Minimum Required Dosage


Mar 25, 2022

 by Thomas Sampson
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Controversy alert! I’m going to say something you won’t hear from a lot of coaches.

I hope it gets you fired up – especially if you’ve been struggling. 

I know you’re busy juggling a ton of day-to-day responsibilities … 

And at the same time, your fitness and health are really important to you.

After a while, you can start to feel like a failure if you aren’t “crushing it” every day.

In our culture, we’re all about GO BIG or GO HOME … NO PAIN/NO GAIN … ALL-IN, 24/7.

Guess what? 

That mindset doesn’t work over the long run. Or maybe ever.

It just leads to feeling burned out, exhausted, and like you have failed (again).

What if instead there was a SMARTER, more EFFICIENT way?

Well, I’m here to tell you there is. 

It’s called the MINIMUM EFFECTIVE DOSE.

In a nutshell, that’s doing as little as possible to get the most results.

It’s also the most sustainable way to create REAL CHANGE in your fitness and health!

(Note: this doesn’t mean you can’t go through short “go hard or go home” periods where you are super focused. But these periods should be balanced with less intense periods, too.)

Here’s a sample of what the least effective dose can look like

  • Fewer workouts, focused on what really moves you forward
  • Shorter, more targeted workouts (Like CrossFit)
  • Or more well designed workouts
  • Concentrating on the 3-4 healthy habits with the biggest payoffs
  • Knowing what convenience foods are actually good for you vs trying to make every meal from scratch.

There are SO MANY REASONS and SEASONS to try the “minimum effective dose” method:

  • When you’re feeling stressed
  • When you have a lot of responsibilities
  • When you don’t have a lot of time
  • When you’re just starting out … or coming back after a layoff
  • When you’ve just completed a big event (like a marathon)
  • When you’re coming back after an illness or injury

What exactly the “minimum dose” looks like can depend on a lot of variables – your gender, age, health/fitness status, likes and dislikes, available time, and on and on.

—> The key is, it shouldn’t feel like a burden or a drain … and it should deliver real, quantifiable results.

It can take some experimentation, but it’s definitely worth it!

Coach Tom CFL-3, USAW-2, Sports Nutritionist