The Minimalist Minute

Welcome to the weekly dose of brain juice that helps you build better habits, get fit and live longer. If you were sent this email, come and join us here.

If you still haven’t downloaded your copy of the Habits Academy, you can get it here.

In today’s instalment:

• Creating a target-rich environment for achieving habits

• Fitness ≠ health - Essential tests for longevity

#habits

When you stack the right habits in your daily routine, you’re creating a “target-rich” environment for success. If you do this right, you leverage your previous success to drive further accountability. It also works on the inverse, if you miss a habit early in the day, it’s easy to get back on track.

Here’s how i’m using habit stacking at the moment with a great deal of success:

• Wake up, get outside or train straight away. This means I avoid screens and caffeine early. Within the first 90 minutes of a day I’ve ticked off two of my daily habits.

• Read or meditate in the evening, usually at 8pm. This removes me from any screens or work which helps maintain my 9pm bedtime

That’s four of my five daily habits done. Minimal thinking, easy to achieve.

What can you stack to create your version of a “target-rich” environment?

#longevity

I’m a big fan of major goals being no less than 6-12 months’ worth of work. Currently, I even have a 17-year goal on my list.

Why, you may ask?

The saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you want long-term, sustainable results it will usually require an effort that goes past your standard 28-day challenge. The top 2 causes of death in the world are:

• Heart Disease

• Cancer

Two common causes that enable these two killers are:

• Obesity

• High Cholesterol

If you’ve ever suffered from either of these issues, you know that it usually takes years to reduce and maintain a healthy weight or cholesterol level. On the flip side, it also takes years for most of us to develop these chronic conditions.

To increase your chances of living longer, try adopting these long-term habits:

• Get your cholesterol checked every year

• Build your weight loss goals over two years or longer

Clinically, sustained weight loss doesn’t count unless the weight loss can be maintained for 2 years post-intervention. It’s boring, but spending 1-2 years on a goal could add 5-10 to your life.

#quote

#mystats

Each week I share my stats for my weekly habits to hopefully inspire you to get after your habits and goals. Here’s what this week looked like:

I hope you enjoyed this week’s instalment of the Minimalist Minute.

Got anything you want to know? Hit reply to this email and i’ll include it in the next edition!

Stay frosty,

Brett