👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #163 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
Here are my 3 favourite ideas, learns and resources to help you improve your performance this week (4 min read):
🥑 Skipping the nutrition learning curve (for now)
Nutrition is often the toughest lever to pull in the fat loss equation.
The other levers still require nuance, but are simpler.
- 🏋️ Strength train 2-3x weekly (to ensure you lose fat not muscle)
- 🚶 Walk 8k+ steps a day (to maintain metabolism, particularly as you start to lose weight)
- 😴 Sleep 7+ hours (to ensure you lose fat, not muscle + just makes it easier)
But the food side of the equation usually means:
- Cooking
- Shopping
- Food prep
- Portion control
- Navigating cravings
- Getting enough protein
- Ignoring the sugar in your face at every checkout
- Making it taste good without flooding it with sauce
- Prioritising fibre + whole foods so you’re not hungry all the time
Steep learning curve when you're starting out.
And eventually, of course, we wanna build those skills.
But if your goal is to lose fat (or improve your energy, focus, etc) now, and you don’t have time to master it all this week…
This is how I’d do it as simply as possible:
- 🥛 Breakfast: Shake. 2x scoops WPI protein like this or this, 2 tbsp psyllium husk, water + ice to blend
- 🍽️ Lunch + dinner: Meal delivery service like this or this (selecting high protein + fibre meals)
- ⏰ In between: Space meals out every 3-4 hours. No snacking. Just water. Exception, piece of fruit or one of these as dessert.
Then after that, we get on the learning curve.
Start shopping. Prepping. Cooking. One meal at a time.
But if you want momentum now... this is a good play.
Take the guesswork out of it. Get some quick wins. Then build the skills.
🛌 Building your sleep sanctuary
This paper identified the 4 biggest environmental factors that influence sleep quality.
Here they are:
🔊 Noise: Unfortunately, we don’t just “get used to it.” More nose = more awakenings.
- If you live in a loud area: earplugs
💡 Light: Even dim light spiked heart rate and worsened insulin sensitivity.
- Go warm, dim, and indirect ~3 hours before bed
- In bed, full blackout or a sleep mask
📱 Screens: Interestingly, they found blue light wasn't the drama. But procrastination the device caused.
- Dim your screen + use warm/red light/greyscale
- Or better: airplane mode 30 mins before bed
🌡 Temp: Sleep got worse +21°C.
- Bedroom: 17–21°C
- Warm bath/shower 1–2 hours before bed can help drop body temp. I also use glycine for this (see newsletter #139)
- In the heat: mattress/sheets that dissipate heat (e.g. bamboo)
🎁 Bonus:
- 🪻Lavender (faster sleep onset)
- 💨 Air purifiers (+12 minutes of sleep per night)
- 🐶 Dogs in bed was no good
🛌 The summary:
- Elite sleep environment = cool + dark + quiet
- Hours before bed = cool the body + limit light (from screens and rooms)
Go well.
🧐 The wellness world got this one backwards
The other day I shared a version of this on Instagram:
"Perfect world: we eat whole, minimally processed food all the time.
Real world: we do that most of the time. Plus good quality powders, bars to help get our nutrients in… and the occasional almond croissant for joy."
A guy replied saying he’s cut out all ultra-processed foods. But now struggles to hit his protein target.
And I love the intention behind it. It’s impressive.
But I also think.. it might be solving the wrong problem.
Because the real issue isn’t “processed” vs “not processed.”
It’s: are we getting the nutrients our bodies actually need?
There’s a massive difference between ultra-processed junk with 37 ingredients..
And a high-quality whey protein isolate powder.
For me, if the choice is between getting enough nutrients from a clean supplement...
Or missing the mark in the name of perfection...
Gimme the supp any day. Throw in the croissant while you're at it.
P.s. 4 weeks ago I promised a side splits update. The update: 5 days in, I went full genius mode and did a rep in socks on hardwood floor and felt a little strain deep in the groin 🤦. On the mend, stay tuned 😂.
That's it!
Have a great weekend 🤙
Matt
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The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service nor a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information shared in this email is general and written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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