A visible 6-pack or bikini body seems to elude most people which is unfortunate because almost everyone between 16 and 66 would like one. Unfortunately, whether 16 or 66, most people explain it away with “I do not have the time to do what it takes to earn and maintain what I would like”. I said “unfortunately” because even I thought that was a valid excuse until I was 40. Then I woke up suddenly and realized that everyone has the time it takes to earn and maintain a lean muscular body. I say “everyone has the time” simply because it does not take a lot of time. On the other hand, it does require us to use our resources intelligently and that is where the problem lies, but also where the solution is to be found.
Those who are part of my inner circle and yet rarely meet me in person know me to be a workaholic. In the last 11 years, I have never been separated from a computer and the internet for more than a few hours – not even for one day. Yet, I managed to shed 30 kg of fat and build a 6-pack in my 40s, and still today I continue to maintain it while I fast approach 60? Not just I, but other gentlemen and ladies whom I mentor have understood the principles of creating and maintaining a lean muscular body to show washboard abs or for bikini poses. The truth is that you can have that holy grail with very little time invested if you were to simply learn how to close The Implementation Gap between theory and practice. And, not with bro science but with real science backing your every decision for an action or appropriate inaction.
As you scroll down and read the rest of this article, you will find it to be a collection of various concepts, forces and actions that play a part in your achieving and holding on to the holy grail. While you read it, keep your mind open, and hold on tight to that which you appreciate to be practical and useful.
Read through from start to finish, but if you spot a segment listed in the Contents of specific interest, simply jump to it.
If you find it useful, please share this with your family and friends. All the other 160+ articles are here.
If you would like detailed guidance to discreetly upgrade your life – health and wealth – visit the mentoring page or the coaching conversation page.
(NEW!) For some testimonials from around the world, go here.
Contents
Implementation Gap
Horizons
1234The 2nd Horizon
1234The 1st Horizon
12342 Horizons in Sight
A Big ROTI is not Optional but Essential
Constrained Optimization
What might be left out?
1234Wealth Buckets
1234Other Measures
Mindset
Blending Intelligence and Wisdom
Physical Protocols
1234Interactions
1234Rest and Sleep
1234Food and Drink
1234Fasting and Feasting
1234Exercise vs Activity
1234Environment
1234Signals
Processes and Perceptions
Parting Message
Implementation Gap [top]
It is honest wisdom that gets me to warn you at this point that even after you read today’s article you will not get that 6-pack or bikini body because simply reading (or watching a video) does nothing. If you are to get to your goal, you must close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. You must learn how to close The Implementation Gap. No one ever baked a cake just by reading the recipe! If you want to learn and master by doing, reach out to me. Save time and learn to bake with a master chef!
Horizons [top]
The problem horizon is much longer than you think it is. In fact, we can split it into 2 horizons.
The 2nd Horizon [top]
You do not want a bikini body for next summer and then just a couch potato body for the winter. You want a bikini body even for the winter. And not just for next winter but for all your future winters – and summers, autumns, and springs. In short, that 2nd horizon is long, practically infinitely long.
The 1st Horizon [top]
The 1st horizon is the shorter one, the time horizon to reach the desired physical state for the first time e.g., the 6-pack before the summer break, the bikini body before the winter beach holiday.
2 Horizons in Sight [top]
Keeping the 2nd horizon in sight even as you work towards the 1st one will:
[a] remind you about your true long-term desire and
[b] remind you to focus on actions right now, for the shorter horizon, that produce sustainable results for the long-term
[c] make you aware of the fact that it will be much easier to maintain the desired physical appearance in the 2nd horizon than to achieve it in the 1st horizon and so
[d] keep you motivated to work through the 1st horizon to actually then see the 2nd horizon rather than it just be an imagined horizon.
If you see this graph that I keep updated twice a year, you will see that Maintenance Mode for the long 2nd horizon needs more thought but a lot less time invested!
A Big ROTI is not Optional but Essential [top]
A quick reminder that:
ROTI = Return on Time Invested
Working to reach your target by investing many hours in exercise is neither what most people can organize nor is it wise. If your profession requires that you show up daily for many hours of intense physical effort then, hopefully, that visually appealing body becomes a natural by-product of simply working to put bread on the table. Most of us are not on such a professional path and have other types of day jobs or businesses to run. If you appreciate that a 6-pack ought not to be for just one summer and a bikini body is not just for one beach holiday then you will appreciate that any implementable plan must have a big ROTI so that you remain interested in staying on the right path forever. Even just the thought of someone else doing long workouts daily for decades leaves me exhausted. Not my way, not the ideal way – the ideal way is the big ROTI way! It is fun, doable and, therefore, long-term sustainable! I am targeting a 6-pack at age 110. I might not make it happen, but at least I do think I can achieve it.
Constrained Optimization [top]
Let us lay out what you would do in an ideal situation to solve any complex problem in life.
For all future horizons, you have a constrained optimization problem. You have specified what your end goal is. You have facts that describe your current state of affairs. You have detailed knowledge about the science that describes, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the impact that all the tools at your disposal have on moving you closer to your goal or away from it. You understand the relevance of various constraints you face that limit your ability to go down certain paths. You understand the relevance of various preferences you have that limit your willingness to go down certain paths.
You must then be capable of computing the next step of action that will be the optimal step out of all possible next steps. The optimal step will be the one that maximizes your likelihood of success and minimizes your failure risk while also using as little time and as few resources as possible, and choosing a path that does not hit any constraints and does not violate any preferences, in taking you from your current state to your specified goal.
You might be thinking, “That sounds great in theory, but that is not how I solve problems in real life” to which I say, “Yes, that is not how you have been solving problems in real life, but it is good to know how you might solve problems in real life so you at least do something close to that ideal manner of working.” Feeling lost? Get in touch!
What might be left out? [top]
Wealth Buckets [top]
A 6-pack or a bikini body is a physical dimension goal. If you travel a good path to that goal, then you can improve your mental, emotional, and then, most importantly, your spiritual health too. Remember, no matter how hard you try, the cycle of nature wins. It is dust from where you came and to dust you shall return. So, in your 90s you are unlikely to have a 6-pack or that bikini body. However, you can have superhuman spiritual health then! So, on the path to the 6-pack today, do not ignore your spiritual health. Use the former to ensure the latter!
Other Measures [top]
Even within the physical dimension, you must not forget about all the health-based measures of fitness and the skills-based measures of fitness and ensure that you keep those high enough. If you have a 6-pack but perform miserably in a minor cardiorespiratory challenge that will be embarrassing. If you have a bikini body but do not have the balance, coordination, reaction speed and agility to catch a frisbee on the beach then your friends will quietly giggle!
Mindset [top]
If your teachability is low, you will struggle to get results because you might refuse to change your actions because you might refuse to change your thought processes. “I am a lifelong learner” must be part of your identity if you are going to create behaviour modifications for yourself. With any learning and change comes some struggle and you must become someone who enjoys that struggle. Sometimes it might be something simple like hyperthermic conditioning and getting sun exposure or hypothermic conditioning by walking in only shorts and a vest in a snowstorm. At other times it could be about experiencing deprivation for joy through fasting or choosing to walk rather than drive to the shops.
Blending Intelligence and Wisdom [top]
It is an appropriate blending of wisdom and intelligence that you require to succeed in this long-term project. You need the intelligence to be able to handle complexity but you also need the wisdom to learn to enjoy complexity. Creating recipes for big ROTIs is one thing, executing those plans requires you to be wise enough to go through the pain. In the end, this is very much a real-world tangible experiences project and you will need intelligence beyond just a narrow definition like IQ. You will need to use your emotional intelligence which, in turn, will be improved as well. Can you keep a cool head when it is incredibly hot? Can you ignore hunger when the pang only really lasts for a few minutes? Can you be immune to FOMO when your friends are shortening their lives at the late-night party you choose to not attend?
Physical Protocols [top]
Interactions [top]
All the protocols you follow or do not follow, consciously or unconsciously, interact with each other. If you drink the wrong things your sleep quality will be lower. If you do not sleep right your gruelling workout time will be become mostly wasted time. If you do not match your feasting appropriately with your fasting, your fasting will give you limited benefit. The same workout with appropriate rest and feasting intelligently after fasting can produce significant benefits relative to mindless workout hours and the inability to discern between bad and good quality nutrition.
Rest and Sleep [top]
Your body transforms for the better when you rest and not during the exercise shock. You have put yourself through physically gruelling minutes already. If you do not get adequate rest you are avoiding something easy and pleasurable that is essential for getting something you want. And, when it comes to rest, I say that “sleep is rest mode on turbo“, so if your sleep metrics are not optimal you are not going to benefit from the easiest thing you can do for maximum benefits. How foolish would that be? Be aware that when you sleep less than you actually need to (and I do not care about how much you think you need to) you are moving away from your goal by many steps, not just a single step.
Food and Drink [top]
Unfortunately, the most basic of things that are so simple to get right for ourselves and for our loved ones we do not. I see parents feeding their children food that they know to be harmful to them. If you tell yourself, “My blood numbers look good, I can eat whatever I want, drink whatever I want,” you are being downright foolish with respect to your stated goal. Firstly, what I see people describe to me as “good” or “normal” blood numbers (usually conveying what their doctor told them) is not good enough for me – because what I want is “optimal” not “normal”! Secondly, what looks “safe today” is not necessarily what will result in an “amazing future.” Do you want to survive, or do you want to thrive?
Fasting and Feasting [top]
You must fast sensibly through any 24-hour period. If you do a weekly fast, it ought to synch well with your social and business calendar. A prolonged fast once a year is essential to reset your systems. However, with all that wise fasting, you must feast intelligently. The feasting must support the fasting. Make sure they go hand in hand to have the smoothest and quickest journey to your goals.
Exercise vs Activity [top]
It is important to understand the difference between activity and exercise. Although all exercise is activity, all activity is not exercise. If you are below age 70 and think that “going for a 15-minute walk” is exercise, I am sorry but, no, it is not. Walking is good for you, and you must do it, but it will not replace the need to engage in some activity that pushes your heart muscles to work harder.
Perhaps the biggest mistake that most people make is believing that endless hours of cardio is what will get them to their desired state. You need to build muscle (to automatically burn fat when you are sleeping even) not destroy your muscle with long durations of cardio done frequently through the year.
Environment [top]
There are times when you cannot control the environment. To escape the hazardous air in New Delhi you must move to another part of the world.
There are times when you can decide which environment you want to place yourself in. Do not take your laptop to a cake shop to work and sip your coffee there – pick a place that is comfortable where you are not tempted to eat things that move you away from your goal. I am not saying, “Do not eat cake.” But I am saying, “Do not place yourself in a cake shop with free Wi-Fi where you will be tempted to eat cake with your coffee when you would have otherwise been satisfied with ‘just coffee’ in a cafe.” Remember, that “free Wi-Fi” is not free – you pay for it in some manner. Sometimes through the premium coffee you purchased, sometimes with your health because you also bought the cake! The best things in life are free, but Wi-Fi in a cake shop is not one of them. Do you want something that is wonderful and free? Walk to see the sunset tomorrow.
At other times, in a fixed environment you can change what exists there with you. Even if you might eat junk occasionally when you go out, do not bring that junk home. Stop watching cookery shows where meat, fish, eggs, and dairy are standard ingredients – watch shows on tasty and healthy vegan recipes and yummy low-calorie cooking techniques. When you have the power of choice, use that power wisely.
Signals [top]
All the decisions you make are based on the information sets that you have collected in your head. You must be able to filter out signals that come from outside you that take you away from your goal (e.g., bad bro science) and allow signals into your processing brain that take you towards your goal (e.g., the truth about healthy vegan meals being better for you than non-vegan meals.).
Processes and Perceptions [top]
Even if you did not have the most optimal of next steps, just being consistent with turning up would make the needle move in tiny steps in the desired direction over time. Contrast that with irregular implementation of some fancy methods – you are unlikely to get the results you desire. If you collect data about yourself and various things related to you, you can introduce gamification which is an extremely powerful, costless yet priceless concept to implement. Switch negative self-labels for positive future identities you want to construct that include an attitude of a growth mindset. Combine that with investing time in learning proper science followed by teaching what you learn to others.
With all of this, do not forget about the planet’s health. Every set of stairs you climb instead of using an elevator, every bicycle ride you use for running errands instead of jumping onto your scooter will help your mother earth maintain good health! She will gladly present you with a perfect sunset to light up your 6-pack or bikini body!
Parting Message [top]
For me, it really is so simple – the few minutes a day I invest in exercise are effective. The rest of the day in study or in deep work or just moving around – they all contribute towards me continuing to be able to have my cake and eat it too. A 6-pack of beer is not something I desire. Taking care of the 6-pack I created above my waist that I carry around keeps me on my journey of increasing my spiritual health.
If everything you do is consistent with your core beliefs and desires, then a long and healthy life of joy is pretty much guaranteed to be yours. If you want to be guided in detail, you know how to reach me, and if you found this useful, please do share it with others.
Puru
Dr Purnendu Nath spends his waking hours focusing on helping individuals and organizations reach their goals, to make the world a better place. He speaks, writes and advises on topics such as finance, investment management, discipline, education, self-improvement, exercise, nutrition, health and fitness, leadership and parenting.
Puru The Guru 