Most diets fail. Not because people lack willpower, but because they pick an approach that doesn't fit their life. These three principles are the foundation of everything we do at Train For Life. Get these right and everything else gets easier.


Principle One: Your Past Shapes Your Habits


The way you grew up has a bigger impact on your health than most people realise. What you ate as a kid, how you moved, and what felt normal in your household is still influencing your choices today.


If your family didn't have much money, food was probably about quantity over quality. Big portions, lots of carbs, fast food as a treat. That's not a character flaw, that's just what felt normal. If you grew up in a household where sport and movement were part of daily life, staying active now probably feels natural. If not, building that habit from scratch as an adult is harder, though absolutely not impossible.


The biggest mistake people make is choosing a diet or training plan that feels completely foreign to how they've always lived. A low-carb diet is brutal if you've eaten rice and potatoes your whole life. Early morning workouts are a nightmare if you've never been a morning person.


The fix isn't to overhaul your entire identity. It's to find better versions of what you already do. Swap fried chicken for baked. Drop the amount of sauce you use. Keep breakfast but change what's in it. Small shifts that work with your habits, not against them, are what stick long term.


Principle Two: What Gets You Healthy Is What Keeps You Healthy


This is the one most people don't want to hear. Whatever you do to lose weight, get fitter, or feel better, you have to keep doing it. That's not a punishment, that's just how it works.


Pick keto, paleo, Mediterranean, vegan, intermittent fasting, whatever works for you. But understand that the moment you stop, the results stop too. This is why 12-week challenges rarely lead to lasting change. Twelve weeks is only a quarter of the year. You've still got 40 weeks left to undo the work.


The answer isn't to find a perfect plan. It's to find a sustainable one.


Stop looking for rules to follow and start building habits instead. Rules feel like a cage. Habits just become part of how you live. For example, skipping breakfast to cut calories sounds smart until you've eaten breakfast your whole life and your body fights you every morning. A better move is keeping breakfast but making it work for your goals.


Find the version of healthy that fits your actual life, then do it consistently. That's it.


Principle Three: Aim for Minimum Effective Dose, Not Perfection


This one sounds counterintuitive. Don't we all want to aim for the best possible outcome? Yes, but the goal here is long-term consistency, not short-term intensity. And those two things are often enemies.


If the minimum needed to get stronger is training once every 7-10 days, then starting with one session a week is a win. You can always add more later. But if you start with five sessions a week and then life gets in the way and you drop to two, you'll feel like you're failing even though two sessions is still great. That feeling of failure is what makes people quit.


Start small. Build the habit. Add volume later.


The same thinking applies to food. The perfect option isn't always available. A healthy home-cooked lunch is great, but if you forgot to prep it and you're starving, what's your next best option? Having a plan for that moment is what separates people who stay on track from people who blow the whole day on a bad decision.


Maybe the best available option is a steak pie from the bakery because you know roughly what's in it. That's fine. That's the next best option doing its job. It beats using McDonald's as an all-you-can-eat buffet.


The 90% Rule


One last thing. I actively encourage people to take 1-2 meals per week off their nutrition plan. Not a binge, just something you enjoy that isn't part of the plan.


If you eat 3 meals a day, that's 21 meals a week. Having 1-2 off-plan meals and still nailing the other 19 is a 90% success rate. You will absolutely still make progress at 90%. No one ever got fat from a single meal. Perfection isn't the goal. Consistency is.

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What is healthy?

By test • April 10, 2024
What Even Is Healthy? When we talk about being healthy, what does that actually mean? For some, it’s about having energy, avoiding sickness, or feeling good. For others, it’s about fitting into a certain clothing size or seeing a specific number on the scale. While all these factors matter, one of the most reliable ways to measure health is body fat percentage. 1. Why Focus on Body Fat Percentage? Body fat percentage is a more accurate and meaningful indicator of health than just tracking weight. Your weight can change from day to day based on how much water you drink, what you eat, or how active you’ve been. Body fat levels, on the other hand, change more slowly, giving a clearer picture of your health over time. Healthy body fat ranges can vary, but as a general guide: Men: 15–20% body fat is healthy. Women: 20–28% body fat is healthy. These ranges might surprise people. They’re higher than what many expect but lower than what some feel comfortable with. However, these levels provide a balance—enough fat to support your body’s needs while reducing risks associated with excess fat, like heart disease or diabetes. 2. What About Other Metrics? While body fat percentage is important, it’s just one part of the bigger picture. Health includes other elements, such as: Mental Health: Your ability to handle stress, stay positive, and enjoy life. Physical Fitness: This includes strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility. Energy Levels: Consistently feeling energized is a key sign of good health. Body fat percentage stands out because it directly reflects your body composition and long-term health risks, but it’s not the only thing that matters. 3. Ways to Measure Body Fat Percentage Tracking body fat doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are three common methods: Tape Measure Calculator: Use an online calculator with basic measurements like your waist, neck, and hips (for women) to get an estimate of your body fat percentage. Fat Calipers: These tools pinch your skin to measure fat thickness. They’re more accurate but require practice to use correctly. Body Scans: Clinics or gyms offer scans that assess body fat. Some use basic bioelectrical impedance (less accurate), while others, like DEXA scans, measure fat distribution more precisely. It’s worth checking the type of scan before booking. 4. Why Body Fat Is Better Than Weight Tracking body fat gives a clearer and more consistent picture of your health compared to weight. Your weight can vary for many reasons—water retention, muscle gain, or even the time of day you weigh yourself. Body fat, however, shifts gradually, making it easier to track real progress. 4.1 The History of BMI and Its Flaws In the 1830s, a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet created what we now call the Body Mass Index (BMI). Quetelet wasn’t a doctor—he was a statistician who wanted to study trends in large groups of people. His formula for comparing weight and height wasn’t meant to measure individual health. BMI gained popularity in the 1970s when American physiologist Ancel Keys promoted it as a quick way to classify obesity. But BMI has some big flaws. It doesn’t account for differences in muscle mass, bone density, or where fat is stored. For example, someone with a lot of muscle might be labeled “overweight” or “obese” by BMI, even though they’re healthy. BMI also doesn’t work as well for women or people of different ethnic backgrounds, since it was based on data from European men. While BMI is still widely used because it’s simple, it’s not very accurate for individuals. Body fat percentage is a much better choice for assessing health. 5. Healthy Changes Over Time Improving your body fat percentage takes time and consistent effort. The key is to make small, manageable changes. Extreme diets or quick fixes may give short-term results, but they’re hard to stick with and often lead to burnout. Health is a long-term commitment, so focus on sustainable habits instead. 6. Redefining Healthy It’s also important to redefine what “healthy” means for you. Being healthy doesn’t mean aiming for perfection. It’s about feeling good, staying active, and making choices that support your long-term well-being. Tracking body fat percentage can be a great tool, but it’s only one part of the picture. By taking a balanced approach and focusing on slow, steady progress, you can create a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle that works for you.