Turo Virta (Zoom): 1:09

Hey, it's Turo here, and welcome back to the fit me Turo fitness Podcast. Today, I want to talk something that might completely change how you approach your health and fitness. Topic, me, after I sent out last week an email about sleep tracking, and so I got so many replies to that email that I haven't had for a long time. So people were sharing their sleep hours, their struggles, their wins, and I realized something very important. So most of us want to track our habits, but we are often tracking the wrong things. So in this episode, we are going to talk about 8020 rule and opposite like that, how that 20% of your actions create 80% of your results, and how you can use that principle to simplify your health, your tracking and your progress by by the end, you will know exactly what to track in your situation and what to ignore and how to Make tracking feel effortless and not not obsessive. So what? Is that when you want to track everything so it becomes overwhelming, and when, usually when people are starting health, new health plan, when they are going to their health journey, and they often want to do it perfectly. And they are, you are tracking your every calorie, every macro, every gram of food, every minute of cardio, every burnt calorie. And you are, it's getting too much, because often, what I often see is, after two weeks, you are burning out, you are quitting, and you are because you are getting simply overwhelmed, and you are stopping. So the problem isn't tracking itself, it's tracking too much and tracking what doesn't matter and what doesn't move the needle. So goes to, goes to honest truth is that you don't need to track everything you need to track the right things

