The 80/20 Rule of Health
I’ve been thinking about this idea a lot lately. How can we apply the 80/20 rule, the Pareto Principle to our health? I first heard about the 80/20 rule in my early days in sales many years ago. Almost always, 20% of all things you do will yield 80% of your results. If you are a perfectionist or an elite athlete this rule may not apply to you as you are probably aiming for 100%.
However, for us near-mortals the 80/20 rule is probably all we need. There are so many weird and wonderful ways to stay healthy, live longer, and achieve your optimum outcome, but I doubt most people ever stick to them for more than a very short period of time.
Some billionaire who believes he will live forever has created a “200 point” do to list that he performs every morning. Really? Is that even living anymore?
There is something new thing every day on social media on how to be healthier or live longer. Sleep with your mouth taped, don’t drink coffee after this time, don’t eat carbs at night, and don’t run its bad for your knees, run more in zone 2 it will help you live longer. Where do you start and where does it end? I’m not saying that these ideas will not help you live a longer, healthy life but, for most people with a job and family, you probably don’t have the time nor the dedication to implement all these things into your day.
This is what got me thinking about the 80/20 rule. 20% of the things you do every day will yield you 80% of your results. Now, you are probably waiting for me to tell you what that 20% is. Wrong. I have no idea. You need to figure this out for yourself. What simple things can I do consistently every day that will give me the best results?
Eating - Choose clean healthy foods.
Exercise - Do some form of exercise every day. Walking counts
Sleep - Get 7 plus hours every night
Alcohol - Cut out or cut back your alcohol
Fun - Find time for something fun every day. Even if its 5 minutes
Don’t overcomplicate this. Choose foods that you will stick to over a long period of time. Choose an exercise that you will also stick to. I would encourage you to commit to a friend or family member and even make a little challenge of it. Don’t chase fads.
Stay healthy
Rod