K.I.S.S. Excess Weight Goodbye

14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar, William of Ockham was attributed with coming up with the theory that the simplest explanation or strategy tends to be the best one. This principle is know as Ockham’s Razor. Today, you might be more familiar with the K.I.S.S. philosophy, or Keep It Simple, Stupid, which implies that simplicity is a key component in success. How does Ockham’s Razor and the K.I.S.S. principle relate to getting healthy and fit? In my experience I have found that keeping things super simple is the best way to get the results one’s looking for.

Today we are flooded with so much information when it comes to health and we tend to believe that the more complex something is the more valuable or beneficial it will be. I typed “health and fitness” into a search engine and clicked on the first link that came up. I was taken to a page that wanted me to fill out a BMI calculator to assess my health risk, a metabolic calculator to measure my metabolism and a weight loss calculator to determine my desired caloric intake. There was also a blood glucose tracker and a high blood pressure manager for me to utilize. Another site suggested I figure out my max VO2 to determine the specific number of minutes I train in an ideal heart rate zone. As a fitness professional I understand the science of exercise physiology and use it in my profession. But you don’t really need all those complicated equations or scientific data to get in shape and stay healthy. While it is important to set a baseline such as body composition for tracking progress, unless you are an elite athlete, I recommend holding-off on all those other numbers.

When it comes to the actual workouts, there are thousands of exercise programs out there. Gyms are filled with all sorts of fancy equipment that were scientifically designed to help you get the body you want. With all the programs, exercises and equipment out there, it can be hard for someone to even get started. Again, try not to place too much value on that which is complex.

Trainer Chris Jantz at Powerfit Personal Training says that a good trainer should be able to get someone fit “in a phone booth with no equipment”. Bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, squats and sit-ups have been around for thousands of years. Even athletic training can be super simple. You want to increase your power or vertical leap? Hit some simple squats and deadlifts. Kettlebells have been getting Russians fit and strong for hundreds of years. Trust me, it doesn’t get much simpler than a cannonball with a handle. Oh, and don’t forget about running. That goes back to the caveman days when they had to track prey for miles just to get a bite to eat. Speaking of food, keep your nutrition plan simple and forget about the complicated diets. Eat balanced meals with quality lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Go back to drinking good old fashioned H2O before spending your money on those fancy wonder tonics that promise optimum health.

If you are looking to get on track with your health and find yourself stuck in information paralysis, just remember the four pillars of human movement; push/pull, rotation, change of plane and locomotion. When it comes to losing fat and building muscle, all you need is your body and something heavy to lift. Don’t make living a healthy life more complicated than it is. Whether you use Ockham’s Razor to shave off unwanted fat, or you K.I.S.S. that excess weight goodbye, remember to keep it simple!