Recently I took off from work and celebrated\u00a0my wife’s birthday.<\/p>\n
We went to Disneyland and I tried to convince her to go into the Haunted Mansion (and failed), and then settled for Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride\u2014which somehow still left her a little terrified. We ate fried foods and what allegedly were chicken skewers (mystery meat would be more accurate), discovered that the \u201cFast Pass\u201d is really the only way to go for the main attractions, and learned that walking around Disneyland all day is surprisingly tiring. (I can only imagine what it’s like with children.)<\/p>\n
The day ended as all days should: with an awesome meal (we went to Boa, one of Rach\u2019s favorite steak restaurants), watched the sun set over the ocean, and then ate ice cream.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve built an understanding of how things work with diet and exercise, then you can create a world of more flexibility.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I mention all of this because taking off work is kind of a big deal for me. It doesn\u2019t happen often, and it\u2019s something I\u2019m learning to do more. I openly admit that I have a control issue.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not that I love control, it\u2019s that the idea of control controls<\/em> me. (You still with me?) And thinking that I need to know how to control everything ultimately leads down a dangerous path.<\/p>\n
My business<\/a> functions as a result of routine. It\u2019s something that I have somewhat perfected for myself. I get up at 4:30 am every day, meditate, read, write, and then try to rule the day, working on a variety of projects. I genuinely love what I do, so getting up that early isn\u2019t difficult. In fact, I do it by choice and enjoy it. The early morning is my favorite part of the day.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s the thing: routines can become obsessions. And those obsessions can cause us to start nitpicking details that don\u2019t matter as much as we think they do. These details can be both big and small, and oftentimes we magnify their importance thinking that mastering them will only lead to more control.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just limited to work. Stressing the small stuff and trying to \u201cown it\u201d plays a big role in fitness and diet plans\u2014especially with fat loss.<\/p>\n
The Business-Body Model<\/h2>\n
Most people when they enter a plan become driven by an overwhelming mess of details.<\/p>\n
\u201cEat this food at this time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cDo exactly this many sets.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cHave no more than these many carbs.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cDrink this much water.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
“I went over my macros by 7 gram of protein? What happens?”<\/em><\/p>\n
“How much weight should I be lifting? Is this good enough?”<\/em><\/p>\n
“Is my cheat meal cheaty enough?”<\/em><\/p>\n
“Is my cheat meal too cheaty?”<\/em><\/p>\n
The questions pile up quickly. But many of them focus on such small concepts that they lose site of the bigger picture. More importantly, those details can oftentimes make the process more complicated than it needs to be.<\/p>\n
Instead, it\u2019s better to think of your body being like a business.<\/p>\n
Well-run businesses <\/a>do not depend on one employee or one revenue stream. A good business functions in spite of daily problems, work absences, employee turnover, and whatever other craziness may occur.<\/p>\n
It works because a process and machine has been built, and an understanding of that system has been established. Yes, details can be important, but many of them are not worth the stress they cause.<\/p>\n
The struggle is seeing the forest from the trees. We closely focus on just one element of what we do\u2014diet, exercise, cheat meals, sleep, hydration, carbs, fats, supplements\u2014you name it.<\/p>\n
The desire to become better only forces us to dig deeper into the minutiae of these specifics and spend so much time focuses on only a tiny fraction of what really matters for bottom line results.<\/p>\n
The Devil in the Details<\/h2>\n
You don’t have to have to master or obsess over the little things. And just as important, you don\u2019t have to be in complete control. Your routine doesn\u2019t have to be so air-tight that breaking from it will disrupt the entire system.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve built an understanding of how <\/i>things work with diet and exercise, then you can create a world of more flexibility. This, in theory, is how the concept of \u201cif it fits your macros\u201d (IIFYM) came to be. If you understand the basics of what your body needs, then you have leeway to eat some not-so-healthy foods, as long as they are the minority and don\u2019t bust your allowance.<\/p>\n
Your goal, then, is not to understand everything.<\/p>\n
Think about that. How many mixed messages cloud your ability to just do<\/i> and live a healthy life? This is because of the obsession and illusion of control. Stressing over every new finding or scientific study, or debating the virtues of one carb over \u00a0another only achieves one thing: overthinking.<\/p>\n
If there’s one thing I constantly hear it’s that people no longer know what to believe. A non-stop influx of information ignites fitness and diet ADD.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s much more effective (and freeing) to think about the big picture. Building your life system in a way that you don’t have to stress about every little thing. So when you veer off course\u2014with a missed workout or bad meal\u2014you know how to get back on.<\/p>\n