How to Go From Sick to Well to Fit

Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.

Nothing great was ever achieved without it; and it’s manifested in your habits.

I’ve talked extensively about habits before, but today I wanted to give you the 10 most important habits that will break you from the shackles of sickness, move you through wellness, and eventually on to fitness (“super wellness”). Each habit should be maintained for 18 days before trying to tackle the next one.

If you started today, 18 days for each habit would solidify your fitness in 6-months — still enough time to achieve your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions. (Why 18 days? Read the argument from the author of Atomic Habits here.)

Habit #1: Sleep 7.5+ Hours/Night

We’ve been saying 7-8 hours for years now at RxFIT, but I’ve learned that everyone immediately resorts to the number 7 instead of 8.

The science is irrefutable here — we need eight hours of sleep. Have you ever thought that we are literally the only species on planet earth that willing deprive ourselves of sleep? Sleep needs to become a non-negotiable.

But getting 8 hours is tough when you’re only sleeping 6. So get at least 7.5 hours for 18 days in-a-row and then move on to habit #2.

Habit #2: Keep Calories Under 1,500 (Females) 1700 (Males)

You overeat and you don’t know it. Cut back the calories and you will immediately begin to see results. If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying to you. Weight loss always starts with eating less food.

The key though is consistency. You can’t eat 1,500 calories for four days and then eat 3,000 calories on Saturday. Weekdays and weekends need to have the same calorie count. My dad did this two months ago and lost 15-lbs in three weeks.

After habit #2, you’ll start to feel the momentum (don’t worry, you’ll start to eat more calories after you develop the future habits).

Habit #3: Train 5x Week

There are two important pieces to this habit: 5x and train.

You need to workout 5x week, but those workouts need to be hard. I’m talking about a workout where you need to shower afterwards.

If you’re just putting on deodorant or spraying yourself down under after a workout, it doesn’t count… that workout was weak and you know it. You need to earn a shower by smelling bad (I’m being serious). Take pride in training hard when you’re in the gym. There’s a difference between exercising and training.

Exercising is what the government recommends and yields chronic disease, low hormones, diabetes, and premature death. Don’t do it.

Training is what we recommend and yields low blood pressure, low cholesterol, low triglycerides, low body fat, low A1c, high muscle mass, and high bone density.

The habit we love is to train hard Monday-Friday and then do something fun outside with your whole family on Saturday (swimming, hiking, throwing a baseball, etc.) Then, rest on Sunday. You will have earned it.

Habit #4: Stop The Excuses

“I have a bad back…”

“I’m too busy…”

“It’s raining outside…”

“I was up all night finishing up something for my boss…”

…

The list can go on forever…

Excuses are the plague and need to be avoided at all costs.

A simple trick to eliminate them is to sit down at your kitchen table every night and write down in the notes of your phone every excuse you used during the day.

Then, commit to not using any of those tomorrow. Do this for 18-days!

Habit #5: Workout With the Same Group

The fittest on earth train in teams — even if they’re individual athletes. Olympic runners, swimmers, bikers, weight lifters, and everyone in between train with a team. If they need one, you do too.

I recommend going to the same class every day at RxFIT. You’ll find a team within that class hour that will support you during your transformation.

And if you’re reading this and think, “I don’t need a team…” you’re making an excuse and need to go back to habit #4.

You need a team.

Habit #6: Find a Best Friend

First we need a small quantity of friends, then we need a quality best friend.

I’ll address this more in a future post, but I’m only mentioning this habit because it actually improves your fitness.

Jordan had Pippen. Tom Brady has Rob Gronkowski. Steph Curry has Klay Thompson.

It’s no secret. You need someone you can depend on. And even better, someone that depends on you. Just make sure that best friend is in the gym training with you.

So how do you make a best friend?

I’ll let you figure that out.

Habits 7-10 to be continued tomorrow…

Habit 7: Empower Your Thoughts

Habit 8: Meet the Workout Stimulus

Habit 9: Eat a Vegetable at Every Meal

Habit 10: Go to Bed At The Same Time Every Night