Want to Improve your Health? Find your 20%
Nova Health Club • April 15, 2019
The question you need to ask yourself is: “What 20% of activities/habits should I practice that will give me 80% of the results I am looking for?” If you are able to figure this out then you will be part of the few who actually makes progress towards their health and fitness goals.
The 80/20 Rule is taken from Vilfredo Pareto, an economist and philosopher from the 1800s. He introduced the concept of Pareto’s Law that is better known today as the 80/20 Rule. He noticed that 20% of the peas in his garden contributed to 80% of the yields. Pareto continued to demonstrate this idea in other areas of life and today the idea exists as a guiding principle in many management consulting and self-improvement books. Essentially, 80% of the output you are looking for comes from 20% of your input.
Let’s get back to thinking about your health. The majority of people make few positive changes to their health and fitness each year because they spend their time on the wrong activities. Yes, exercise and nutrition is the answer but it is too broad and must be more specific for you. For example, most people will read an Internet article about how to lose body fat. Without knowing, they begin to implement an exercise or nutrition program that is not customized therefore unsustainable. After a period of time, they see they are not much closer to their goal so they stop. The cycle then repeats the next time they feel motivated and happen upon another article or a friend telling them the new plan they must try. Most information you find about health is not specific to you and could be holding you back from attaining your personal goals. Your body is complex and your lifestyle may be just as complex, which is why a cookie cutter exercise program found in the latest best selling book or the latest nutritional supplement seen on the talk show probably will not work.
Chances are you are busy with business, family, organizing your life and completing daily essentials just to maintain. Therefore, you need to be effective with each choice and action you take. If you are doing this right you will find that 20% activity and ‘hack’ your way towards results. Some of the most effective hacks I have seen people execute are far from being intensive exercise programs or all or none nutrition strategies. If working on your health is something you know you need to do, consider some of the below hacks that may end up being the 20% of input you need to reach 80% of your goals.
1) Nutrition
Start doing a food journal for 1month
Drink 3L of water a day
Have protein with breakfast
Have 2 or 3 fists of veggies on your dinner plate
Eliminate (or seriously cut back) on sugar consumption
2) Exercise
Sit for no longer than 2hrs at a time
Walk on your lunch break
Go from walking to running
If you only do cardio, begin strength training
Purchase an activity tracker and get 10,000 steps/day
3) Stress Management
Sleep a minimum of 7 hours a night
Start to meditate
Take time to focus on your breathing
Decrease exercise intensity/volume (if doing too much)
Delegate or delete something off your plate
Choosing from one of the above depends on what level you currently are at. For example, if your nutrition is already pretty good then it may be exercise that you want to focus on. If you have been practicing good nutrition and exercising for a long time then maybe it's stress management you need to focus on. In the latter case, exercising more may not help at all if you are not getting enough sleep. In some cases, exercising less and sleeping more will be the secret sauce or 20% activity to provide you with 80% of the results you are looking for. Lastly, when choosing a new habit you must ask yourself: “On a scale from 1 to 10 how confident am I that I can do this consistently.” If the answer is anything less than an 8 then do not begin and move on to the next habit. In order to be successful, you must pick a habit that you are confident in doing. If changing your nutrition is too challenging to start with then maybe exercising three times a week is a better habit to begin with.
To recap, cookie cutter exercise and nutrition programs do not work for most people. You will need to first assess what level you are at and then experiment to find the few habits/activities that will bring you most of your results. Finding the best habits to work on can be a challenge and that is why professional personal training coaches can help you. Once you find that habit or two to work on, you have discovered your productivity hack(s) and this is the 20% that will bring you the 80%. If you want to learn more about discovering your own hacks please write me. I am always happy to help.
Andrew has been a Nova member for 9 years. One of his long standing goals was to do his first triathlon. He has been working towards this for years and just at the end of August he did it!
If you're doing all the “right things” — working out, eating clean, trying to stay consistent — but still struggling with stubborn belly fat, low energy and slow results, you’re not alone.
Tanya’s dedication to rebuilding her health after surgery offers valuable lessons and perspective for anyone facing setbacks.
Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
Congratulations to Sonya Jeyaseelan, Our July 2025 SuperNova!
Congratulations to Liz Belford, Our June SuperNova!
We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
Check out the interview with Beth to see the habits, mindset and lifestyle shifts that helped her reach her goals
Simon’s 6-Week Transformation: From Stressed & Stuck to Strong & Energized
Simon joined Nova through the LeanDads 12-week program in February. Like many busy professionals...
