Arjun Desai

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Majoring in the Minors

I’ve been reflecting on health & fitness recently. It’s been a series of crests and troughs over the last 20 years.

I know it’ll be a lifelong journey of learning & experimentation. Something I’ve learned in the last decade is to avoid majoring in the minors.

I have read articles, watch videos, and hear podcasts. All to ad nauseam. This snowballed into a cycle of the minutia of “small hacks” or “tweaks” to see results faster.

It was difficult to sustain anything beyond basic fundamentals. I’ve tried to implement these simple 80/20 rules that I read a long time ago.

  • Doing some movement in the day. Trying to walk & take the stairs when I can.

  • Having some form of progression over time in your training. Tracking growth via the Strong app (highly recommend) and my Apple watch.

  • Eating an appropriate amount of calories and protein. Letting go of breakfast, managing emotional eating through better snacks (grapes!), and removing binge-inducing food (aka getting individually wrapped sweets).

  • Getting enough sleep, rest, and recovery from training. Using natural light to wake up vs. an alarm.

  • Consistency over time. And using my calendar to help keep me accountable.

My ultimate goal is to work with my body, not against it. And trusting my body will show up if I treat it fairly & gently.

How are you thinking about this space in 2022?