Unknown: 3:29

and things that feel the Most,

Turo Virta (Zoom): 3:44

compared to kind of the principle of or 8020 rule comes in. So it's roughly 20% of your actions that are creating 80% of your results. So if you find and focus on that 20% you will simplify your life and speed up your progress. Because that honest truth is that that you are most of the most of the people. They are tracking wrong things. Of course, more you are tracking, more you are doing things. And you you might think that you need to do everything. But honest truth is that it's it's often less is more. And this is, this is very true about also about training, if I think like I have been lucky to work with the high level athletes and and they love simplify things. It's not just focusing on those core principles and repeating them. And it's just in ice hockey world, I have been lucky to work with the best coaches in the world, Stanley Cup winners and and the honest truth is that you think that they might have something, what is the secret, or some new drills, or something, what makes them special to be able to coach at the highest level in the world? But the truth is that they do things actually very simple and focus on details. Do those daily habits very well, and this is this applies. You might not be a top level athlete, but this principle applies to your daily, day to day, life and habits, what you are actually doing. So what is, then, what are those 20 prosent of actions that are creating? The obviously, this is for every person, different depending at which point you are on your fitness journey, what goals you have, and for most of my clients, and for myself, it comes down to four things, and I call them my call for plus sleep. So what is number one is your workouts. So most of the women I work, they are, they my paycheck, and they are doing their workout and and then, you know, when it's done, it's done. You know you are you, you are working so hard, and you are doing something which is obviously better than nothing, better than not doing anything. But you can, you can start to make amazingly more progress when you start to track your workouts. So what I mean by tracking is that when you are overload, and it means that you are always trying to do more. And for most women I work, they are, of course, they are. They might be working out from home, like most of my clients, do, they have pair of dumbbells. They are using always the same weight. Maybe they go, they start with the two kilos or three kilo dumples. They do whole workout with the same dumbbell. And then they they are, they try to, they know that they have to try to improve. And then they are taking three kilo or adding one kilo more or two kilo more of their dumples and doing whole workout with the same workouts. The problem is that if you do your whole workout with using same pair of dumpers for some of your muscles, like smaller muscles, like shoulders, you will have an amazing workout, because it's gonna be very hard. Some like, if you do think that much smaller than, for example, some bigger muscles, like your back or your glutes. And if you do, if you use the same weight for each exercise. It's for your clothes, for example, which is a bigger, bigger muscle, stronger muscle, you will they will have, like, warm up and and if you think that your your shoulders, do you do the lateral raises, shoulders on the side. And for that muscle, it's using that weight. It might be almost too much, and it's It feels very hard, very heavy. But then on your glutes, you do some dead lifts or squats, it feels easy. Of course, you might think you do maybe a couple more repetitions, but you are nowhere near to close to failure. So what is? What is how you are actually doing it? Courage to all my clients, in my one on one coaching program in my challenges, in my membership, coaching that track your workouts, so you have to, actually, when you have a I create program for you, or you have your program and what you have to do every week, let's say that you have usually, Maybe it's for one month, you should have same program for every month, then you change for next four weeks for another program. Because the problem, problem is that if you have every week new program, your body don't have time to adapt. Of course, you it's maybe not that boring, but, but when you do random workouts, you will you won't give chance to your body to improve. So the most effective way is to have a same program. Usually it's three to five weeks and you are back. I was the person I was, the person five years ago who was testing that, you know, I just do some workouts. I feel great after a workout. But what changed everything when I started to track my own workouts? I did it when I was a younger but then I was, I thought that because I didn't have any more I, like, kind of broke out goals, or I wasn't working out for my performance. So I started to simply, first of all, to have a program, what I follow, what I know exactly, what to do. And then I started to track my workout, so adding, if I have in my program, I had, let's say, 12 repetitions I was able to do 15. I changed the amount of repetitions, how many I was doing, and then I wrote down how much weight I used. And now, for four years, and it's so interesting. It's so kind of rewarding to see in my workout app. When I look back, which I see for each exercise, there is a training history. So I go back, I look when I have done this exercise last time, because it remembers all exercises I have been doing, what I have been tracking. And I go back, I looked at, okay, 2022 I was doing 10 repetitions with 60 kilos. Now I'm doing same amount of repetitions with 70 or 80. And it's, it's so rewarding to see what you are actually that when you are getting stronger, you are improving, and then that is, that is the kind of key for everything. So at use weight that challenges you that you are not you don't need to go until failure, but it should be like it's not, it's it's a difference. If you, if it like, in a words that my clients often use that, especially women, they say that this feels already heavy. It's enough. But if you, if you don't make an ugly face, if you don't, if you are you can imagine to do, let's say three or more repetitions with the weight you are using. Let's say that you have in your program 12 repetitions, and you are doing it like 1234, and you are in your 12th repetition, and you can, you could still be doing like, let's say, five more. That is too less weight. You have to add more resistance. And this is also something, what I what I get often message, when I sign new strength workout, I get the message that this feels too easy, but if you out, it dumps, it feels too easy. The problem isn't the program. It's the weights you are using. Because if you are pushing yourself close to failure, close to your limits, workout which has exercises with weights, shouldn't feel that it's easy, so it should challenge you every single time and and when you are starting to track, like, for example, in my workout, that when I when I track my own workouts, I know I see it recommends me right away, amount of weight based on my last repetitions, last last time when I have done that exercise, let's say that I have been doing 15 repetitions, and next program I have only five. So it's hard to guess or know what how much weight I should be using, but there comes the app in it counts automatically. It could be that you have little bit better understanding how much your starting weight should be, and then it's kind of week one is always kind of trial error you are trying what amount of weight if you are, let's say that you have a 10 repetitions. First set you are able to do easily those 10, and then you are going to the next set, you in the first that you can, of course you can do, or you should be doing couple more repetitions, if you are able to. And then for the second set, you should be already adding more weight and see how it feels. So tracking your workouts and what you are actually doing that is probably the most beneficial habit, because that keeps your metabolism high, it builds muscle and it improves your mood. So then step number two, or second thing, what I would be tracking is your amount of steps you doing it. You might have it in your phone, but if you are setting your step call, like, I love to use, like a weekly step call, because, or it's kind of both it's a daily call and it's a weekly goal, but it's, it's in the end, what matters more is weekly average. So of course, there is coming a days that you might not be moving that much, and then you might be doing like, for example, week and longer walk outside. So it's, it's in the end, what matters is your total number of week. But of course, those daily, daily values like for me, I'm