THE MOST IMPORTANT BLOG POST YOU MAY EVER READ

KINETICOACH’s 4-Step Lifestyle Triage

Making long-term lifestyle changes to improve health is a daunting challenge; especially with the stress of daily life at home and on the road.  Here is KINETICOACH’s 4-STEP LIFESTYLE TRIAGE to improve your health and fitness.

1)   SLEEP.  Without sufficient quantity and quality of sleep, it is extremely difficult to address any other physical or mental factors affecting your health.  Lacking sleep, mood is unstable (making it challenging to deal with emotional stressors) and it’s tough for your body to reap the benefits of your workouts.  Without sufficient sleep it will be nearly impossible to achieve your health and fitness goals. Make every effort to get 7-8+ hours of restful sleep in a cold, dark room…NO EXCEPTIONS!  Turn off the TV, computer, video games, phone, etc. about 30 minutes prior to bed. No more emails in bed!  Dim the lights and read. Develop a predictable pattern of restful activities immediately before bed. 

2)   ADDRESS EMOTIONAL STRESS.  We’re not getting soft on you. This is serious stuff.  Whether it’s playing an instrument, taking a walk, reading a good book, or even mindful meditation, you must give yourself an escape from your own thoughts.  Turning our minds off is difficult.  Have you ever paused to notice all of the thoughts streaming through your mind?  It’s alarming just how much we are constantly thinking about without even recognizing it.  Giving yourself a brief respite from your emotional stress can provide fresh perspectives to your problems and help you cope with further stress.

3)   NUTRITION.  OK, this is an imposing topic.  Although inherently instinctive, determining what to eat and when to eat has become one of life’s more challenging tasks.  Conflicting recommendations, and an overbearing fixation on “nutritionism” are overwhelming.  And having limited food options during travel adds further challenges.   You can checkout our entire nutrition series, but our big-picture philosophy is: 

a.     Emphasize food quality with high nutritional density (the ratio of beneficial content of the food to calories).

b.     Avoid hyperpalatable foods.

c.      Eat when you are hungry and stop eating when you are satisfied (not stuffed).  Unless you’re diabetic, it’s likely not necessary to eat at specific timed intervals.

d.     In general, there’s no need to weigh or measure food other than what’s required to cook. However, gaining a general awareness of how much you’re eating is important. 

e.     We don’t ascribe to a specific named diet or plan, but to a broader concept of nutrition.

4)   FITNESS.  As with nutrition, there are extremes in fitness. Total inactivity (all work and no workout) is clearly a net negative for health and well-being. But so too is too much exercise, or working out too hard when not rested.  That’s why the KINETICOACH Custom Workout Builder asks what type of workout you’d like to do that day - to avoid too much volume or intensity on days you’re not feeling your best.

DOWNLOAD. COMMIT. GET FIT.