Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.
I believe Albert Einstein said the above line.
He was a pretty smart, right?
KISS
Keep it simple stupid.
In today's fast-paced world, I think we could all benefit from more simplifying.
Generally speaking, I try to run a pretty simple life.
I always use to say that you could fit all my possessions in a small box (that changed once I got married...and had a kid).
I also always laugh and tell Megan that if I was still single I would totally live in one of those tiny homes.
At its core, I run a very lean and simple business.
Kim always makes fun of me, but I have a shirt for each day of the week, one to workout in, and one to wear for the rest of the day.
I love the clarity and efficiency that simplicity brings.
You can look at simplicity in many facets of life, but for today's main lesson, let's focus on fitness, nutrition, and gratitude.
For fitness...
Quite often we can get bogged down with all the different exercises, this one for that muscle, or cardio versus strength.
At its core (pun intended), fitness is quite simple.
Movement.
Just move.
Don't try to make it more complicated than it needs to be.
Even if we want to take it one step further, all of those exercises you see here at Spurling or anywhere else really only fall into 5 categories.
- Upper Body Front Side (Chest, Shoulders, etc)
- Upper Body Back Side (Back, arms, etc)
- Lower Body Front Side (quads)
- Lower Body Back Side (glutes, hamstrings)
- Core
That's it.
Thousands of exercises, but they all fall into those 5 categories.
We keep it simple.
We want to make sure you get 1-2 exercises for each category at each workout.
It's a full body workout.
We all need to move our entire body, no need to make it more complicated than that.
Most all of us would benefit from doing that full body routine 3 days per week with a day or two in the middle to recover.
That's it.
Do that 52 weeks a year and you're ahead of 99% of people.
Even if you want to get fancy and throw in some other stuff (running, yoga, etc) just splice it in on the alternating days.
Move.
That's all we're asking.
Fitness is just movement.
As far as nutrition...
We know the internet is smothered with tons of information and you don't know what to believe.
As always, look for the common themes.
We could all benefit from more water...
We could all benefit from more protein....
We could all benefit from more vegetables...
If we get caught up in all the complexities we tend to get nowhere...
However, double down on just those three and you'll be way ahead of the game.
Keep it simple.
My favorite...gratitude.
The third piece to this triangle.
In my opinion, it's just as important as the fitness and nutrition stuff.
If you don't do any form of gratitude or meditation just start off simple.
Go to bed every single day and ask yourself the following...
"What is one thing I'm grateful for?"
or...
"What was the best part of my day?"
You can do the same thing when you first wake up.
From there, I highly recommend journaling.
It takes all the chaos that goes on in our minds, gets it out, and onto paper.
It will help you think more clearly, give you more mental energy, and of course, force you to write down all the good in your life.
So there you have it...
A not so simple post on being more simple.
I'll leave with this...
Life is short and sweet, don't clutter it with nonsense.
What is one thing you're going to do today to simplify your life?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling