Stop Trying to Optimize if You Haven’t Mastered the Basics…
Nowadays when you get online, you can’t help but being bombarded with the latest cool trendy thing that to optimize your health. New supplements. New hacks. New routines. New Rules. Everyday there is a brand new must do, must have, must if you want to look or feel your best.
And honestly? It’s overwhelming.
Most women don’t need another trendy new trick. What most people need is a simple real and doable plan. A plan that helps them build long sustainable lifestyle changes, that last.
Here’s the thing: most people don’t even have that plan that lets them master the basics. I’m talking about being consistent with your nutrition, getting workouts in, building solid sleep habits, managing stress, and doing all the little things that actually make up a healthy lifestyle. If you haven’t nailed those simple basics, how are you supposed to move on to “optimizing” anything? You can’t. The foundation comes first.
Why Do We Get Stuck Chasing Optimization?
A big reason we get stuck chasing optimization is perfectionism. We want every little detail to be perfect. The perfect plan, the perfect routine, the perfect conditions, before we even start. And let’s be super honest with ourselves, its usually just a fear of failure that actually keeps our focus on perfectionism. If we can obsess over the tiny details and creating the perfect plan, we don’t actually have to face the possibility that the reason we can get results is because maybe we can’t do the simple things first. Perfectionism makes use take a deep look in the mirror and come to terms with our own excuses and lack of discipline. It’s easier to obsess over creating the perfect plan than it is to actually follow through on the simple one.
As long as we are tweaking, perfecting, optimizing or getting ready we never have to execute. We never have to face the discomfit of doing the actual work. And that’s exactly how perfectionism keeps us stuck, busy planning and worrying about the details and ever actually building the foundations we need for real results.
The Overwhelm- Searching and Information Overload.
A lot of the overwhelm we feel comes from straight-up information overload. Everywhere we look, there’s something new to “optimize”. It’s the extra 5-10% you adjust after you’ve built a solid foundation. True optimization isn’t about finding hacks or chasing trends it’s about making smart, small improvements to an already consistent routine. The problem is that most people try to optimize before they’ve even mastered the basics. Optimization should be the polishing step, not the starting point.
The noise of all this becomes the distraction. It makes us feel like if we’re not seeing results, it’s because were missing some secret hack or special product. But here’s the hard truth, if we haven’t built the foundation- consistent nutrition, simple strength training, basic habits- then all this extra optimization is just one more way to avoid taking responsibility. It keeps us busy, but not better.
Social Media Dilemma
Social media sells the sexy stuff. Its sells the detox teas, fancy supplements to maximize results and the latest must have gadgets becasue everyone is trying to sell something. And lately? Everyone online seems to be an expert. Anyone with a ring light, a following and an Amazon store front is suddenly a nutrition coach or fitness pro. Afterall, all you have to do is stand in front of your iPhone turn on the camera and speak with confidence.
Here’s some hard truth, most of the things being pushed at you, you don’t need. At least not yet, not if you're just beginning and certainly some of it you may never need.
You don’t need a $60 powder.
You don’t need a magic sleep drink
You don’t need to optimize your circadian rhythm before you learn that you just need to not binge watch reels till 1 am.
Before you try to perfect anything, you need to get a few things intentionally imperfect first. You need to do the actual work, even if its messy, even if its not perfectly planned, even if it feels simple.
So, What Does Building a Foundation Actually Look Like?
Building a foundation is the boring work. The things that actually hold a house up aren’t pretty, it’s the concrete, the framing, the plumbing, the structure underneath everything. Nobody gets excited about spending time or money on the parts you don’t see. We don’t care how the plumbing is installed… we just want to turn on the water and flush the toilet. But without that unsexy foundation, the whole house falls apart. And it’s the same exact thing with your fitness and nutrition routine. The behind-the-scenes work matters more than anything else people try to “optimize”.
So where do we start?
Getting consistent meals in everyday.
Eating Protein at each meal
Drinking enough water
Sleeping and waking at reasonable times
Hitting a few structured strength workouts per week
Managing stress in simple ways
Becoming aware of emotional eating or all-or- nothing thinking
Building a routine that fits their actual life- not an Instagram fantasy.
The stuff that moves the needle. This is the foundation. These things need to be mastered before we think about optimizing.
No hacks, secrets, and no perfect plan.
And Here’s the Hard Part…
Mastering these basics will take you way longer than you think. Not because you’re incapable but because consistency is a skill, and most of us have never truly practiced it.
It takes time to build discipline, break old habits, form new ones, stay consistent when motivation drops and keep showing up even when life gets chaotic.
Small steps adjustments are where real change happens. Your foundation is built brick by brick. No need to overhaul your entire routine all at once, just start with small goals over time, master one foundational thing, then once that habit is second nature, move onto the next micro goal.
Maybe you bump up your protein intake by 10-15 grams and not worry about the optimal amounts right now. Maybe you drink another bottle of water, or just start drinking once bottle of water, or cut back late night scrolling by 30 minutes, or start adding in one strength training sessions per week to start. These tiny shifts don’t feel dramatic and aren’t sexy but they compound overtime. The longer you stick with them, the easier they become and the stronger your habits get. This part isn’t fast or flashy… but it’s exactly how you build a routine that lasts.
At the end of the day, you dont need another hack, another supplement, perfect routine or to optimize anything. You need to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you have mastered the basics, consistently, overtime even when its boring. Thats what acutally changes your body. Thats what builds confidence. Thats what creates momentum.
So stop chasing optimization before youve mastered the foundation. Start with simple habits you can repeat, get really good at them and then make small adjustments as you go. that where the results are. That’s how you build a routine that doesn’t fall part every time life gets messy.
Do the unsexy work.
Do it imperfectly
Do it consistently.
And watch what happens.💛