I'm my work. When I'm coaching, it's pretty active, so I'm standing a lot. I'm walking all the time without even noticing it. And it says that when you see you sit, your amount of steps, what you are aiming, 20,000 per week. So that is, that is, if one day you get five 5000 you have still you make two days, 12,500 you get into your goal and what you should be aiming for, what is a good level it? Of course, it always depends what you are averaging. At the moment, like the 10,000 is not some magical number. There is actually very like, several studies, what, how much you should be actually, like, there is no additional health benefit adding more than 14,000 steps per day. Like, if you are, like, I average around 14,000 but if you go above that, there is no real health benefits anymore. Of course, it, it is. There is some benefits. But in for your health, if you get up to that number, there is no additional if you get 14 or 15 or 16 benefits. But if you the biggest change, your game changer is around. If you are at the moment, if you are 4000 5000 steps, you are able to add one, 2000 steps per week, like I usually like if I look always what, where my clients are at, what they average at the moment before we are setting new goals. So it's not just a random number that you have to get 10,000 steps per day? No, it depends on your situation. If you are averaging, at the moment, 5000 maybe sustainable progress would be to get 5500 per day, or 6000 but never more than six and a half. So because it then it's, it's already kind of unrealistic. So this is, this is number two, what I would be tracking, maybe, if you are already doing it amazing, that's there is no more things what you should be doing, then number step, number three, what I would track. Those are your nutritional anchors. Of course, calories are very beneficial. It helps. But for me, at the moment, like it, of course, it depends what your goals are. Like if you, if you, if your goal is to change your body composition, tracking calories, it's the game changer. But if you, especially if you want to get you don't want to get too obsessive about tracking every single calorie, every single gram what you are eating. The most beneficial nutritional habits is making sure you are eating enough protein and enough fiber, so protein, it supports muscle, helps to recover faster, and helps with satiety. So you are going to feel fuller when you are eating this, like protein and fiber, you are going to feel fuller, and automatically, you are going to eat something else less. So it it's kind of win win situation. You are eating less calories. So this is that's why tracking your protein intake and may ensure that you are eating enough it, it, it's so beneficial. Like, and you don't need to be up, you don't need to get obsessive. Like, and how to actually then do it like, first of all, you should aim for 1.6 2.2 grams per kilo body weight. I like to keep it in in a lower range, like around 1.5 1.6 per kilo body weight, or your cold body weight, if you have a lot of weight to lose. So it don't need to be if you wait at the moment, let's say 120 kilos. And if you aim for two grams per kilo body weight, that's 240 grams of protein. And that is, that is a lot of protein. So here finding like taking your ideal weight, multiplying the see how it goes. That's kind of how to set your protein goal. And then Virta, it's it supports your digestion hormones and gut health. So and also it's one of the most filling macro nutrient or or foods, what you could be eating. And when you are prioritizing these two or those, most other nutrition problems usually fix themselves without paying even attention. And then step number four, what I would be, and by the way, Virta, what I forgot to say, how much is the goal? Because this is often like, people have no idea it's around 27 to 35 like, usually for females, recommendation is 27 for males, it's 35 but it's, it don't need to be if it's if you get around 30, know how much fiber each food have. Food have. For example, use Google Chat, CPT, AI, you will find how much like fruits, berries or whole grain products they have. They are foods which are high in fiber. So look little bit what you are eating at the moment, ask yourself, what else you could be adding. And usually, like for me, how I do it, it's I make sure that my breakfast and that I have, which I don't have, always control on my what I'm eating on my lunch. I love my wife. My wife is cooking in the evening, she is not always counting, or basically never counting every single gram of fiber or protein, but that I make sure with my i i throw off that I get at least half of my protein already before lunch. So how I do it? I have my breakfast. I my goal is to get around 150 grams of protein per day, and I try to get 7075, grams of protein before lunch already. So then it's almost automatically, even I don't have I might have some meal where it's not that much protein, but at least I have my bare minimum already in the morning. And how I do it, my breakfast 50 grams of protein. It's 250 grams of Cricut mixed with Turo's seasonal fruits or berries, and then I add scoop neutral natural protein powder, whey powder, and there I have my around 50 grams of protein For my breakfast, then for snack. It's usually something you having good cheese. Here in Italy, we have a low fat, great cheese. It's some people don't like to taste. I actually am a weird Virta. I enjoy it, or then I might have a second protein shake. I use casein protein just I personally like to have two different type of proteins. So if I choose to get it on a power powder form, it's different type of protein, but that is just on days where I can't have protein with me, x whatever you enjoy. It's not of course, natural food sources are lot better than than those, like a protein shakes or or especially bars I protein bars I quit eating, or I try to limit them pretty much, because I I didn't digest them too well. I don't know if it's about ingredient, but it just didn't work for me. So I rather have just a regular protein shake or or try to stick with the natural food sources. So this is 3030, around Turo's of fiber per day, and you are good. So then step number four is your sleep so, and that is probably the most underrated superpower. So you can do everything else perfectly. But if you sleep five hours a night, your progress will start. And because hormones like leptin and krehlin, the hunger hormones, they get distracted and you will crave sugar, you will feel tired, and your workouts feel 10 times harder. So sleep and here, this is something, what I what I sent to my email list about how to track actually your sleep. So what is to track your sleep like? Of course, you have, you might have your watch or something, how you are actually doing it. But for me, what are those habits, sleep habits? Because this is something that you are not, maybe always aware what you are going to do, but if you track these habits, what are leading your chance is to increase your quantity and especially quality of sleep. Is my favorite habits are, are you getting daylight? So daylight? Getting daylight before 10am so that is that makes you because you are when you get daylight, ideally, it's going to be sun, if it's time of the year that there is no daylight available before 10am even some natural or how to say artificial lights, like lamps or something in a very good light before 10am it makes you tired. It gives your body signals that, okay, it's later on that now it's it's time to actually sleep. You are getting tired. But if you don't get if you are still in a dark room until or you don't see any any bright light before 10am your body won't get tired later. So getting daylight or bright light before 10am is the habit number one. Then are you cutting Are you drinking coffee in after 2pm so usually it's around 10 hours before your ideal bedtime like but I like to stick with the 2pm so, because my sleep time is it's, it's around 10am so or 10pm so it's Eight hours before my sleep time. But ideally, it ideal, bedtime. So, but for me, if it's just a simple rule, 2pm and it should be more than enough, then there is something like your wind down routine. So what you are actually doing, like there are so many different ways how you could be actually doing it. So the thing what I, what I said that this is not some system put some lights off or something, but when you are tracking actually these things, like what you are, what you are going to do, like what I, what is, what is like, if it's for me, it's, it's 10 to 20 minutes total. It's kind of been what I call wind down menu. So you could be choosing one to two of these things, what I'm going to tell you, and it takes 10 to 20 minutes total. So coming to body is step number one.

Unknown: 29:25

It could be, for example, total. Four

Turo Virta (Zoom): 29:48

second hold, so four to six rounds or or some long exhale breathing, so four in six to eight seconds out for five minutes. And that is, that is calming the body. Like more you focus on exhaling. It's it. It calms your body. If you need opposite, if you need to more adrenaline, like you focus on inhaling for longer. So those are that is the difference, and how wide that breathing and how it actually helps. So then it could be next step. Could be quieting your mind. For example, it's again, five to 10 minutes. And like I said, you don't need to do all of this. You can. You could be choosing one two of these things. What I'm telling be checking that okay, you have been doing your calm down or wind down routine. So what is the quieting the mind is like, kind of brain dump, like journaling. So what is everything? Just what is in your mind, like writing on a paper for five minutes, just your thoughts. What is going on your in your mind? Like this could be just the practicing gratitude, or what is one win from today? It's again you need only a couple minutes or one short page of light reading without screens you could be setting up yourself for tomorrow like writing top three things, what, what is tomorrow? Time boxes. You could be laying out your workout clothes, preparing a water bottle.

Unknown: 31:38

Then, of course,

Turo Virta (Zoom): 31:49

the lights putting your phone away out of the reach, charge it outside of the bedroom, if you can like that is for me, was the game changer when I was charging my phone, because I was thinking that I need to use it for my alarm. But when I I actually bought an alarm clock and put my phone away, I didn't wake up. When I woke up, I didn't have my phone, because often what happened was that when I woke up, middle of the night, I couldn't fell asleep. Then now I just take a phone and of course, it made things even worse. So bedroom should be only for sleeping, and your phone don't have place when you are sleeping, it's distracting you. You might watch some social media or something. You get you get full of emotions, like that's how social media platforms are designed to keep you there longer. So you might be getting angry. You might be you that you better probably than you know yourself. So they just try to keep you longer. So that is just those quick things what you could be doing. And like I said, don't try to do all of these, but this is just just a quick routine what you would be doing. So now let's make this all things like really practical, so you don't need 10 different apps or complicated spreadsheets. So what you can use is to your phone notes or simply weekly tracker like a progress, progress scorecard I have shared before, and here is what you actually need to do for one week. Track these four things daily. Did I do my workouts? Yes or no. And then when you did, track your amount of repetitions, amount of weight you were using, and fiber goals, how many hours did I sleep, And did I do my sleep routine to improve it. That's it. So those four questions and simply yes or no. And so this, you get idea what you are going to going to get, and at the end of the week, you can rate yourself on each so you are not aiming for perfection. You are aiming for 80% consistency. And if you get 80% consistent with these 20 pros and habits, you are winning. So this is these four things are what you should be actually doing. So why then this this thing? Why this is work? So tracking is bringing awareness. Awareness is leading to better decisions, and better decisions lead to results. So this is, this is something like, if you, if you, why you be tracking like it's if you, for example, you want to save more money, would you it would be, of course, it's possible to save money without tracking it, but if you are not tracking where you are spending, where you are getting money, chances are that you are not making the best possible progress. If you start to track where you are spending, where you are getting in money. It becomes lot easier. So this is, of course, it depends on your personal situation. For me, personally, at the moment, what I track, what I what have been really game changer is my sleep. I really try to stick my sleep routine, my bedtimes, I go to bed at the same time it's I have set an bedtime alarm in my phone, notes, Apple phone, have a sleep time. It wins down automatically. I don't get any more message. I to start your bedtime routine, and then by 10, 1015 latest, I'm in a bit I have been doing 1020 minutes of something. It's not every day the same. Some days it's reading. Some days it's only some days it's breathing exercises, but it's always something. And then, of course, my workouts, I do, track them, because it's, it's such a beneficial way, such a motivating way, to see when you are actually making progress, and especially when you feel like that you are not. It feels like, Oh, I missed workout. I don't make any progress. I might, I have probably lost my progress, but when you are actually seeing that, oh, I'm I'm at least, I'm staying the same, I'm not losing my strength, even I didn't. I haven't been perfect with my workouts, it gives the reason why you are actually doing this. And when

