The Power of the 90/10 Rule

There are many different reasons people are find it challenging to live a healthy lifestyle - busy schedules, lack of discipline, a comfortable bed in the morning, and delicious treats to name a few. What I have often found is that people get ‘turned off’ by the idea of a healthy lifestyle, thinking that they won’t be able to enjoy life at all.

“Well, if I want to be healthy that means I can never eat Chick-Fil-a. And I LOVE Chick-Fil-a.” 

“If I want to be healthy that means I have to cut out alcohol completely, because alcohol is unhealthy.” 

“But I’m a night owl and in order to exercise before I go to work, that requires me to wake up early, which I don’t want to do.” 

When it comes to physical health, people often have an all-in or all-out mentality. I believe this to be a poor way of looking at things. With a shift in perspective, however, the healthy lifestyle that so many people dread can be more appealing that they might realize. 

Introducing the 90/10 rule. It’s simple - when it comes to my physical health, if I do the right thing 90% of the time, that leaves the 10% on the margins to enjoy life the way it’s meant to be enjoyed. 

So, what does that look like applied to my life? 

Well, I’ve got good news and I got bad news. The good news is that the broad answer is the same for every individual. Find the daily, weekly and monthly healthy habits & disciplines that you can follow and stick to, with a focus on these three aspects : movement, nutrition, recovery.  The bad news is that the real answer will be different for every individual. Different people enjoy different forms of exercise. Some people like meal prepping, some people hate it. Some people like to exercise first thing in the morning, some people can’t stand the thought of exercise before noon. There are so many different variations of a a healthy lifestyle, and no two people’s will be the same. My best advice? Find what works for you, and stick to it. 

When we find our variation of the healthy habits & disciplines of a healthy lifestyle and can stick to them 90% of the time, this allows us the freedom to enjoy the 10% guilt-free. I can enjoy the Friday night sweet treat, I can go the wedding and have a couple cocktails, I can eat the pizza at the family party. 

When we change our perspective from “all-in or all-out” to the 90/10 rule, it will come with more consistency, and with more consistency comes greater long-term changes.