This article tags along with my earlier post, "Limit Your Options," (linked here: https://www.30minutephysique.com/post/limit-your-options)
Here are some examples of how you may limit your options.
Intentionally Limiting Options in the Gym
When it comes to lifting weights, you can limit your options by picking just 1 or 2 exercises per muscle group. Focus on getting stronger in those 2 exercises for that muscle group. Ignore all other exercises.
Below are some examples that I often limit myself to:
Chest: incline dumbbell bench press and flat dumbbell bench press
Back: pullups and single arm rows
Quads: Bulgarian split squats and dead stop clean & front squats
Hamstrings: kettlebell swings and hamstring curls
Shoulders: see-saw military press and cable (or dumbbell, if no cables) lateral raises
Biceps: concentration curls and incline dumbbell curls
Triceps: overhead cable extensions and single arm cable pushdowns
Calves: single leg calf raise and offset calf raise
Abs: leg raises and dead bugs
Those are just some examples I like. You can use whatever exercises you fancy. But I challenge you to limit yourself to just 2 exercises per muscle group for the next 12 weeks. See what happens.
What about nutrition?
Everyone talks about "balance" in nutrition. But, many people simply don't do well when every option is on the table. Meaning, many of us don't handle this idea of "eat whatever you want in moderation and eat lots of variety throughout the week."
Honestly, that's terrible advice and most people that have gotten very fit and made serious body composition changes will tell you they did it by eating the same things, day in and day out, with very little variety.
This is also where things like fasting could be very beneficial. It's not that fasting is magical. Fasting just provides structure to your eating routine making it more difficult to over eat. But it can be beneficial – even during bulking phases – because it simplifies your eating schedule. I'm not indicating that you should do intermittent fasting or anything, but it can be a very good option, and it can act as a good lesson for limiting options. The options are just eating less frequently. Voila.
A more interesting approach to fasting is doing 1x24 hour fast per week. Eat breakfast and all your normal meals Monday – Saturday evening, but then fast from Saturday evening until Sunday evening. At which time you could feast, and see how that works for you.
Those are merely examples, specifically related to how fasting protocols could place helpful barriers on your nutrition, but I'm going to provide another nutritional example for limiting your options that's probably more applicable and approachable for most people.
Here's how I generally approach approach limiting options when it comes to my nutrition:
Limit what foods you eat and what liquids you drink.
Using myself as an example, again:
I only drink water, black coffee, tea (all varieties), milk, and orange juice.
I used to drink alcohol every once in awhile – usually when with friends who I don't see often. Over the years it's become more rare. I haven't had any alcohol (as of this writing) since October 26, 2024. I've committed to a "dry 2025." Not because I've ever had a drinking problem, but just because I don't care to partake in drinking, I don't care to spend money on alcohol, and I'm well-aware that there are zero (zilch) positive health benefits when it comes to alcohol consumption. Meanwhile, drinking alcohol – whether frequently or infrequently – does have negative health consequences that could be anywhere from very minute to very detrimental. And since I don't enjoy it or crave the taste of alcohol, I don't see a reason to go out of my way to consume it. Why would I consume something that I don't enjoy and doesn't have any positive benefits? It seems like an easy "food group" to go without.
I'm not saying this to encourage you to give up alcohol for the year. You're free to make your own decisions and I totally respect that. I don't judge. But for me, it just doesn't make sense at this time in my life. Maybe that will change come 2026, though. I will say this: clients of mine that quit drinking alcohol notice it becomes much easier to improve body composition and they generally report feeling better.
As for food, I limit myself (90% of the time) to the following:
Eggs
Beef
Chicken
Ground turkey
Salmon
Greek yogurt
Honey
Oats
Sourdough bread
Fruits
Veggies
Peanut butter
Whey protein powder
That's it. I've got nothing against things like potatoes, quinoa, rice, etc, but I don't crave those foods. My preferred carb sources are sourdough bread, oats, and fruit because I truly love those things. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the taste of rice and potatoes, but I'm obsessed with bread. And popping sourdough bread in the toaster is wayyyyy quicker and less clean up than cooking rice or potatoes. My time is precious. I'd rather spend it cooking my protein sources.
That doesn't mean rice, potatoes, and quinoa are bad — they're not. They're actually quite healthy in most cases and when consumed reasonably. I just simplify my options by avoiding them most of the time. It makes for 3 less things on my grocery list and less pot and pan cleaning.
I avoid baked goods at all costs when I'm trying to lock in – something I've currently been doing during this season of Lent and I'd like to continue that trajectory aside from birthdays and major holidays. If I allow myself the opportunity to have baked goods, chips, crackers, or – heaven forbid – Oreos – I'll go absolutely nuts on consumption. I've been known to eat an entire family sized pack of Oreos in half a day. So I do better when I simply create a firm – communist level – rule to avoid it.
You'll notice that's still a big list of foods and beverages (especially the foods). But they're all very simple, basic foods.
When I go to the grocery store I know exactly what I need because it's the same thing every time. I get my variety by rotating through the different protein sources week to week and getting different fruits.
When I go out to eat, my ordering options are easy because I usually stick with this list (unless I'm at an Asian restaurant, in which case I'll get the rice that comes with my stir fry).
When I cook, it's easy because all the foods I eat are easy and fast to prepare. I don't do anything fancy. I want to eliminate thinking when it comes to my nutrition as much as possible.
Books
Many don't know this, but I enjoy reading.
I also want to read everything all the time, all at once. But that would lead me to sucessfuly reading nothing at all. So I – yet again – provide myself some ground rules.
I read 3 books at a time:
1 fiction
1 nutrition, personal training, physical culture, or other fitness-related book
1 self development or skill development (writing, fitness business, or even religious practice) book.
I read each of those 3 a little bit each day. I carve out time in order to do so.
This allows me to usually get through these books fairly quickly. But I don't complete them at the same time. Usually I breeze through the fiction more quickly because I dedicate more time to it.
Conclusion
That's it. That's a few examples of how I practice "Limiting My Options" to improve my focus, increase adherence, and accomplish important tasks and goals in my own life.
I challenge you to make your own list.
Comments