Fitness Isn't Complicated
Here’s my philosophy on fitness, as 20-something year old, not-a-professional, only my own experience and common sense to back it up:
Fitness is only complicated because there’s money in complexity, variety, and uncertainty.
Here’s all anyone needs to be fit and healthy. I’d argue this is 90% of it, and the other 10% is probably just min-maxing and overdoing it. These are roughly in order of importance; I could see this list in a couple of different configurations but this is my preferred right now.
1. Have a healthy body composition. This alone will reduce or eliminate so much risk and health complication. It’s the single most important thing to do for yourself. The way you get there is diet. Diet. Diet. See no. 2.
2. Make protein the central focus of what you eat every day. If you eat enough protein, you’ll be full, feeling good, and won’t overeat and put on excess body fat. Construct your entire food lifestyle around your protein sources. Eat it at every meal. Supplement if you have to. Everything else is in order to complement the protein, eat them sparingly and thoughtfully.
3. Get enough sleep. Sleep could be no. 1 on this list, depending on your specific situation. Sleep is just as important as food or water to health. Get as much high-quality sleep as possible. If you should construct your food lifestyle around protein, you should construct your night lifestyle around good sleep habits.
4. Have an active, strong, and enriching social life. We humans are social creatures meant to live, talk with, and bond with one another. Spending too much time alone and away from others is bad. It’s bad for your soul and your health. Spend time with your loved ones, people you admire, and people who have good habits. It will positively affect you and make much of your life better.
5. Exercise as often as you can. It’s a miracle drug. Everyone should be exercising often, however they want. Do what’s fun and sustainable for you. Whatever you can make routine is the best. Whether it’s spin class, pick up basketball, powerlifting, swimming laps at the pool, or some combination of all those, they all work. Full stop.
6. Hydrate and get sunlight. These are mildly important compared to the first five, but they seemed worth calling out separately because they both can have outsized impact on your health if you don’t do them. Drink enough fluids throughout the day, especially if you’re more active. Sunlight means get outside during the day, especially in the morning.
7. Everything else. For the average person, almost everything else doesn’t really matter compared to the previous six things. Unless you have a special condition or something that requires extra attention or effort, don’t spend your precious time and energy on it before the previous six things.
No one is doing all of these perfectly all the time. If you’re a normal, healthy person, you probably shouldn’t. Having one too many beers and staying out all night with friends once in a while can also healthy in its own way (see social connection). Focus on these in your daily routines, you’ll be fine.