Welcome, High Performers.
I’m considering starting each newsletter with a new intro.
Let me know if that was cheesy or not.
I reached 150 newsletters two weeks ago, and I’m thrilled to have gotten this far.
When I thought of starting a podcast three years ago, that was my first real foray into scheduled content creation.
It turns out that in 2022, this newsletter ended up being my real baby.
The Fran of 2020 would’ve been proud that even though my now-defunct podcast hasn’t done so well, I’ve managed to curate such a consistent newsletter (with subscribers!)
In lieu of this small but notable milestone, I feel compelled to do a round-up of the most important things I’ve learned in my weekly research for the most pressing and poignant health topics I can find.
These aren’t necessarily all things I’ve covered along the way — if you’re interested in digging through the archive, Substack has a great way of cataloging things — some of them are things I’ve learned because of writing the newsletter.
The discipline it takes to stick to a rigid schedule and meet deadlines that I set for myself.
The depth of research I need to do to make sure I’m seen as a health writer of authority.
There is pressure to get things right — or as close to the truth as I can since the truth evolves so frequently in the health and fitness sector — with more eyes on my writing each month.
I try to avoid inspiration-pilled content as much as possible because I believe there’s more to improving people’s health than just amping them up.
In my experience, people take action on more than just motivation — they need confidence, reassurance, and actual data to help back up their decision to actively change their lives.
But it’s the end of the year, and I’d love for you guys to indulge me a bit as I reflect on the past two years of writing.
10 Lessons From 150 Newsletters
1. Accountability is a Skill
The most important thing I’ve taught myself about accountability is that it’s not a genetic trait.
This might sound silly and obvious, but in the age of constant online comparison, I’ve found it easy to feel deflated when you see others who just seem never to stop.
I used to wonder, “How can someone post that often?”
I realized it ultimately boiled down to learning what system to implement.
Those people who post a piece of content every day aren’t wired fundamentally different than you — they just have better systems in place.
So, for me, developing the system was scheduling writing time and writing far, far in advance.
Being on top of my newsletters and writing them 2 weeks before they get blasted out is one of the biggest dopamine hits of my week. It reminds me that accountability is a skill and an absolute flex if you get ahead of your work, and I love flexing in private (no pun intended).
2. You Don’t Need That Much Exercise to be Fit
In my research to find out the quickest and most efficient ways for people to train, I’ve found that research backs a “minium-effective dose” approach to exercise.
It turns out you can be dramatically more fit if you just put about 10 minutes a day into movement.
This kind of blew my mind, and I had trouble believing it because it was the antithesis of what we learned in training school.
But it’s true and back-tested.
I’ve ranted and raved about it in many previous newsletters, but it’s worth repeating in case you ever feel overwhelmed by trying to squeeze exercise into your busy life.
You can do it, even if it’s just 10 minutes.
3. The Morning Is Sacred
Over the past year, I’ve earned the flexibility of having more work-from-home time, which means no more waking up at 5 am to ride the subways.
I can’t explain how much this has benefitted my health. Now, I can wake up, walk my dog, and develop a morning routine beyond brushing my teeth, taking vitamins, and chugging coffee.
Having the freedom to choose tasks throughout the day — starting with my Wordle-solving and game-planning in the morning — has become crucial, and I don’t see myself sacrificing this freedom.
4. Choices Are Everything
The more free time I’ve found myself with, the more I’ve gotten creative with how to use it. Sure, I could certainly play video games and relax if I wanted to.
But newsletters need to be written and scheduled.
Client programs need to be updated, corrected and sent out.
Check-in texts and calls need to be performed.
The longer I’ve chosen to wait on those specific tasks, the more stressed I’ve become. In many ways, we’re all our own bosses.
Our choices with our free time govern the busy time, and vice versa.
5. You Don’t Need to Optimize Everything
Everyone is concerned with efficiency, and having efficiency in your life is definitely a reason you’re here… right?
But experts say that obsessing over optimization leads to…over-optimization (HA!)…which is counterproductive.
Read more about what I think you should optimize here.
6. Writing Things Down Makes You Smarter
Another silly-sounding point, but it’s worth repeating.
I think I’ve gained a broader range of knowledge from writing this newsletter twice a week, but I also believe in the power of writing things down for your health to educate future decisions better.
Tracking workouts on an app, maintaining a food journal, and writing down your dreams (where you at, Tiffany Dyba?) are all things that can help fuel a healthy mind and drive more interesting data home.
7. Health and Fitness Is Forever Changing and Changing Forever
With the dawn of weight loss drugs and artificial intelligence, there will soon be changes to how we pursue fitness that experts must adapt to.
I’m reasonably confident I won’t be obsolete because of either of these things — I just think the landscape will augment how people lose weight and spend their money on health.
I’m neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but definitely looking forward.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you for 150 more. Sorry, free subscribers, but the paid readers will get the complete list. I’d love for you to join the club, though.
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