Everything Involves The Basics

You can't do anything without first learning or doing the basics.

I just recently heard the story about Kobe Bryant working out with his trainer practicing the basics of the game for over an hour. Someone at the absolute top of their game, practicing nothing but the fundamentals that everything else stands on. When asked why he practiced the basics as the best player in the world, he responded with, "Why do you think I'm the best player?"

With a mountain of information and people trying to stand out, it's a common tactic to make things complicated and flashy. They attempt to appeal to the masses in a way no one else does. But the truth is, in almost anything we do, being extremely proficient at the basics will make us the best. And the best are masters of the basics.

I've been pretty heavy into a lot of physical activities in my life. I'm also a registered nurse. When you look at most careers that are skill based and any physical activity, knowing the basics is almost impossible to pass up. There are some outliers that have innate abilities and they may do things in an unconventional manner. But for the rest of us, we need to focus on the little things we first learn when being introduced to a new subject or sport.

When we examine health and how we become better individually, most of what we do can be broken down into very simple tasks. Simple decisions we can make and skills we can practice are the basis for it all. While nutrition and exercise are very deep topics, they don't have to be fully explored in order to do well in those areas of your life. Social media has a lot of people throwing information our way with convoluted and sometimes contradictory information that makes it hard to discern what is what and who is right. But keeping things basic and not taking in too much at a time is a perfect route to take in order to become a healthier you.

"All These Health Foods Are Actually Toxic!"

"Stop Doing This Exercise Right Now!"

"You've Been Breathing Wrong Your Whole Life!"

Headlines like these catch our attention and make us more confused than anything else. If you have specific questions, speak with a qualified professional and do your best to sift through the bullshit. But at the end of the day, keeping things simple is the easiest way to not become frozen from the overwhelming amount of information we are constantly taking in. Because not making any decision that allows us to progress, is one of the worst decisions we can make.

Keep it simple. Move more, sleep longer, eat better, figure out how to relax, and work on yourself any chance you get.