The fitness industry is still a relatively new field with research coming out frequently. Every day we hear of new styles of training, new diets, and new “hacks” to become our healthiest selves; however, that does not necessarily mean that all of these brand new habits will actually work for you. Additionally, that does not mean you should try every single one of those habits, either.
Everyone has a unique set of genes; a higher-fat diet might work for you, whereas it might make someone else feel sluggish. Your body might recover well after long aerobic endurance training, whereas someone else might be crushed for three days from that training style. At the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to find what works for YOU and your body. This takes some trial and error.
I am someone who prefers to be very regimented with a solid routine. I rarely try new things unless I have a real, deep motivation to do so; however, I know it’s important that I get outside of my comfort zone in order to find better ways to support my body and mind. For example, I was a pescatarian from my junior year of high school up until the summer of 2022. I decided it was time for a change; I started to eat meat again, and I slowly integrated it back into my diet. I was nervous at first because I thought it might affect me negatively, but I kept track of my recovery and my digestion. I even used my fitness tracker, Whoop, to give me actual data related to next-day recovery after eating meat. I knew that I could always go back to being a pescatarian if eating meat didn’t make me feel good, but it ended up assisting with my recovery after hard workout days, so I stuck with it!
It’s ok to take risks and try new things. After all, as mentioned previously, there are constantly new ideas, concepts, habits, and styles of eating and training that are coming out. As long as you have a plan and a way to track your progress, you’ll be in a good place. My final piece of advice is simply to not try too many new habits at one time. You have to give your body ample time to adapt to a new stimulus, and focusing on one thing at a time allows you to really dial in how it makes you feel.
