Where are you at on the sustainable health goal pyramid?
Someone who is still struggling to get to the gym regularly doesn't need to worry about optimizing.
[Approx reading time: 3 min 40 sec]
Hey, FTWer!
What level of “living healthier” are you starting at?
Today’s issue was scheduled to be the third instalment in the What’s Tight and What’s Weak “series”. We were going to talk about glutes and thighs (after back & core and neck & shoulders over the last few issues).
I wrote the whole article. It, like the others in the series, was pretty long. And I started to wonder if this newsletter has gotten a bit off track.
Obviously, the whole point is to share doable fitness stuff. But is front-loading 6–8 exercises actually helpful? I know you’re busy. I’m always aiming for even just one move, one idea, to stick—that’s a win in my book. But am I obscuring wider wins beneath the little specifics?
We need to move more. Duh. Same goes for nutrition: many of us could benefit from some little adjustments, like more fibre. The question isn’t whether we know this. It’s whether we do it.
That was a long-winded, peek-behind-the-curtain way to say, I’m going to try to circle this newsletter back to quick, straightforward takeaways that provide sustainable wins when we implement them more regularly.
But, I also want to give you lots of opportunities to dive deeper when you have the time and brain space. So, when a first take gets lengthy (ie: takes more than 3-ish minutes to read), I’m going to link to it. Like so:
What's Tight and What's Weak: Glutes and Hamstrings
In the next month or so, some of these longer articles, along with the exercise video library, will be available exclusively on the paid tier! You’ll still get the usual sends from me, but the extras will be about $7 CAD/month (with more benefits for paid members coming in late 2026 and early 2027).
Okay, anyway.
Today’s takeaway comes courtesy of OptimizeNutrition on Instagram. I’m as guilty of making this mistake as an educator as you might be as a newish fitness person.
We’re starting too high on the hierarchy when we’re looking to get healthier. Too often, we worry about protein maxxing when we aren’t getting yet the right balance of protein/carbs/fat; or we worry whether our row should be elbows-out or elbows-in when we're only getting to the gym once every two weeks.
We need to chill. By which I mean, back it up down the pyramid:
- Do any exercise | Eat nutritious protein/carbs/fat.
- Do any exercise with consistency | Eat nutritious protein/carbs/fat every day.
- Do any exercise with consistency and significant effort (ie: to/almost to failure with each set) | Plan your meals so you can continue to eat nutritious protein/carbs/fat every day.
If you’re still working on step 2 or step 3, you're doing amazing!
And, you don’t need to worry yet about your cardio/strength ratio or getting 120+ grams of protein.
And if you're on step 4 or higher and need more specific guidance, drop me a line! My online coaching program is made for you (by which I mean I literally make it for you. No AI-generated, generic stuff here).
Wherever you're at, keep tuning in to the newsletter and podcast and, as always, remember: You’ve got this.
Til next time, stay strong, calm, and kind.
💪💚 🧘♀️
