Tag Archives: quick tips

Routine optimization

10 techniques for improved motivation, time management, and energy

[1 min read]

 

10 techniques discovered in 10 months that you can implement in 10 days

Magnify motivation, extract extra time, and amplify your energy

Part 1 – Setting the context

As a corporate strategy consultant, the most difficult question I’ve encountered and sought to answer was not related to corporate strategy at all…but biology:

What specific actions should I take to most effectively progress physical fitness and mental performance within career constraints?

 

The key issue – the job and fitness require motivation, time, and energy – we have a finite amount of each.

Finite? Yes. Permanent? No.  Our motivation, time, and energy storage capacities are determined by our daily routines, decisions, and environments.

The experiment – continually tweak my routine to maximize these finite factors.

The results – this four-part launch series details the top 10 tools and techniques that have helped me maximize motivation, time, and energy with respect to my health.

 

10 tips to implement in 10 days?

 

Although I advocate for gradual lifestyle change when testing new routines, the following 10 tips are instantly implementable into a sustainable routine. So, for compliance sake, 10 days is ambitious, a month or two is recommended.

 

Continue on to learn the first of the 3 techniques provided in these launch articles, in Launch series part 2: Methods to magnify motivation [3 min read]

 

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Written by Matt Hersh

Corporate consultant, fitness coach, amateur chef, blogger

Mental performance, Motivation magnification

3 methods to magnify motivation

[3 min read]

10 techniques discovered in 10 months that you can implement in 10 days

Magnify motivation, extract extra time, and amplify your energy

 

“… Motivation comes from within …”

 

But does it actually?

 

Google this quote, dozens of variations and attributions appear. While some degree of natural motivation may be hardwired into DNA, I believe that there are specific actions and ways to arrange external environments to facilitate motivation. Thus, if motivation comes from within, you have the power to trigger motivation from with-out.

 

Here are 3 techniques discovered over the past 10 months of experimenting, that drive my personal motivation for achieving better health:

 

 

1)  Setting goals and creating stakes with consequences

Force the avoidance of failure.

 

Goal-based exercise programs, founded in specifics, with shared accountability, lead to greater compliance than a solo mission to “lose weight,” “gain weight,” or “get healthy.” Putting stakes ahead of the goal (e.g., signing up for a marathon, a bet with friends, announcing the start of a future business) clears the path for achievement. Even if motivation reduces to avoiding failure, it’s effective.

I’ve experienced this sentiment with FitInCorporate.

8 months ago I made it my goal to get in the best physical shape I could manage within the bounds of corporate life…and blog about it. Since my plan was to write about health and fitness – I had get in shape. Yes, it was effective (before and after case study to come).

For more on this motivational strategy, see Tim Ferriss’ DiSSS method:

 

“… How do I set up stakes to create real consequences and guarantee I follow the program? …”

Tim Ferriss, The Four Hour Chef

 

 

2)  Training with a partner

For mutual motivation and accountability.

 

I worked out with my brother in high school, my roommate in college, and then on my own in grad school and while traveling. Once I got used to solo training, the perceived benefits of a training partner faded.

Recently I started working out with my coworker Eric. Since combining efforts, we’ve exercised according to plan, with more intensity, and remained compliant to our diets. Together, we have seen greater progress in the past three months than in the previous six while solo.

 

Even Arnold agrees with the benefits of a gym buddy:

 

After training for a year in California without a partner, Arnold Schwartzenager convinced gym owner, Joe Weider to fly over his former training buddy, Franco Columbo. He believed he would be more successful with someone to push him through bouts of intensive training.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

 

If you don’t have a readily available gym buddy, another great option is to hire a personal trainer. I highly recommend this one.

 

 

3)  Quantifying – before, during, after a training program

Quantification in the beginning of a program provides a baseline to compare progress against.

 

For body composition change (e.g,., fat loss, muscle gain), metrics to measure could include:

  • Body composition – At about ~$100, DEXA scans are the gold standard for measuring lean mass, fat mass, and bones density. Worth the investment if ‘improving the next scan’ acts as motivation
  • Photos – Like the DEXA scan, photos provide a point-in-time measurement to compare against and motivate improvement
  • Weight – change in weight should be carefully examined, since it does not account for body composition shifts e.g., fat to muscle. However, if strength and visible muscle mass are maintained, weight loss can approximate fat loss

These measurements scratch the surface of bio-quantification. Other interesting health indicators to track may be:

  • Blood markers – comprehensive metabolic panel for general health benchmarking (usually covered by insurance and as easy as asking your doctor, few will say ‘no’ to checking things like HDL, LDL, and triglycerides)
  • Heart rate variability (HRV) – I track this daily to approximate central nervous stress and determine training intensity that day (more content to come on this)
  • Sleep quality – test how actions like pre-bed habits affect sleep
  • Caloric burn/consumption – to approximate caloric deficit, abundance, or maintenance, dependent on body goals
  • Performance indicators – track progress in the gym with “classic” tests like 1 rep max, timed-mile, sit-and-reach, etc.

 

Now we’re motivated. But do we have the time to get after it?

Here are 3 ways to Extract extra time out of the day in Launch series part 3 [3 min read]

 

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Written by Matt Hersh

Corporate consultant, fitness coach, amateur chef, blogger

P.S. For tools, tips, and tricks like these delivered direct – follow on Facebook!

 

Routine optimization, Time management

4 ways to extract extra time out of the day

[3 min read]

 

10 techniques discovered in 10 months that you can implement in 10 days

Magnify motivation, extract extra time, and amplify your energy

 

“… What activities will provide more future time output than initial time input?  …”

 

With prioritization, planning, and preparation we can enable significant future free time with minimal present time investment.

Here are examples of prioritization, planning, and preparation in action, through 4 tactics to extract extra minutes out of every day:

 

 

1)  Prioritize morning movement

 

“… Once the day starts, well, then other people get to have a vote in what you’re doing …”

Jocko Willink, retired Navy SEAL and NYT Best Selling Author

 

Early mornings are likely the only time of the day where the Outlook calendar is clear and the engagements of the day are not tugging in all directions. It took weeks of late nights in the office and missed evening workouts for me to internalize that the only window of opportunity for routine exercise was before the work day began.

 

Now, I find that I am more productive when I start a day with movement and maintain a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I have already accomplished something crucial for my health. In addition, there is research to support the benefits of early morning physical activity lasting throughout the day – health-conscious decision making, increased metabolism, and enhanced cognitive function.

 

But what if my body physically doesn’t function in the morning?

Don’t worry, the latest in circadian biology is on your side. New research shows that our internal clock timing may differ from person to person. Your personal biology might actually not be wired for morning activity. This makes evolutionary sense. Back in the day, someone had to protect the tribe from hungry wolves in the middle of the night. Maybe your ancestors were the nocturnal badasses protecting the proliferation of the human race and that’s why you’re a night owl?

Luckily, for all the midnight warriors, morning stragglers, and anyone that wants to wake up with more energy, there are biohacks that can shift your circadian rhythm for better morning function. Morning movement is one way, see Launch series part (4/4): Amplify your energy levels, for more.

 

 

2)  Plan exercise over winging it

Less time thinking about what to do = more time to do

 

Workouts are most efficient when exercises, sets per exercises, reps per set, and rest times are predetermined. Here is an example of what a heavier leg day might look like for me:

 

Warm-up

  • 5-min jump rope
  • 5-min dynamic movement

 

Workout

  • Back squat
  • Front squat
  • Jump lunge
  • Side lunge
  • Standing calf raise
  • Seated calf raise
  • Leg press
  • Assisted pistol squat finishers

 

Cadence and volume*:

  • Number of exercises: 6-10
  • Number of sets per exercise: 3-5
  • Pyramid loading: increase weight each set, reduce for the last one or two
  • Reps per set: 6-12

*  Cadence and volume depend on time available and planned intensity

If in a time crunch, I will pre-plan the entire workout (including time between sets) and execute to finish within 20-30 min.

 

Side note:

Exercise program design should be linked to the fitness goal(s) e.g., fat loss, muscle gain, cardio endurance. For a personal training industry perspective on program design and some useful frameworks, check out this NSCA guide.

 

 

3)  Prepared breakfast smoothie

Minimizing morning tasks = sleeping later

 

Since time-to-bed is variable, often later than desired or expected, minimization of morning tasks to complete helps maximize sleep time. Less time needed in the morning results from prep the previous day or days before.

If I plan to eat breakfast the next day (I may not when on a fat loss program), a premade breakfast smoothie saves ~15 minutes of morning meal prep. Here is one of my go-to green smoothies:

 

Blended Brunch

  • 1/4 cup of organic frozen spinach/kale
  • A few florets of frozen broccoli
  • 1/4 cup of frozen blue berries
  • 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1 tsb. of chia, flax, hemp seed mix
  • 1/4 cup of coconut cream
  • 2 tsb. of grass-fed, full-fat yogurt
  • 1 tsb. of organic nut butter (almond, peanut, walnut, cashew, etc.)
  • Lots of ground cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla extract
  • Add almond or coconut milk to desired thickness
  • Optional: Grass-fed whey/collagen protein, ginger root, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, Cacao nibs or dark chocolate, Stevia

I minimize daily sugar intake – to increase sweetness, add extra fruit or stevia.

This blend will replenish amino acids, supercharge your body with polyphenols, and provide healthy fat to have you on your way to a kick-ass day.

 

 

4) Prep Sunday for a week of meals

Upfront time invested:  Massive Sunday meal prep (1-2 hours)

Time saved during the week: lunch line (15 min) + dinner order/cook (5 min to 45 min/day)

I’ll let you run the math for your personal routine.

For me, Sunday meal prep can easily return 2-3X the time (and $$$) initially invested. Another benefit, possibly of greater importance  – I know that all food I consume is clean and beneficial for progression of health and fitness goals.

Sunday meal prep is a relatively new installment of mine, and now it’s something I swear by. Check out my Instagram for some FitInCorporate friendly recipes.

 

 

Any of these tips help free up a few minutes in your week?

Want more energy to take advantage of this newfound free time?

Learn how to Amplify your energy levels in Launch series part 4 [4 min read] 

 

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Written by Matt Hersh

Corporate consultant, fitness coach, amateur chef, blogger

P.S. For tools, tips, and tricks like these delivered direct – follow on Facebook!

Energy enhancement, Mental performance, Miscellaneous

3 techniques to amplify your energy levels

[4 min read]

 

10 techniques discovered in 10 months that you can implement in 10 days

Magnify motivation, extract extra time, and amplify your energy

 

 

“… The world is a better place when people are free to perform without the weight of exhaustion …”

Dave Asprey, NYT Best Selling Author of The Bulletproof Diet 

 

The tactics previously discussed in this launch series have effectively helped to increase my motivation and free time to allocate to fitness. However, tactics are only effective when paired with the raw energy to properly implement and sustain them.

 

Here are 3 ways I amplify my daily energy levels:

 

 

1)  Low carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet

Eliminate post-lunch-2pm-crash.

 

Imagine –

It’s a Friday afternoon of an intense week. You just sat through an office meeting and ate 2-3 slices of free office pizza. 2pm is around the corner. How do you feel?

It’d be naptime for me.

This type of energy dip is the result of carbohydrate intake causing blood sugar fluctuation – satiation while eating (glucose spike feeds the brain) and exhaustion an hour later (insulin release causes blood glucose to dip = a brain deprived of fuel).

For consistent energy, we want our bodies to learn to burn fat.

Avoiding excess intake of foods with high glycemic load (approximates the effect of consuming 1g of glucose^) like grains, starches, and sugars, will help avoid an energy spike and dip. A lunch that’s chocked full of vegetables, healthy fats, and some protein can minimizes blood sugar fluctuation, enhancing energy and fat burning. Saving carb consumption for post-workout (when glucose is shuttled to muscles) or late dinners (when there’s usually less of a need for cognitive dexterity) can facilitate consistently higher levels of daytime energy.

Take this nutritional advice with a grain of salt (also, make sure you intake enough electrolytes like salt), since optimal diets differ by genetics and environmental factors. This low carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet seems to works well for me and many others I know that have experimented with it. It may not work for everyone. But if you want to give it a try, here are two exemplary days of meals and timing:

 

For weight maintenance / muscle gain:

