Ok – I’m already going to backtrack from the title – but simply to give you one change to make in each of the exercise and healthy eating arenas. This doesn’t mean these are the only things you should address. It means that, from the proverbial 80/20 perspective (assuming that fixing the appropriate 20% of a flawed operation will improve the output that operation produces by around 80%), each of these is the one thing that will trigger a huge improvement for each of these two areas of wellness for most people:

More Veggies (Healthy Eating) – I would estimate the starting percentage, for most of our clients and club members, of total food consumed over the course of the day that veggies account for to be in the 5-15% range. Boosting that to around 25%, and making veggies more than half of dinner would be the tipping point for most people to get to and stay at their lean, ideal body composition. Why? Because no food group comes close to the volume and nutrient-richness (vitamins, minerals, fiber and even some protein) that veggies provide. I get mine by including V8 or scrambled eggs with spinach and salsa at breakfast, raw veggies throughout the day and making salad or veggies about 2/3 of my dinner composition. Unless you overeat and/or take in empty calories (dessert, alcohol) after dinner, you really can’t hold onto a lot of body fat with that approach.

Short, High-Intensity, Full-Body Muscle Endurance (Exercise) – Think about gymnasts, fighters and obstacle course runners like the American Ninja Warriors. These athletes generate maximum effort with nearly every large muscle group for insanely intense but short bursts that require more time resting afterward than the working period. That burns more calories and builds more strength and stamina than any other type of training. You can do this on your own and at your own level of fitness too. Here’s a quick clip of one of the circuits from our studio’s small group training program.

Look at your eating and exercise habits with an open, critical eye and ask yourself if you could benefit from some fine tuning. If so, this one change in each area is a great place to start.

Learn more about how to get and stay in great shape? Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer