Ever wonder, “What’s the least I can do and still see results?” You’re not alone—and the answer is better than you think.
The fitness industry glorifies more: more workouts, more sacrifice. But research proves otherwise. Just 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly can reduce disease risk by 40%, and 2–3 strength sessions a week builds muscle. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing what matters consistently.
That’s the power of the Minimum Effective Dose (MED) approach. We offer three commitment levels:
- Baseline Builder: 3–4 days/week (~2 hrs total)
- Momentum Plan: 4–5 days/week
- Optimize Routine: 5–6 days/week
The best part? You can shift between them as life changes—without losing momentum.
Clients like Alex (busy dad and lawyer) dropped 16 lbs and reversed pre-diabetes with just 2 lifts + 3 walks weekly. Renee crushed her goals on 3 full-body workouts/week—after years of burnout from daily programs.
The secret? Doing the right things, consistently. Start where you are. Do what you can. We’ll help you stack the wins.
Book a free consult through the show notes or our site. Your sustainable fitness journey starts now.
Click Here To Send Us A Message!
Book Your Free Discovery Call! Complete this super short form.
References:
- Haskell, W. L., et al. (2007).
Physical activity and public health: Updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1423–1434.
https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3180616b27 - Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2019).
Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-volume resistance training: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(Suppl 1), S1–S18.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002958 - Campos, G. E., et al. (2002).
Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: Specificity of repetition maximum training zones.
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 88(1–2), 50–60.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6 - ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). (2017).
ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (10th ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health. - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018).
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.
https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf - Harvard Health Publishing. (2020).
Walking: Your steps to health.
Harvard Medical School Special Health Report.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/walking-your-steps-to-health
For Motivation and More Free Content, Visit Our THI Facebook Page!
Click Here And Follow Coach AK For Even More!
Join Our Free Facebook Group: Live Transformed: Rebuild Your Health, Habits, And Headspace
Instagram: @coachadamkelley
www.transformedhealthcoach.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's the least I can do and still get results.
Boy, don't we all wish we hadthe answer to that one.
Well, guess what?
You're gonna get the answer inthis episode and in this series.
So the answer is moreencouraging than you may think.
So let's get into this.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and
fitness, business, personaldevelopment, relationships and
more.
We promise you will findinspiration to help you win on
purpose in all areas of yourlife journey.
Now for your host, adam Kelly.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast, the show where
we cut through the noise andteach you how to build a healthy
, strong and purpose-driven life, even when you're busy,
especially when you're busy.
I'm your host, Coach Adam.
Sorry, I'm your host.
Let's try that again.
You know, no one lovesperfection.
We all love authenticity.
(00:53):
I'm your host, coach Adam Kelly, owner and head coach at
Transform Health Initiative.
And today we are kicking off abrand new series, guys, and when
I say I'm excited from thisseries, if you can't tell my
voice and the fact that I keepstuttering and can't get my
words out, that would be anunderstatement.
I am super excited for thisseries because I know this
(01:14):
series is going to make such ahuge impact on so many people's
health you have no ideaespecially the people that we
love to work with, and that is,busy individuals.
So this brand new series thatwe're kicking off it is called
the busy person's blueprint forfitness.
That actually fits OK.
So if you've ever thought Ijust don't have time to do all
(01:35):
this, or you ever felt that youknow you were overwhelmed by how
much you think you should bedoing, then this series is for
you.
And we're starting this onewith a question every client
eventually asks and that iswhat's the least I can do and
still get results.
Boy, don't we all wish we hadthe answer to that one.
Well, guess what?
(01:55):
You're going to get the answerin this episode and in this
series.
So the answer is moreencouraging than you may think.
So let's get into this.
So why less can really actuallybe more?
So let's start with the truth.
More does not always meanbetter, especially if it's not
something that you can stickwith.
All right.
If it's not sustainable, thenit's not actually better, no
(02:18):
matter how good it could be.
All right.
Too often we're fed this liethat if you're not sore, if
you're not sweating buckets, ifyou're not working out every day
, it's not enough.
But the reality is thatconsistency beats intensity
every single time.
Here's where the minimumeffective dose, or MED, comes in
(02:38):
.
So minimum effective dose isthe smallest amount of
structured effort that stillproduces meaningful change, not
just checking a box, but actualimprovement.
And for busy adults, med isn'tjust a shortcut, it's a strategy
.
So what the research says?
It says this of moderateactivity, or 75 minutes of
(03:02):
vigorous activity, can reducethe risk of heart disease,
depression and early death by upto 30 to 40%.
That was by the CDC in 2022,the World Health Organization
guidelines.
You can build and maintainmuscle with just two to three
(03:22):
strength sessions per week,according to leading hypertrophy
researcher, dr Brad Schoenfeld.
If you don't know Dr BradSchoenfeld, you are truly
missing out.
If you like the nerdy stuff, ifyou like the exercise science,
if you like all thingsscience-based muscle building
getting jacked the right way,then you want to check out Dr
Brad Schoenfeld's work and allof his colleagues, because they
(03:43):
are literally the top, of thetop dogs when it comes to
pumping out high qualityevidence.
And not only that, they'reactually doing studies in
trained individuals, where a lotof the data that we had,
especially in the 80s, 90s,before that, and even up to the
early 2000s, was usually basedin non-active people okay,
sedentary individuals.
(04:04):
So obviously the rules arecompletely different with people
who are active versus peoplewho are not active.
So that's another reason why Ireally love their work.
But check them out, dr BradSchofield.
So what is the key?
Those workouts must beintentional If you're going to
get away with just that.
Two to three strength sessionsper week, purposeful, not just
moving, but actually progressingall right.
(04:26):
So what the science says aboutstrength and cardio.
So let's unpack the two typesof training your body truly
needs and how much is actuallyenough of each.
So let's start with cardio,everybody's least favorite topic
.
So this isn't just aboutrunning or burning calories.
Cardio training helps yourheart, your lungs, your blood
(04:49):
circulation and recoverycapacity.
So cardio is not just aboutlooking good.
It is so much more than that,and there's so many health
benefits outside of bodycomposition that we should be
weighing in the balance if we'regoing to be doing cardio or not
.
So even 30 minutes of walking aday can lower your resting
(05:09):
heart rate, reduce bloodpressure, improve mood and
cognition, and you can find thatin a Harvard Health study from
2020.
So it's not flashy, but it'sfoundational.
So strength training here is thetrue game changer, guys.
Strength training helps you agebetter, function better and
(05:30):
look better, regardless of yourgoals.
So some benefits of strengthtraining include, but not
limited to, preserve muscle mass, which declines after age 30
without intervention.
So we typically lose about apound of muscle per year after
the age of 30 if we're notgetting adequate protein and
strength training regularly.
It helps build stronger bonesand joints.
(05:52):
Strength training helps boostmetabolism.
It helps improve insulinsensitivity and mental
resiliency.
Okay, lots of reasons outsideof, you know, having big muscles
.
There's many, many more reasonsthat you should be involved in
regular strength training.
So, actually, one study showedthat just one set per exercise,
(06:15):
performed to fatigue or closesuper close to failure, two to
three times per week, was enoughto significantly improve muscle
strength and size, especiallyfor beginners and those
returning after time off.
So, hey guys, real quick beforewe dive back in At Transformed
Health Initiative.
We're not just in the businessof workouts and meal plans.
(06:36):
We're here to change lives, onetransformation at a time.
That means that helping realpeople, people like you, rebuild
their health from the insideout in a way that actually fits
their real life.
Because here's the truth.
You don't need another extremeprogram.
You've been there, you've donethat.
You need a system that respectsyour schedule and restores your
confidence and equips you towin in your body, your mind and
(06:59):
your purpose.
If you've been listening andthinking, I would like that kind
of change, but I don't knowwhere to start.
You don't have to figure it outalone.
We love to hear your story andshow you what's possible.
No pressure, no push.
You can grab a time to talk inthe link in the show notes.
Let's build a plan thatactually works for your life.
All right, let's get back to it.
(07:23):
That's been a 2002 study.
We actually put all thereference studies at the bottom.
So I'm not going to mention asmany times as I have in the past
where the study came from,because you can look down the
references and find that exactstudy and do the research,
because it's always better to bestudied up.
Don't just follow what I say.
Don't just listen to me and say, oh, this must be right, or
anybody else.
Go check the sources and checkpeople on their stuff.
All right, feel free to checkme please, because if I'm wrong,
(07:45):
I'd love to be right.
So, yes, at the end of the day,quality trumps quantity.
Okay, very important tounderstand.
It's not about how much you do,it's about what you do, why you
do it and how you do it.
That makes the biggestdifference.
So why busy people quit?
Okay, let's get down to theroot issue here and how MED or
(08:05):
minimally effective dose solvesthat.
So most people don't stopbecause they're lazy.
Okay, if they were lazy, theyprobably would have never
started to begin with.
They stop because they're tired, they're burnt out, they're
tired of trying to do so muchtoo much and on too little sleep
, with too many responsibilitiesand not enough structure.
(08:26):
So, like what's the typicalstory here?
Someone gets motivated.
They start working out five tosix times per week, usually
going from nothing, cuts out alltheir favorite foods, all sugar
, all processed stuff, allartificial anything and goes all
in hardcore Spartan style,toughen up, only to crash by
(08:46):
week three and say I just can'tkeep this up.
Three and say I just can't keepthis up.
Yeah, we could have told youthat it's not about, it's not a
motivation problem, guys.
It's not about motivation.
It's a design problem, allright, and an understanding
problem.
That's why minimum effectivedose works.
It respects your time, itreduces friction and it builds
repeatable wins.
(09:06):
Okay, sustainable wins lead tolong-term benefit, always well,
not always, but mostly andthat's what actually creates
results not intensity, butrepeatability.
So how to build a realistic,minimally effective dose plan?
Okay, I'm basically gonna giveyou like three tier options that
(09:27):
you can choose from, dependingon where you're at.
So let's talk about structure.
What would a practical MEDroutine actually look like?
So you can think of it as threedifferent levels, depending on
how much time and energy yourealistically have.
So, depending on where you'reat, what you can do, what you've
been doing, that's how you cankind of decide where you could
fall in this category.
This makes it super easy, guys.
(09:49):
So level one think of this likethe baseline builder.
Okay, three to four days perweek, tops, that's it.
That's all of your physicalactivity outside of just moving
your body around, which youshould do as much as you can
anyways.
So that level that three tofour days per week could look
like.
You know, two full bodystrength workouts, 30 to four
minutes, 30 to 40 minutes apiece.
(10:10):
You can knock that out beforework, after work, while the kids
nap, after the kids go to bedso many different options to
squeeze in 30 minutes.
And then just two walks, twobrisk walks, 20 to 30 minutes
per week.
So get your heart rate up, getthat blood pumping, sweat going
unless it's wintertime, but hey,I sweat when I walk, even in
the wintertime.
Just get that blood flowing,push a little bit hard for that.
(10:32):
20, 30 minutes and there you'redone and like you're going to
get phenomenal results just fromthat, especially if you're
coming from doing nothing.
Now, if you're way beyond that,like one of these other two
levels and then you try to godown to that.
Uh, maybe you know your resultswon't come as fast, or maybe
it'll slow down some, slow downsome, but if you especially if
(10:52):
you're coming from nothing, thenthat is literally all you're
going to need for a very longtime to get phenomenal results.
So it's great again forbeginners, those returning after
injuries, so not just goingright back to where you were.
Or you have a crazy busy week,okay, or consecutive weeks, so
you know one week being a littlethrown off, you know it's cool,
we work around that.
But if you got multiple weekswhere maybe you have a lot of
business, you know travelingthat you have to do over several
(11:14):
weeks, or just you know thekid's schedule goes bonkers and
your schedule is bonkers andyou're trying to figure out a
way to make it all fit.
That's where it really helps tohave that baseline builder
Because, again, that's only youknow one, two hours a week.
Think about that, guys.
Two hours a week of physicalactivity, whether that's
(11:36):
strength training or just abrisk walk, can get you
phenomenal results.
Who does not have two hours aweek that they can pull out and
add in this type of work.
Again, this is not hard.
That's why it's the minimallyeffective dose.
Now level two, we'll call thisthe momentum plan.
Okay, so this is like four tofive days per week.
(11:58):
This is a level up, still verydoable.
So now, where you can be atthree strength training sessions
per week, that's can either bea split, where you're splitting
the body down into multiplemuscle groups, or a full body
training.
Again, you're training the fullbody three times per week.
Maybe it's Monday, wednesday,friday.
That way you save the weekendsto have family time and relax
(12:19):
and do the things that you wantto do.
And then two to three cardiosessions per week, so brisk
walks or interval work.
This is where most of our THIrebuilding clients land after
two to three, four weeks ofconsistency.
So we build them up slowly,introduce the activity, then we
increase it slowly, and this iskind of where people typically
(12:39):
stay in our rebuild program asthey're solidifying these habits
and really dialing in this newversion of themselves.
So again, guys like, even withthat, four to five times per
week, we're not talking about alot of time, we're talking maybe
like four or five hours of yourentire week.
Somebody do the math, becauseI'm not a math person but
multiply 24 hours times sevenand then subtract four, and
(13:04):
there you go.
Or subtract five or even six ifyou want to give yourself some
drive time cushion to the gym,and boom, you have all those
hours left for all yourresponsibilities.
I promise you a many, manypeople can pull out that five
hours from their week and fillit with things that are going to
help them be more productive onthe rest of the hours of the
week.
And then our last level we'llcall this the optimize routine.
(13:26):
Okay, this is like five to sixdays per week.
This is where you're advanced,your next level.
You really want to challengeyourself, but you're also not
overdoing things.
Again, you could do this forfive days for the rest of your
life and get even way morephenomenal results than you
would have with that beginnerplan.
So this can look something likethree to four strength workouts
(13:46):
per week, again splitting thebody down.
Once you get past like threedays per week, I would probably
go and split the body down.
So a lot of people out there dofull body training every day,
where they basically go in everyday and they train the muscle
groups that are the least soreor that aren't sore, while they
let the other ones recover andthey just go back in and rinse
and repeat that same cycle.
But I would say, you know, fivedays a week is very good.
(14:12):
If you're just really obsessedwith training, six days a week,
cool.
I would give yourself at leastone day a week to literally have
no strength training and justlet everything recover.
Okay, recovery is superimportant.
And then with that, three tofour strength sessions per week
to add the cardio factor for ourheart health, lung health all
that then you could add in twoto three cardio or conditioning
or recovery sessions, so mix andmatch those as well.
(14:36):
So this structure is more idealfor more advanced individuals
with the time and desire totrain more often, but only when
it's sustainable.
So if this is how you like totrain, don't think that you can
do this 24, seven Well, we'renot talking about hours but
don't think that you can do this52 weeks a year, every single
year.
Okay, things change, seasonschange, we get sick, we go out
(14:57):
of town, life happens.
So you know you can always andthe cool thing here too, guys,
is side note you can alwaysswitch in between these three as
well, like maybe for you know afew months, like you're locked
in, life is pretty chill, it'spretty routine, not a lot's
happening with the family, not alot's happening at work.
So you can dial in and be likeyou know what I'm going to do
six days a week.
I'm going to do five days aweek, I'm going to push it hard,
(15:19):
I'm going to get myself to thenext level and then when you
know that travel season's comingup, or summertime or vacation
time or whatever it is, thenmaybe you dial back to that
level one or that level two andjust kind of maintain there.
So, totally cool to do that aswell, and then that'll help you
not only handle business as lifehappens but also handle
business with your health at thesame time.
(15:40):
So your MED, your minimallyeffective dose, isn't a static
rule.
Okay, it's a moving target thatshifts with your life seasons,
and that's totally okay, allright, that's actually preferred
, because you'll go crazy tryingto do the same thing all the
time and forcing it all the time.
Okay, you're a real person,that's totally fine, all right.
(16:01):
So let's look at some realclients and real results.
We're going to look at a coupleof many case studies of clients
that we've worked with over theyears.
One of these clients isactually still a current client,
so pretty cool there.
So, anyways, we have twodifferent case studies we're
going to look at.
We're going to look at Mr Alex,42-year-old lawyer and dad of
three.
Okay, so he started with justtwo strength training sessions
(16:24):
and three walks per week.
Okay, he was in the THI rebuildprogram and that's where we
started with lost 16 pounds in90 days.
Guys, this wasn't somethingcrazy.
We did.
We didn't make him cut out allof his food.
Obviously, again, he was onlyin the gym about, you know, one
hour a week combined and about90 minutes of walking throughout
(16:46):
the week.
Broken up 16 pounds in 90 days.
Reverse pre-diabetes markers.
Doctors are like everything'slooking good, keep doing what
you're doing and improve sleep,without ever going to an actual
gym.
That two days of strengthtraining was built at home with
some of the equipment that hehad, didn't even have to go to
the gym.
Obviously, you can walk in yourneighborhood, all that.
(17:06):
He actually had one of thoselittle mini treadmills at home,
didn't even have to go to thegym.
Obviously, you can walk in yourneighborhood all that.
He actually had one of thoselittle mini treadmills at home,
but you can walk in yourneighborhood and literally never
go to the gym and get to whereyou want to be and feel better
and improve your blood markers,and all that with that minimum
effective dose.
So renee 37 an hr manager, soshe couldn't stick with.
She couldn't stick with pastprograms that demanded daily
(17:29):
workouts.
There's lots of programs thatare super tough and rigid and
like, hey, you got to train thismany times per week, no matter
what, in order to be successfuland she just couldn't keep up.
She's too busy, she's had toomuch life going on.
So now she does three full bodyworkouts and tracks protein.
That's what we're focusing onand she's already down two
clothing sizes, up in energy,and says, for the first time
(17:51):
ever, this finally fits my life.
Like I finally feel like I havesomething that I'm not
competing with my daily life andmy household duties and my
career and my health.
Now my health is actuallyhelping these other things and
I'm not giving up all my timebecause, again, she's doing
three workouts per week.
Guys, it's like 40, 45 minuteworkouts being full body, and
(18:13):
then she's been after this for alittle bit.
So we're not getting crazy.
We don't have our nutritionsuper dialed in.
She's just making betterchoices, prioritizing protein,
making sure she's getting enoughprotein to, you know, support
the training that she's doing,and she's already getting
phenomenal results, and we'renot even that deep into it.
So what's the secret with themthat's different from anybody
(18:33):
else?
They stopped trying to doeverything and they started
doing the right thingsconsistently.
So here are your main takeawaysfor today.
Okay, here's your practicaladvice.
You don't need to do it all.
You just need to do enough, butconsistently.
That's the tick, that's the key.
Okay, enough to move the needle, enough to feel progress,
(18:55):
enough to prove to yourself thatyou can.
That's the number one andhardest thing to do.
And once we get that intact,boy are we?
Are we rolling from there?
So just start where you are, dowhat you can and let those wins
stack up.
Okay, and if you're wonderinghow to make an med plan fit your
life, just reach out.
All right, no pressure, juststrategy, clarity, support.
(19:16):
We're here for you.
You can work with us if youwant to.
We would love to help you.
So you can message us anytime.
Just hit the link in the shownotes or d us directly and we
would love to chat with you.
You can go to our websitetransformedhealthcoachcom and
you can sign up for a freeconsultation.
We'll reach out to youpersonally, book that and we'll
(19:37):
just chit chat with you, figureout where you're at, where
you're wanting to go and how wecan help you get there.
So until next time, dosomething good for your health,
something good for yourself,something good for those you
care about and, whatever you do,make sure you win on purpose.
See you next time.
What's the least I can do and still get results.
Boy, don't we all wish we hadthe answer to that one.
Well, guess what?
You're gonna get the answer inthis episode and in this series.
So the answer is moreencouraging than you may think.
So let's get into this.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and
fitness, business, personaldevelopment, relationships and
more.
We promise you will findinspiration to help you win on
purpose in all areas of yourlife journey.
Now for your host, adam Kelly.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast, the show where
we cut through the noise andteach you how to build a healthy
, strong and purpose-driven life, even when you're busy,
especially when you're busy.
I'm your host, Coach Adam.
Sorry, I'm your host.
Let's try that again.
You know, no one lovesperfection.
We all love authenticity.
(00:53):
I'm your host, coach Adam Kelly, owner and head coach at
Transform Health Initiative.
And today we are kicking off abrand new series, guys, and when
I say I'm excited from thisseries, if you can't tell my
voice and the fact that I keepstuttering and can't get my
words out, that would be anunderstatement.
I am super excited for thisseries because I know this
(01:14):
series is going to make such ahuge impact on so many people's
health you have no ideaespecially the people that we
love to work with, and that is,busy individuals.
So this brand new series thatwe're kicking off it is called
the busy person's blueprint forfitness.
That actually fits OK.
So if you've ever thought Ijust don't have time to do all
(01:35):
this, or you ever felt that youknow you were overwhelmed by how
much you think you should bedoing, then this series is for
you.
And we're starting this onewith a question every client
eventually asks and that iswhat's the least I can do and
still get results.
Boy, don't we all wish we hadthe answer to that one.
Well, guess what?
(01:55):
You're going to get the answerin this episode and in this
series.
So the answer is moreencouraging than you may think.
So let's get into this.
So why less can really actuallybe more?
So let's start with the truth.
More does not always meanbetter, especially if it's not
something that you can stickwith.
All right.
If it's not sustainable, thenit's not actually better, no
(02:18):
matter how good it could be.
All right.
Too often we're fed this liethat if you're not sore, if
you're not sweating buckets, ifyou're not working out every day
, it's not enough.
But the reality is thatconsistency beats intensity
every single time.
Here's where the minimumeffective dose, or MED, comes in
(02:38):
.
So minimum effective dose isthe smallest amount of
structured effort that stillproduces meaningful change, not
just checking a box, but actualimprovement.
And for busy adults, med isn'tjust a shortcut, it's a strategy
.
So what the research says?
It says this of moderateactivity, or 75 minutes of
(03:02):
vigorous activity, can reducethe risk of heart disease,
depression and early death by upto 30 to 40%.
That was by the CDC in 2022,the World Health Organization
guidelines.
You can build and maintainmuscle with just two to three
(03:22):
strength sessions per week,according to leading hypertrophy
researcher, dr Brad Schoenfeld.
If you don't know Dr BradSchoenfeld, you are truly
missing out.
If you like the nerdy stuff, ifyou like the exercise science,
if you like all thingsscience-based muscle building
getting jacked the right way,then you want to check out Dr
Brad Schoenfeld's work and allof his colleagues, because they
(03:43):
are literally the top, of thetop dogs when it comes to
pumping out high qualityevidence.
And not only that, they'reactually doing studies in
trained individuals, where a lotof the data that we had,
especially in the 80s, 90s,before that, and even up to the
early 2000s, was usually basedin non-active people okay,
sedentary individuals.
(04:04):
So obviously the rules arecompletely different with people
who are active versus peoplewho are not active.
So that's another reason why Ireally love their work.
But check them out, dr BradSchofield.
So what is the key?
Those workouts must beintentional If you're going to
get away with just that.
Two to three strength sessionsper week, purposeful, not just
moving, but actually progressingall right.
(04:26):
So what the science says aboutstrength and cardio.
So let's unpack the two typesof training your body truly
needs and how much is actuallyenough of each.
So let's start with cardio,everybody's least favorite topic
.
So this isn't just aboutrunning or burning calories.
Cardio training helps yourheart, your lungs, your blood
(04:49):
circulation and recoverycapacity.
So cardio is not just aboutlooking good.
It is so much more than that,and there's so many health
benefits outside of bodycomposition that we should be
weighing in the balance if we'regoing to be doing cardio or not
.
So even 30 minutes of walking aday can lower your resting
(05:09):
heart rate, reduce bloodpressure, improve mood and
cognition, and you can find thatin a Harvard Health study from
2020.
So it's not flashy, but it'sfoundational.
So strength training here is thetrue game changer, guys.
Strength training helps you agebetter, function better and
(05:30):
look better, regardless of yourgoals.
So some benefits of strengthtraining include, but not
limited to, preserve muscle mass, which declines after age 30
without intervention.
So we typically lose about apound of muscle per year after
the age of 30 if we're notgetting adequate protein and
strength training regularly.
It helps build stronger bonesand joints.
(05:52):
Strength training helps boostmetabolism.
It helps improve insulinsensitivity and mental
resiliency.
Okay, lots of reasons outsideof, you know, having big muscles
.
There's many, many more reasonsthat you should be involved in
regular strength training.
So, actually, one study showedthat just one set per exercise,
(06:15):
performed to fatigue or closesuper close to failure, two to
three times per week, was enoughto significantly improve muscle
strength and size, especiallyfor beginners and those
returning after time off.
So, hey guys, real quick beforewe dive back in At Transformed
Health Initiative.
We're not just in the businessof workouts and meal plans.
(06:36):
We're here to change lives, onetransformation at a time.
That means that helping realpeople, people like you, rebuild
their health from the insideout in a way that actually fits
their real life.
Because here's the truth.
You don't need another extremeprogram.
You've been there, you've donethat.
You need a system that respectsyour schedule and restores your
confidence and equips you towin in your body, your mind and
(06:59):
your purpose.
If you've been listening andthinking, I would like that kind
of change, but I don't knowwhere to start.
You don't have to figure it outalone.
We love to hear your story andshow you what's possible.
No pressure, no push.
You can grab a time to talk inthe link in the show notes.
Let's build a plan thatactually works for your life.
All right, let's get back to it.
(07:23):
That's been a 2002 study.
We actually put all thereference studies at the bottom.
So I'm not going to mention asmany times as I have in the past
where the study came from,because you can look down the
references and find that exactstudy and do the research,
because it's always better to bestudied up.
Don't just follow what I say.
Don't just listen to me and say, oh, this must be right, or
anybody else.
Go check the sources and checkpeople on their stuff.
All right, feel free to checkme please, because if I'm wrong,
(07:45):
I'd love to be right.
So, yes, at the end of the day,quality trumps quantity.
Okay, very important tounderstand.
It's not about how much you do,it's about what you do, why you
do it and how you do it.
That makes the biggestdifference.
So why busy people quit?
Okay, let's get down to theroot issue here and how MED or
(08:05):
minimally effective dose solvesthat.
So most people don't stopbecause they're lazy.
Okay, if they were lazy, theyprobably would have never
started to begin with.
They stop because they're tired, they're burnt out, they're
tired of trying to do so muchtoo much and on too little sleep
, with too many responsibilitiesand not enough structure.
(08:26):
So, like what's the typicalstory here?
Someone gets motivated.
They start working out five tosix times per week, usually
going from nothing, cuts out alltheir favorite foods, all sugar
, all processed stuff, allartificial anything and goes all
in hardcore Spartan style,toughen up, only to crash by
(08:46):
week three and say I just can'tkeep this up.
Three and say I just can't keepthis up.
Yeah, we could have told youthat it's not about, it's not a
motivation problem, guys.
It's not about motivation.
It's a design problem, allright, and an understanding
problem.
That's why minimum effectivedose works.
It respects your time, itreduces friction and it builds
repeatable wins.
(09:06):
Okay, sustainable wins lead tolong-term benefit, always well,
not always, but mostly andthat's what actually creates
results not intensity, butrepeatability.
So how to build a realistic,minimally effective dose plan?
Okay, I'm basically gonna giveyou like three tier options that
(09:27):
you can choose from, dependingon where you're at.
So let's talk about structure.
What would a practical MEDroutine actually look like?
So you can think of it as threedifferent levels, depending on
how much time and energy yourealistically have.
So, depending on where you'reat, what you can do, what you've
been doing, that's how you cankind of decide where you could
fall in this category.
This makes it super easy, guys.
(09:49):
So level one think of this likethe baseline builder.
Okay, three to four days perweek, tops, that's it.
