I could go on and on about “why we rarely stick to resolutions”, but I would only end up telling you things that don’t really help you. Instead, let’s do something useful by discussing the highest impact steps and mechanisms that can realistically help you get to a goal that matters to you, and without it draining your soul.

Processes lead to outcomes

If we want to improve our health (say lowering negative blood markers, developing a more consistent relationship with food, increasing cardiovascular capacity, becoming more physically resilient) then there are simple (not to be confused for easy) high impact steps (processes) we can take to achieve these things.

Driving without a map

Too often we get stuck focusing on the goal (outcome) without addressing the steps needed to get there. This can feel like driving across the country without Google maps. Don’t get me wrong, we could do it, but we’d definitely get lost and frustrated A LOT, and most likely call it quits about 10% of the way into our journey. Then not only would we not get to our destination, but for most of us, we would think twice about trying such an endeavor again next week/month/year.

So how do we improve our odds of being successful and also lessen our odds of crashing and burning? Well, we can start by developing our own health and fitness version of Google maps with some simple, specific, and high-impact processes.

Processes are like the prompts, warnings, and directions we follow that guide us to our destination. The better the prompts/directions, the smoother the drive/journey (if you have ever used WZE you’ll know there is a difference between good prompts and poor ones). I have built out a scenario in the table below for us to follow along with (yes, because I am a dork and I love tables).

Example scenario

In the scenario in the table, our “driver” starts by laying out where they are starting from and where they want to go. Then, using realistic, scalable, and high-impact actions, they layer on one process after another which helps them build up speed towards the desired destination (outcome).

Avoiding the extremes

Sticking with the journey analogy; if we drove across the country as fast as we could, we would inevitably make it harder for ourselves than needed. Sure we want to get there fast enough, but in one piece and with no wrecks along the way right?

Oftentimes health and fitness are sold to us in the extremes. It’s either “1 simple trick to X” or “lose fat/gain muscle in just 6 weeks”. You likely know by now that this is utter bollocks. But when it’s the only option, then I can see why people buy into it.

If you want a more sustainable option to improve health that isn’t rooted in the extreme, has a significantly lower risk of wreck, ruin, psychological cost, and is clearly laid out for you to customize and see progress with, then this next bit is for you.

How to start taking action

I made my Health and Fitness Process Builder Tool to help people like you prioritize and execute on the highest value actions for overall improved health and fitness. Each action (process) has a point value assigned to it with the goal being to hit 100 or more points in 1 or all categories every day. It is expected that this will take some time to build up to. Once there, the goal is to maintain it for as many days as possible. By focusing on the processes needed to achieve an outcome and being consistent in their execution, we can build knowledge, competence, and momentum in our day-to-day, rather than looking at how far we have still to travel. You can download your free copy of the Health and Fitness Process Builder Tool at the button below.

This is a free tool and one many of my personal training and nutrition coaching clients have found profoundly useful.

PS.

If you found this article helpful, please share it with those in your circle. If you have any questions about how to use this tool or get the most out of it, please reply to this email and let me know. I’ll be happy to help.

Thanks as always.

Jay