Two versions of the 80/20 rule:
1. "Behave" 80% of the time & allow yourself to indulge 20% of the time. We've been hearing this nutrition advice for years now.
2. 20% of the effort produces 80% of the results (and vice versa). The Pareto Principle.
Both of these rules or principles can be applied to many areas of your life. In this post we will focus on a healthy lifestyle, but it won't be hard to see how it can cross over into your personal and business life as well.
Nutrition
Eat right 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time. The principle seems easy enough. But do you really know if you are keeping up with the rule? The only real way to know is tracking your intake. DILIGENTLY tracking your intake. I do have a blog post focusing on tracking - check it out here.
https://mpeacockcpt94.blogspot.com/2017/03/why-track-your-diet-and-activity.html
Tracking Daily: You can track each day. Have 80% of each day eating healthy and allow yourself 20% of your calories from indulgent sources. An individual's indulgences are going to be just that; individual. Some may want a piece of chocolate, some may want a glass of wine, some may chips. Remember that if you exceed your recommended number of calories each day and/or send your macro-nutrients WAY out of their proper ratio each day you WILL NOT reach your goals, you won't be able to either maintain or lose weight - you will gain. Tracking is KEY.
Tracking Weekly: You can allow yourself an actual whole meal or more using this method. Maintaining a healthy diet 80% of the week you can actually allow yourself more than just a small treat each day, you can fit in at least one whole meal! Sounds great right! For some people a small treat each day works better, while others would prefer more of an indulgence. Bear in mind you will still need to track. You can actually derail an entire week's worth of healthy eating in a single meal. Do your research or have someone help you do it.
Exercise
The 80/20 rule can be a great way to measure consistency. If you break down the year (365 days) working out 80% of those days would be 292 workouts! That's pretty good right? If you get 292 workouts at an appropriate intensity level each year you would be doing GREAT! Start keeping track of all those workouts - see if you can get there this year!
The 80/20 from the Pareto Principle side. No one works out ALL day, every day. In fact the combination of ALL of your efforts to live a healthy life shouldn't take you ALL day, every day. Does it require effort to live a healthy life? Yes. It's not just about working out. It takes time to make your plan. It takes time to plan your meals. It takes time to focus on your mental health as well; meditation, journaling, relationships, etc. ALL of these things are part of living your best life. Looking at this from the aspect of the Pareto Principle indicates that 20% of your efforts in these areas would produce 80% of your results. So while you are working on these things make sure you are focused. Have a plan when you go to they gym. Have a plan for your meals each week. Invest in your personal time and relationships.
These ideas are definitely not exhaustive, they are just a starting point for thinking about the 80/20 rule or principle. If you need help with ideas on how to apply any of these approaches to your life reach out to me, I would love to help!
Michelle Peacock, NSCA~CPT
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