How to abate Analysis Paralysis in starting your health and fitness journey.
Elevator Pitch (noun) –
– A succinct and persuasive sales pitch. [Google Dictionary, ie – Oxford Languages]
– A short description of an idea, product or company that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. [Wikipedia]
– A brief talk or pitch intended to sell or win approval for something [Dictionary.com]
The Breadth Problem
Picture this scenario. You, being like 95%+ of the American population, participate in less than thirty minutes of physical activity each day, and you, along with two-thirds of the American population, are overweight or obese. However, having mustered up the courage to actually do something about this and improve your health and fitness, you set out to find some answers.
As of this writing, a Google search of “how to be healthy and fit” provides just over 2 BILLION results. Ask ten of your close friends or relatives that question, and you will likely get ten different answers. Ask ten health and fitness professionals that question, and you will still likely get different answers. The amount of information available, while awesome, can be cumbersome to navigate, and can (and does) lead to many people becoming paralyzed when trying to figure how to get started. There are just so many different types of exercise and diet plans, with each one having just as many opinions as to its efficacy or lack thereof. This is muy no bueno for someone already burning a lot of willpower just getting through the initial stages of change; they’re exhausted before they’ve even begun!
I don’t necessarily think that anyone is to blame here, but there is still an issue that needs resolved. There should be a way for someone to confidently take action on their own, right away, and then fuss about the details later, as “just showing up” is the most important determinant of success, at least initially. The vast amount of information available should promote, not inhibit, healthy habits.
The Depth Problem
In addition to the issues caused by the sheer volume of different information, there are also issues, at least from the fitness professional’s perspective, at the individual level as it pertains to specificity. I very often find myself having conversations with folks that usually involve some iteration of the following two questions in a scenario in which I have a very short time to convey a response:
1 – “I’m trying to get healthy. What should I do?”
2 – “I want to lose weight/get in shape. What are your thoughts on [insert flavor of the month diet/exercise program], my [friend/doctor/television/magazine/Instagram feed] says that it’s the best way to do it.”
Usually, in an attempt to be thorough and provide the best possible response for that particular individual, the conversation proceeds with me asking questions to glean information about that person’s specific goals, training history, preferences, etc. Unfortunately, with the time constraints that come with these sorts of interactions, there just isn’t enough time. In the best cases they’re left with their question unanswered, and in the worst cases they’re left completely confused by my lack of brevity and overload of information. OOPS!
“What do”, then? Is the simple concept of “being fit and healthy” so complex that it’s impossible to actually define, not only succinctly, but at all? Is there a way to give short, general recommendations applicable to most people that are universal and easy to understand but yet precise enough to be able to implement? In other words, is a health and fitness elevator pitch possible?
The Solution
Over the past several months, as these conversations have tended to occur more frequently, I have distilled down my basic response to common questions to something that resembles the following:
It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do, as long as you are doing at least 150 minutes per week of aerobic based activity and two days per week of strength based activity that trains every muscle group, and it doesn’t matter how you eat, as long as you’re able to achieve and maintain a waist circumference of less than 40″ (if you’re male) or less than 35″ (if you’re female).
In reference to the first statement, The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides very simple metrics to meet to realize the majority of health benefits of exercise. Thus, as long as what you’re doing meets the criteria, you’re well on your way to optimizing your health. If you want to get more results later, then you can for sure tinker, get more in-depth, and optimize. For now, though, literally anything that meets the criteria will get you most of the way there.
In reference to the second statement, the train of thought flows as follows: 1) If someone maintains the recommended waist circumference, then he or she will be at reduced risk for a majority of the chronic lifestyle related health conditions and will likely be within his or her recommended body weight. 2) If someone only maintained a healthy body weight and ignored all other aspects of “healthy eating”, then he or she would still see the majority of health benefits derived from nutrition. 3) The only long term determinant of body weight is calorie balance. 4) Therefore, it does not matter how one eats initially, as long as he or she eats in such a way to control calorie balance, which promotes a healthy body weight and waist circumference, which provide the majority of health benefits as it relates to nutrition. If, later on, you want to eke out more potential benefits, then you can focus on other aspects like food composition, macronutrient ratios, food timing, etc. For now, though, focus on one metric that will drive the majority of health benefits.
So, to put this idea into action, if you are just starting out, then as you consider various options for exercise and nutrition, compare it to the elevator pitch to see if it passes muster. Similarly, if you’ve been training for any amount of time, check and see if your current program meets the guidelines. If not, you may benefit from some adjustments. If you’re a fitness professional that, like me, often finds yourself in short conversations or scenarios in which you just don’t have much time to get in depth, try some version the elevator pitch. Your friends, family, coworkers, and potential clients will likely benefit.
Summary
That’s the elevator pitch. Although unlikely to win any marketing or advertising awards, it does do the job of giving pretty much everyone quick and simple guidelines to get started immediately to obtain pretty much all of the health benefits one can achieve via diet and exercise.
I appreciate your time and attention! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
-Dexter
P.S. – If you’d like an entry level program that is 1) based off of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2) requires no equipment, and 3) is FREE, then grab a copy of PROSPECT, found here.
Resources:
https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/guidelines/current/obesity-guidelines/e_textbook/txgd/4142.htm