We are all obsessed with being advanced. We think we need Lebron’s workout when we haven’t yet learned to dribble. It’s a strange paradox that humans are especially enamored with.
Working with nutrition clients I see this daily. People want to discuss nutrient timing and carb cycling and becoming fat adapted when they still think peanut butter is a protein source (sorry to break the news). They want to biohack their way to fat loss when they haven’t even taken the time to understand calorie balance. And I get it.
If we can create a bunch of complicated scenarios around fat loss we fulfill our view that we are special. That it’s our broken metabolism or blood type incompatibility that’s impeding our progress. But we most likely aren’t special. We most likely are doing the same things that the millions of other people who struggle with weight. I mean, think about it. Do you really think you are a part of the .01% that has some type of undiagnosed metabolic disease? Or is it more likely that we struggle the same as everyone else. We are all special snowflakes but we still melt the same.
There’s a reason that we focus on the basics in my practice. Because actual advanced people get to advanced not because of some special diet or workout but because of their mastery of the basics. Watch a documentary about MJ or Kobe or Tom Brady. Actually, if you are a nutrition client don’t watch anything about TB. But the others spent decades mastering things that you don’t even see. When Kobe got hurt he spent an off-season working his off hand and came back a more dominant player. From dribbling drills and layups. Not one legged squats on a BOSU ball.
We all want to be advanced. But the path to advanced means spending years as a beginner. So spend your energy there. We don’t get to skip steps. And in the end, if you do become advanced, you will start to look at things with a beginner’s mind. No matter what Mom told us, we probably aren’t that special. And while I am being the bad guy; peanut butter still isn’t a good source of protein.
