Using Health Routines to Reach Your Ultimate Goals

I will start off by saying this blog can be interpreted in three ways. Also when I say routines and practices, I mean things outside the basics. We all know exercise, sleep, nutrition, purpose, strong relationships, and stress management are vital. Doing those basics well, consistently, can already have a massive impact on your life. So with that in mind, here are the three lenses from which this blog can be interpreted though:

#1: For the person that has a lot of health, wellness, and fitness routines in their life but finds it hard fitting everything in. They have indulged in a lot information but have a hard time knowing what is working and maybe go in and out different practices and trying something new. 

#2: For the person that is trying to add more healthy routines in life but doesn't know what things to prioritize and how to make a decision on whether a practice is right for them. 

#3: For the person that has great routines, but is looking for ways to be more efficient and make decisions on what to cut or still do. 

From Scarce to Abundant Health Information 

With the advancement of the internet we have gone from a world where health information was scarce just 20 years ago to now having endless amounts of it. In the past, health information was either lacking or the majority was based on inaccurate beliefs. While we still have information circulating based on inaccurate beliefs, having an abundance of information is a good thing in the grand scheme of things. The hard part is, how do we make decisions for our own health and goals with all that info? You can find thousands of posts, videos, and ads on how to live better, morning routines, journaling, biohacking, meditations, supplements, cold plunges, sauna, red light therapy, exercises, etc.  It can be overwhelming and very easy to get lost in the ocean of information. Most of these practices are not bad and, in fact, some of them can enhance your life a lot based on the individual. In a lot of cases they have the great intent of promising a better version of ourselves. But are we measuring whether these practices are actually helping our ultimate goals in life? Are they more of a distraction that just depletes time and resources? Does the cost (time, money, etc) outweigh the reward? Are there better options? I will outline a 5 step decision framework and then use myself as an example of what I mean. 

Cue the 5 Step Decision Framework 

#1: Start by identifying your biggest life goals. What truly matters to you? Keep it simple and overarching. Whether career/purpose, helping people, relationships, physical health, spiritual health, mental health, seeing the world, a favorite hobby, etc. These are goals that really give you meaning as you go through life. And yes, these can change in different stages of life.  

#2: List your current health, wellness, and fitness practices that you're currently doing or want to do.  

#3: Now for each one, draw a clear cause and effect on how the practice moves you toward your biggest goals. For every practice, establish a CLEAR cause-and-effect relationship. How does it contribute to your overarching goals? If a practice doesn't have clarity in moving you toward your goals, it might be time to reconsider its place in your routine.

#4: Cut the practices that don't seem to bolster your goals. 

#5: For the ones that help, come back often and see how to improve the practice to further support the ultimate goal. 

Less is More, Myself as an Example 

I have three main goals in life. The first is to Love God. I want to glorify him in everything I do. My relationship and value through Jesus is #1 and I want him to be the guide to my path and calling. My second goal is to Love Others. Be a light, serve, and continue to develop meaningful relationships with my wife, family, friends, those in my orbit, and my dog (yes I said it 😂). My third goal is to help people with their pain and health. I want to guide people and give them resources to feel strong and their best so it creates a ripple effect of them better able to serve others and create a positive impact in their own way. 

So now any time I'm thinking of adding some new health or fitness routine, I ask myself if it's really moving me to being better in those three goals or not. I've tried and done so many things. Most of it in the past just blindely doing it without really assessing whether it was truly helping my overall life. While some of this stuff does take trial and error, these questions have helped me a lot. 

Examples of Changes in Health and Fitness Routines in My Own Life 

#1: I added in rucking. It fills boxes in all three goals. I get to interact with God's beautiful nature. Sometimes my wife, friends, or dog can come with me and is a great way to bond. I'm getting outside doing something challenging under load. And I also truly love it. I truly believe in order to help better guide people in their own health, I need to be happy, healthy, and strong myself.

#2: Still on the topic of exercising. I joined a group functional fitness gym (LVL WOD). I used to go to the gym and spend hour and half to two hours there. LVL WOD condenses my workout to an hour. While I very well could program strength workouts myself, it takes time away from all three goals. Any extra cardiovascular training like Zone 2 or rucking I do takes little to no time to program in based on what I'm training for.  I still have my own fitness goals and do events, but now I ask myself whether the return on investment fits within my overarching three goals. Again, this one thing, improves all things and giving me a huge mental boost to better serve and getting to interact with a community I love being around. 

#3: I used to go through periods of doing 20 minute meditations every up morning. Wim Hof routine is one example. The return on investment wasn't worth it. Did it help? Sure, but I can do a 3-5 minute simple breathing and silence session a few days a week and get similar benefit. It gives me the clarity I want with less time taken away from the main goals. 

#4: Getting early morning sunlight does give me a big benefit. Better sleep, a boost of energy, and less dependence on caffeine. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look up education from Andrew Huberman. But I used to focus so much on getting 10-20 minutes. Again I was blinded at meeting that goal just for the sake of being competitive and disciplined to meet that goal. I wasn't assessing whether it was actually helping me in the overarching goals. Once I noticed that, I found 5 minutes was just as effective on most days. Then if I have more time, I can go for a ruck to get more time outside. I can also use a red light box during my morning Bible reading. 

#5: Embracing discomfort: I think there is huge value is doing things that are uncomfortable but after going through it there is more productivity, clarity, and ideas. I find this with silence. I sometime do administrative work or workout in silence. It's uncomfortable at first not having music. or being on my phone but after that I feel I am way more prodcutive, connected, and ideas come to me easier. This is the same reason I do hard physical challenges every now and then. I can reflect back and see that I can do hard things, I am capable of much more, and apply lessons to my main goals.  

Keep the Main Goal(s), the Main Goal(s)

In a world drowning in wellness advice, the key is to always keep your eye on your main goals. Find the highest return on time and investment- stuff that brings the biggest light to your main goals. Avoid things that really are just distractions, focus on practices that truly contribute to the main goal and constantly refine them. Remember, less is more and that these can change in different seasons of life. It's about doing what matters most in the journey toward a healthier, more fulfilling, and giving life.

References:

• 2% with Michael Easter newsletter: https://www.twopct.com/
• Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter: https://eastermichael.com/books/
• Andrew Huberman: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/using-light-for-health
• Rucking: https://www.901pt.com/post/rucking-what-it-is-benefits-how-to-do-it#
• Quadrants of Exercise: https://www.ictmjc.com/rehabilitation
• Breathing: https://www.ictmjc.com/breath-restoration