That's all of your physicalactivity outside of just moving
your body around, which youshould do as much as you can
anyways.
So that level that three tofour days per week could look
like.
You know, two full bodystrength workouts, 30 to four
minutes, 30 to 40 minutes apiece.
(10:10):
You can knock that out beforework, after work, while the kids
nap, after the kids go to bedso many different options to
squeeze in 30 minutes.
And then just two walks, twobrisk walks, 20 to 30 minutes
per week.
So get your heart rate up, getthat blood pumping, sweat going
unless it's wintertime, but hey,I sweat when I walk, even in
the wintertime.
Just get that blood flowing,push a little bit hard for that.
(10:32):
20, 30 minutes and there you'redone and like you're going to
get phenomenal results just fromthat, especially if you're
coming from doing nothing.
Now, if you're way beyond that,like one of these other two
levels and then you try to godown to that.
Uh, maybe you know your resultswon't come as fast, or maybe
it'll slow down some, slow downsome, but if you especially if
(10:52):
you're coming from nothing, thenthat is literally all you're
going to need for a very longtime to get phenomenal results.
So it's great again forbeginners, those returning after
injuries, so not just goingright back to where you were.
Or you have a crazy busy week,okay, or consecutive weeks, so
you know one week being a littlethrown off, you know it's cool,
we work around that.
But if you got multiple weekswhere maybe you have a lot of
business, you know travelingthat you have to do over several
(11:14):
weeks, or just you know thekid's schedule goes bonkers and
your schedule is bonkers andyou're trying to figure out a
way to make it all fit.
That's where it really helps tohave that baseline builder
Because, again, that's only youknow one, two hours a week.
Think about that, guys.
Two hours a week of physicalactivity, whether that's
(11:36):
strength training or just abrisk walk, can get you
phenomenal results.
Who does not have two hours aweek that they can pull out and
add in this type of work.
Again, this is not hard.
That's why it's the minimallyeffective dose.
Now level two, we'll call thisthe momentum plan.
Okay, so this is like four tofive days per week.
(11:58):
This is a level up, still verydoable.
So now, where you can be atthree strength training sessions
per week, that's can either bea split, where you're splitting
the body down into multiplemuscle groups, or a full body
training.
Again, you're training the fullbody three times per week.
Maybe it's Monday, wednesday,friday.
That way you save the weekendsto have family time and relax
(12:19):
and do the things that you wantto do.
And then two to three cardiosessions per week, so brisk
walks or interval work.
This is where most of our THIrebuilding clients land after
two to three, four weeks ofconsistency.
So we build them up slowly,introduce the activity, then we
increase it slowly, and this iskind of where people typically
(12:39):
stay in our rebuild program asthey're solidifying these habits
and really dialing in this newversion of themselves.
So again, guys like, even withthat, four to five times per
week, we're not talking about alot of time, we're talking maybe
like four or five hours of yourentire week.
Somebody do the math, becauseI'm not a math person but
multiply 24 hours times sevenand then subtract four, and
(13:04):
there you go.
Or subtract five or even six ifyou want to give yourself some
drive time cushion to the gym,and boom, you have all those
hours left for all yourresponsibilities.
I promise you a many, manypeople can pull out that five
hours from their week and fillit with things that are going to
help them be more productive onthe rest of the hours of the
week.
And then our last level we'llcall this the optimize routine.
(13:26):
Okay, this is like five to sixdays per week.
This is where you're advanced,your next level.
You really want to challengeyourself, but you're also not
overdoing things.
Again, you could do this forfive days for the rest of your
life and get even way morephenomenal results than you
would have with that beginnerplan.
So this can look something likethree to four strength workouts
(13:46):
per week, again splitting thebody down.
Once you get past like threedays per week, I would probably
go and split the body down.
So a lot of people out there dofull body training every day,
where they basically go in everyday and they train the muscle
groups that are the least soreor that aren't sore, while they
let the other ones recover andthey just go back in and rinse
and repeat that same cycle.
But I would say, you know, fivedays a week is very good.
(14:12):
If you're just really obsessedwith training, six days a week,
cool.
I would give yourself at leastone day a week to literally have
no strength training and justlet everything recover.
Okay, recovery is superimportant.
And then with that, three tofour strength sessions per week
to add the cardio factor for ourheart health, lung health all
that then you could add in twoto three cardio or conditioning
or recovery sessions, so mix andmatch those as well.
(14:36):
So this structure is more idealfor more advanced individuals
with the time and desire totrain more often, but only when
it's sustainable.
So if this is how you like totrain, don't think that you can
do this 24, seven Well, we'renot talking about hours but
don't think that you can do this52 weeks a year, every single
year.
Okay, things change, seasonschange, we get sick, we go out
(14:57):
of town, life happens.