Unknown: 37:06

you are improvements

Turo Virta (Zoom): 37:10

in your workouts often, that is what happens for me, like all of sudden, without actually even aiming for improving your body composition, you are looking pictures as the Holy shit, I have got stronger, and it changes the way how I also look and what I like I said for me, at the moment, I don't have my goal is simply to maintain the weight. So I don't track my calories, but I do make sure that I hit my bare minimum protein. It's not everyday perfect amount of protein, but I make sure that my habits, with my habits, that's the system. What works for me with my habits. I have two, three pieces of fruit every single morning. I do have my protein, half of my protein, called every single morning. And just simply doing these things every single day, it the rest, it's, it's, it's automatically, there are weeks or times what I, what I, what makes the difference. But those with those habits, I have been able to maintain my weight for the past five, six years pretty consistently. Of course, it's changing, like a couple kilos more or less, but more or less it stays the same. And I have to say, at the moment, I'm not aiming for to changing my body composition. So when you are when you are doing these things, you are starting to notice that maybe, if you start to see patterns, why these things are helping. So if you, if you are tracking, for example, your sleep, and you are seeing it that, oh, on a days you sleep seven or more hours, your cravings are like a lot less, and days when you eat enough protein, you are snacking a lot less. On a days you are walking more, your stress goes down. So these are just patterns, what usually happens, and you don't need to just try harder you are. You just need to see what is working and do more of it. And that's the power of focusing of on your 20 process. So because what I want to still talk, is that what happens when you don't track? So because without tracking, you are guessing, and when you guess, your brain fills the gaps with emotion. So you feel like that you are not making progress. Even when you are, you start to doubting yourself. You stop noticing the small wins. But when you track you build confidence, you start to seeing

Unknown: 40:12

progress in the data.

Turo Virta (Zoom): 40:23

You can say that my average sleep is up 30 minutes. I hit my protein called five days this week. And those are these wins that are compounding. Wins are not that. Those are actions you can actually impact with your day by day things. And if you are starting to, if you focus on, just on Miro, I don't see any difference my scale, scale is not moving or it's moving. It feels, of course, great, but there is not much you can actually focus on. It's just a number that machine is giving you number, and it should not indicate that how well you are doing. But when you are focusing on these four things, tracking, it's only matter of time before you start to see also progress and visible progress. So here is my challenge for you, for the next seven days, track your core four plus lead. So no name of perfection. The end of the week, notice your patterns. Then ask yourself, What's the one habit that made the biggest difference in how I feel? And that's your 20% double down on that, and you will create momentum faster than any perfect plan. So remember, health and fitness aren't about doing everything right. They are about doing the right things consistently track what matters be 80% consistent and what? What's how your results and your confidence start compounding week by week after week. And if you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend who is overwhelmed by tracking everything, and if you want to my free tips, I highly recommend to join my email list. I'll send weekly actionable emails. I will put link to my show notes as a freebie, I give you my 15 day free. You It's I use myself and with my one on one clients for you for free for first 15 days. And these are just simple things that you can actually add some add into your life without feeling over and thank you so much for listening and talk to you in the next one.