🥉 Sometimes you have to do less to do more

Good morning! Honestly, I don’t have anything creative or quippy to say. But I do love this week’s article, and it came together so quickly—after a run, I might add. I hope you enjoy it!

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Recently, I’ve picked up running again. Several reasons made me want to, including reading Born to Run, making the switch to Vivobarefoot shoes and changing my running form to a forefoot strike, and receiving some recent less-than-ideal cholesterol blood test results.

I’ve run four half-marathons (13.1 miles) and plenty of 5ks in my history of running (which basically started 10 years ago with training for my first half). But I’ve fallen out of practice and haven’t done very much running the past couple years, due in part to a long stint of recurring gout.

With my running history, you’d think it’d be easy to hop right back into things and pick up where I left off, right?

Wrong.

It’s painful, it’s slow, it’s dreadful. More so than strength training, cardiovascular fitness is one of the exercise-related fitness markers that drops off the quickest once you stop doing it. I’ve still been doing plenty of walks and other forms of cardio, but my body can definitely tell that I haven’t run much in a while.

I feel it both in my heart rate and breathing, as well as in my muscles, joints, tendons, and cartilage. But that doesn’t mean you can’t come back. You can regain cardiorespiratory fitness—aka “get back in shape”—just about as fast as you lost it. Your tissues can adapt if given adequate exercise dosing and time. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy… or quick.

Because I changed my running form, I was feeling some aches and soreness in places I wasn’t used to. One short, slow run would leave my feet and calves sore for 2–3+ days afterward, making me not want to get out and do it again. So I’d take a week or two off before I mustered up the motivation to go try again, only to repeat the same cycle.

The problem is, I was trying to do too much, too soon.

Because I know what I have done and what my body can do (in the past), I want to rush back to that level. Because I know I want to be running 3–5 times a week for at least half an hour each, I want to be there now. But my body isn’t ready for that yet. Thus, I ended up not doing much at all.

Sometimes you need permission to do less, so you can actually do more.

I wanted to be running 5x per week. But because I wasn’t able yet, I was actually doing even less than I was capable of.

It can be intimidating to know you’re not close to where you want to be. “Why even bother at all,” you might say. Don’t let yourself get paralyzed by the fear of starting, or of what might lie ahead.

I needed to hear (on a podcast—typical Drew) someone give me permission to do less. Because “less than ideal” (with room to grow) is still exponentially better than “nothing.”

• The greatest increase in health benefits comes from going from the bottom fifth percentile of fitness to the second-to-bottom fifth. It truly makes that much of a difference!

So I started small. I decided I’d do a minimum of two runs per week. And not even nonstop: I’m doing 4 minutes running, 1 minute walking, times four. 20 minutes total. Not worrying about pace. Once on the weekend and once during the week.

Is that where I want to be? Not ultimately, no. But it’s a solid start, and it’s a bare minimum I can hold myself accountable to each week. And guess what. After just a few weeks, I’m already feeling better and more confident. I’m starting to love it again!

Pick a minimum non-negotiable.

Picking a minimum non-negotiable can be a game changer if you’re struggling to stick to the behaviors that lead to your ultimate goal. If you can achieve that every day, week, or month, it stacks small wins in your favor and lays down new, good habits.

I’ve had different minimum non-negotiables in the past. This is the current one I’m working on.

Here are some other examples of potential minimum non-negotiables:

• Consume 1.2g/kg of protein per day (e.g. 96 grams for an 80kg person)

• Eat 30g of protein at breakfast and dinner

• Drink 64 oz. of water every day

• Get 7+ hours of sleep every night

• Lift weights for 20 minutes twice per week

• Take a 5-minute walk every day

• Eat 3 fruits/veggies per day

• Get 10 minutes of sunshine every morning

• Call or text one three loved ones every week

• Meditate for two minutes before bed every night

These are of course just a handful of examples. Whatever you choose, it should be a slight challenge, but easily attainable if you set your mind to it. Something you can truly achieve every day/week.

If you can get in the habit of nailing your minimum non-negotiable, you’ll have formed a new habit within a few weeks or months. It can take a while, but if you’re consistent, you literally lay down new neural pathways in your brain that create lasting change.

And odds are, you’ll sometimes go beyond your minimum. Then, you’ll feel even better about yourself!

Once your non-negotiable becomes second nature, you can increase it, or pick a new one in the same category (e.g. me moving to three 30-minute runs per week) or another facet of life (e.g. waking up within the same half hour every day, a true struggle for yours truly).

Perhaps there’s another half marathon in my not-too-distant future. Perhaps I’ll run 30 miles for my 30th birthday 👀 (putting that out into the universe now, let’s see what happens 😮‍💨)

You have permission to do less to start doing more. Pick a minimum non-negotiable today!

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Pick one very small, very doable habit you can create, and make it a non-negotiable in your life. You can even adjust the frequency (e.g. three days a week I will ____) so you don’t feel bad for missing a day.

Level 2: Stick to your bare minimum non-negotiable for at least one month. Notice the changes. How easy does it feel at the end of the month compared to the beginning? Celebrate that win!

Level 3: After you’ve nailed down some habits, pick new domains to incorporate non-negotiables. Examples include mental health, stress management, financial wellness, socializing, cooking, reading. Make it yours!

This newsletter is brought to you by… me!

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✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Podcast: Why “Build Muscle” is the New “Lose Weight.” I’m always saying this! I’m also always saying that it’s okay to put ice in your milk if you want it extra cold. Pick at least one of those statements to agree with this week!

• Shopping: You may have heard it’s Prime Day(s)! Don’t drop hundos you weren’t planning on. But health and fitness-wise, I copped great deals (30-40%+ off) yesterday on my favorite protein powder and a new kettlebell! The deals are probably different today, but if you’re in the market for protein powders, supplements, or exercise equipment, there are lots of sales!

Farewell for the week, friends. Heads up, next week’s newsletter might be shorter (I say that and watch it be a dissertation).

Go enjoy all the fun summer things and I’ll see you in your inbox next week! Share this with a friend for good luck 👇️🍀 

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).