I remember rushing up the down escalator at Macy’s in the Cape Cod Mall.
My mother was calmly riding the escalator up like a normal human being, thinking that I was going to get hurt (probably), that I was causing a scene (rightly), or that I was getting in the way of people trying to get off the escalator. (which is also correct).
Sometimes I managed to reach the top, exhausted and out of breath, but at the same time my mother arrived and laughed at how hard I had to struggle.
If you spend enough time at an airport (or travel with small children), within minutes you’ll see kids trying to run aboard a people mover traveling in the opposite direction. For them it’s exhaustion, for us it’s entertainment.
See where I’m going with this?
My friend Mark Manson wrote: his newsletter this week:
“All the grit, tenacity, and motivation in the world won’t do you any good if you’re working on the wrong thing. In fact, it’ll do the opposite.”
So today’s question comes to you…
Where are you running up and down the escalator?
I remember having the following conversation with Coach Matt from Team NF earlier this year. client coaching There are those who succeed and those who struggle.
- Successful people: They identify the escalator going in the right direction and try hard to get on it. Each step actually increases their effort.
- People who are struggling: They continue to invest energy, will, and effort into changes that don’t move the needle.
I’m sure you’ve wondered if all your hard work was really worth it, or wondered why progress seems harder than usual.
Below are some examples of trying to run up a down escalator.
- Spending a lot of money on expensive supplements (do not have prescribed by a medical professional).
- Switch to organic, gluten-free, or low-carb keto snack-based snacks exclusively About the latest trends.
- Trying complicated diets that don’t work actually Eat less.
- do an exercise you hate exclusively For reasons of weight loss.
Running (and other things that are considered aerobic exercise) wonderful For heart and lung health. However, running and aerobic exercise Much less effective for weight loss More than we think (unless we also adjust our nutritional strategy).
My guess is that you want to look more “toned”. In other words, you don’t just want to “lose weight”, you want to preserve muscle and reduce the fat that’s on top of it.
If these are our goals, it’s important to focus on the right escalator.
Here is an example of walking up an up escalator.
Show me someone who eats mostly protein, fruits, and vegetables, and does 30 minutes of strength training (gradual overload) several times a week. Then let’s show the person going up the escalator on the right.
The problem is: Humans are not designed to like exercise.. We also weren’t designed to thrive in a world where delicious food, high in calories and low in nutrients, is readily available.
So if you’re going to spend your precious brain power and energy doing something, something, It might be a good idea to trick yourself into choosing the right thing.
Yes, there is also an element of overall “life and behavior” change in this (we covered this in a previous newsletter) Manageable and meaningful). But deciding “how quickly to take these meaningful steps” should be a better question to ask than “why aren’t we making progress despite this?” Are you working that hard? ”
Get off the wrong escalator and get on the right one.
You might be able to put that effort to good use!
-Steve
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