person sticks to it. Now, what makes the person stick to their workout in the beginning, especially when they're just starting out? The exercise routine has to include movements they enjoy or can at least tolerate. This is because it takes too much extra willpower to perform a behavior that you don't want to do in the first place. This makes it even less likely the new exercise behavior will occur next. Just as Jen mentioned, the behavior has to be convenient, meaning no special equipment needed. So an exercise that's enjoyable or at least tolerable and easy to perform, no special equipment needed, will most likely lead to early success because that in turn will lead to consistency and then that builds momentum. Alright, that'll do it from me. And for the Monday episode, I hope you have a great start to your week. I hope you're staying well and safe, and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.