Here comes the great debate! Should you focus more on a fitness routine or nutrition plan to reach your health and wellness goals? If you’re brand new to starting to work towards your wellness goals, my first response would be to focus on whichever one you find more joy in and build upon that. Be realistic with yourself that you’re starting something new and the best way you can see a positive result is to focus on the things that you enjoy that will benefit you.
Now, if you’re ready to really tackle the goals you’ve set but seem to feel stuck, let’s dive in further.
The 80 / 20 Mindset
This is what I love to live by! It works for so many different things and especially for the relationship between fitness and nutrition. So how does this work? Well, it works by focusing on your nutrition for 80% and the other 20% to be towards your fitness.
If you think about it, the fitness part is really the easy part. We’ve let it become much more difficult and complicated than it should be. 30 minutes to an hour of your day is NOT hard. I know I’ve had days where I spend that much time scrolling social media. It’s more about carving out the pockets of time in our days where we can do something so much more beneficial for our bodies.
On the other hand, nutrition is something that people aren’t spending much time on. Yet, this is something that’s constantly happening throughout the day. There’s breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and dessert, not to mention the beverages we consume as well, that we need to make conscious decisions on.
Let’s dive in more to the percentages of your fitness and nutrition.
20% Fitness
The belief that if you work hard enough in the gym you’re bound to see results…isn’t going to cut it. To a certain degree, yes you might see some results. If you’re getting up early to workout at the gym for an hour in the morning – GREAT job. Most people struggle with the drive and determination that you’ve mastered.
However, what does the rest of your day look like? Are you stopping by McDonalds on the way to work because you didn’t give yourself time to make a healthy breakfast? When you get home from work are you heating up a frozen dinner or putting together a quick and healthy meal?
Don’t get me wrong, fitness is still something we all should be doing in our lives. Whether it’s getting outside to walk an hour a day, practice yoga, or head to a class at the gym. Just be careful not to fall into the trap that just because you’ve worked out, your body is going to change dramatically while you still sit on the couch with your bag of chips.
80% Nutrition
The part where we really need to be more conscious of in our routines. How many times are you getting hungry for a snack and turning to a candy bar or a bag of chips? They’re convenient and delicious. I totally get it. But they really aren’t going to do anything for those wellness goals you have!
If you’re unsure of how to even go about changing your nutrition try to document what you eat for just one week. This will allow you to see some healthy habits you already have and some unhealthy habits. Better yet, take this list and head on over to your favorite health coach (hi, it’s me) and make an appointment to discuss a plan to move forward from where you’re at.
Whenever people think they need to eat healthier, for some reason the initial thought is they’re going to starve and have to give up eating food. In their minds, what else is there besides fast food? It’s about flipping the mindset and realizing while you’re removing some foods from your diet, you get to add so many new nutritious foods to replace them. Think of all the new ways you can try cooking with them. After a few weeks of switching out the bag of chips for some carrots and hummus you’ll soon wonder why you ever wanted chips in the first place.
All in all, remember this is a journey and not a one fix wonder. Use this reminder of the 80 / 20 rule for your fitness and nutrition throughout the weeks ahead. Choose the workout that fits you best and that you enjoy. Up your nutrition by finding foods you like and look forward to getting creative in the kitchen. I hope this helped give you an insight to whether fitness or nutrition is the best route towards your goals.