So you know you can always andthe cool thing here too, guys,
is side note you can alwaysswitch in between these three as
well, like maybe for you know afew months, like you're locked
in, life is pretty chill, it'spretty routine, not a lot's
happening with the family, not alot's happening at work.
So you can dial in and be likeyou know what I'm going to do
six days a week.
I'm going to do five days aweek, I'm going to push it hard,
(15:19):
I'm going to get myself to thenext level and then when you
know that travel season's comingup, or summertime or vacation
time or whatever it is, thenmaybe you dial back to that
level one or that level two andjust kind of maintain there.
So, totally cool to do that aswell, and then that'll help you
not only handle business as lifehappens but also handle
business with your health at thesame time.
(15:40):
So your MED, your minimallyeffective dose, isn't a static
rule.
Okay, it's a moving target thatshifts with your life seasons,
and that's totally okay, allright, that's actually preferred
, because you'll go crazy tryingto do the same thing all the
time and forcing it all the time.
Okay, you're a real person,that's totally fine, all right.
(16:01):
So let's look at some realclients and real results.
We're going to look at a coupleof many case studies of clients
that we've worked with over theyears.
One of these clients isactually still a current client,
so pretty cool there.
So, anyways, we have twodifferent case studies we're
going to look at.
We're going to look at Mr Alex,42-year-old lawyer and dad of
three.
Okay, so he started with justtwo strength training sessions
(16:24):
and three walks per week.
Okay, he was in the THI rebuildprogram and that's where we
started with lost 16 pounds in90 days.
Guys, this wasn't somethingcrazy.
We did.
We didn't make him cut out allof his food.
Obviously, again, he was onlyin the gym about, you know, one
hour a week combined and about90 minutes of walking throughout
(16:46):
the week.
Broken up 16 pounds in 90 days.
Reverse pre-diabetes markers.
Doctors are like everything'slooking good, keep doing what
you're doing and improve sleep,without ever going to an actual
gym.
That two days of strengthtraining was built at home with
some of the equipment that hehad, didn't even have to go to
the gym.
Obviously, you can walk in yourneighborhood, all that.
(17:06):
He actually had one of thoselittle mini treadmills at home,
didn't even have to go to thegym.
Obviously, you can walk in yourneighborhood all that.
He actually had one of thoselittle mini treadmills at home,
but you can walk in yourneighborhood and literally never
go to the gym and get to whereyou want to be and feel better
and improve your blood markers,and all that with that minimum
effective dose.
So renee 37 an hr manager, soshe couldn't stick with.
She couldn't stick with pastprograms that demanded daily
(17:29):
workouts.
There's lots of programs thatare super tough and rigid and
like, hey, you got to train thismany times per week, no matter
what, in order to be successfuland she just couldn't keep up.
She's too busy, she's had toomuch life going on.
So now she does three full bodyworkouts and tracks protein.
That's what we're focusing onand she's already down two
clothing sizes, up in energy,and says, for the first time
(17:51):
ever, this finally fits my life.
Like I finally feel like I havesomething that I'm not
competing with my daily life andmy household duties and my
career and my health.
Now my health is actuallyhelping these other things and
I'm not giving up all my timebecause, again, she's doing
three workouts per week.
Guys, it's like 40, 45 minuteworkouts being full body, and
(18:13):
then she's been after this for alittle bit.
So we're not getting crazy.
We don't have our nutritionsuper dialed in.
She's just making betterchoices, prioritizing protein,
making sure she's getting enoughprotein to, you know, support
the training that she's doing,and she's already getting
phenomenal results, and we'renot even that deep into it.
So what's the secret with themthat's different from anybody
(18:33):
else?
They stopped trying to doeverything and they started
doing the right thingsconsistently.
So here are your main takeawaysfor today.
Okay, here's your practicaladvice.
You don't need to do it all.
You just need to do enough, butconsistently.
That's the tick, that's the key.
Okay, enough to move the needle, enough to feel progress,
(18:55):
enough to prove to yourself thatyou can.
That's the number one andhardest thing to do.
And once we get that intact,boy are we?
Are we rolling from there?
So just start where you are, dowhat you can and let those wins
stack up.
Okay, and if you're wonderinghow to make an med plan fit your
life, just reach out.
All right, no pressure, juststrategy, clarity, support.
(19:16):
We're here for you.
You can work with us if youwant to.
We would love to help you.
So you can message us anytime.
Just hit the link in the shownotes or d us directly and we
would love to chat with you.
You can go to our websitetransformedhealthcoachcom and
you can sign up for a freeconsultation.
We'll reach out to youpersonally, book that and we'll
(19:37):
just chit chat with you, figureout where you're at, where
you're wanting to go and how wecan help you get there.
So until next time, dosomething good for your health,
something good for yourself,something good for those you
care about and, whatever you do,make sure you win on purpose.
See you next time.
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