  • 6:00 am Pre-workout:   Fatty coffee (see #2 below)
  • 9:00 am Breakfast:  Blended Brunch (see #3 in this post)
  • 12:00 pm Lunch:  Half pound grass-fed burger, avocado, balsamic sautéed asparagus, onion, & mushrooms
  • 1:30 pm Afternoon boost: Coffee or tea
  • 3:30 pm Snack:  handful of mixed nuts or hard boiled eggs with olive oil
  • 7:00 pm Dinner:  Large serving of baked salmon, garlic-roasted Brussel sprouts & butternut squash
  • 10:00 pm Snack: Celery with nut butter or hummus

 

For fat-loss:

  • 6:00 am Pre-workout:  Black coffee
  • 8:00 am Intra-workout: BCAA supplement
  • 10:00 am Breakfast (optional):  Fatty coffee (see #2 below)
  • 12:00 pm Lunch:  Large mixed greens salad with protein and olive oil & vinegar dressing
  • 1:30 pm Afternoon boost: Coffee or tea
  • 3:30 pm Snack:  a few mixed nuts
  • 7:00 pm Dinner:   Large serving of zucchini noodle pesto pasta with chicken and portabellas; sautéed spinach with coconut oil, pancetta, and parmesan

These are examples of ideal, Sunday prepped meals. I will venture outside of personally prepped dinners for real life occasions like social events, consulting case team dinners, or sushi cravings, I will still try to remain diet-compliant (unless it’s a designated cheat day). Remember, we are trying to make this whole thing work with, not against real life.

If you are left with some concerns, such as:

But isn’t fat bad for you?

That’s a lot of coffee!

No food until lunch? I thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day!

Without getting into detail on this post, I believe fat is healthy (the right kind), coffee in moderation isn’t an issue (it could be beneficial), and time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting enables energy consistency and fat loss (and potentially other benefits). I’ll even add a 24 hour fast to the routine a couple times per month to really rev up the fat burners!

There will be more FitInCorporate content to come on these topics, in the meantime, here are some resources to learn about dietary fat, coffee, and intermittent fasting,

 

2)  Natural liquid pick-me-ups

Fat = brain fuel

Fatty coffee

Inspired by yak butter tea consumed by Tibetan Sherpas, coffee combined with blended with butter and MCT oil has been popularized as Bulletproof Coffee. Other variations include the addition of ghee, coconut oil, coconut cream, and even bacon grease (haven’t tried it, certainly have considered it). So…why add butter to coffee?

The pure fat and coffee combo is supposed to fuel the brain and body with ketones, caffeine, and calories for hours of satiation, hunger suppression, and fat burning. Fat consumption can mimic a fasting state and facilitate fat burning (ketosis) while staving off hunger. That’s the draw. In my experience, it seems to do the trick.

 

Yerba Mate tea

This tea is said to contain ‘clean-burning’ caffeine and antioxidants (like theobromine). I do find it to provide a longer, milder energy boost than an equivalent volume cup of joe.

 

3)  Light & heat assisted wake-up

Makes waking up suck a lot less.

 

With a string of lights, a space heater, and a timer, I create an artificial sun in my bedroom!

Well not exactly, but setting the lights to turn on 30 minutes prior to wake-up and turning on the heater (if it’s cold) as soon as I wake nudges me out of deep sleep more comfortably than a 6am iPhone alarm in the dark.

Before incandescent lighting, the rays and heat of the sun acted as the natural human alarm clock, automatically setting our 24-hour circadian rhythms.

 

“… Is ‘the early bird gets the worm’ a standard axiom in avian academia? No – the early bird’s evolutionary niche decrees that it wake up bright and early in order to get food. It’s basic natural selection, and humans are the same way. We don’t decide to get up early. We get up early because of a complex pattern of environmental cues telling us to get up. Throughout our evolutionary development, handling business during the daytime was simply how we survived. We can’t escape nature …”

Mark Sisson, Entrepreneur & author of The Primal Blueprint

 

Even if you are not genetically predisposed to getting up early (here is some new research on the variability in human biological clocks), modification of environmental lighting can help you hack your biology and wake up earlier, more easily.

Light-alarm clocks exist (like this one) and smart bulbs that connect to phone apps are great options. I opt for an inexpensive digital indoor / outdoor light timer, some Christmas lights, and a space heater.

It’s a ‘non-traditional’ wake-up routine… but it effin’ works…

 

 

Have any hacks of your own? I’d love to hear – matt@fitincorporate.com

Cheers

 

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Written by Matt Hersh

Corporate consultant, fitness coach, amateur chef, blogger