*I originally published this in the September 2008 Issue of Live Lean, Live Well Newsletter. Sign up here for the monthly newsletter.*
What image pops into your head when you hear the word ‘lean’? Depending on your background, the image of lean will be different for each person. If you are involved in the bodybuilding world, your image will probably be one of minimal body fat with maximum muscle. Looking at lean from a yogic perspective, you will again find a body of little fat but with a very reserved muscular frame. Also, quite possibly the image of frugality in business, or living on a tight budget comes to mind.
No matter the image of lean, the one thing that stands out in these examples is that there is definitely a lack of something. However, in my eyes, I see lean as an abundance, and dare I say a pathway to positive excess.
Let me explain.
When I think of lean a visual of living life to the fullest with minimal resistance burns brightly inside of me. To me, the state of maximum efficiency with minimum effort is the ultimate goal of humanity, and one that unfortunately is not pursued to the best of our ability. This should not be misconstrued with the perception that one is a person of passivity! Quite the contrary. I believe that living a life of leanness means that one is always active and constantly moving forwards in a positive manner, always aiming towards a life of fruitfulness. The moment we become passive and stop moving we become stale and flaccid. Once this happens, the thought and desire for wanting to become the person we are destined to be stops, and a life of mediocrity and tribulation is destined to follow.
In this day of immediate information download, we are bombarded with facts and trivial matters that eat up much of our time. Time that we could be using in pursuit of more important and crucial endeavors. How many times do we find ourselves flipping through our 100+ channel cable TV looking for something “good’? In this case, “good” usually just translates into something that will keep us entertained for the time being. Yet, how is this positively adding to our lives and moving us closer to a life of maximum efficiency and happiness? Vegging out occasionally can be good for you. A little downtime from being constantly on the go. However, just how many times do we really need to watch a rerun of a sitcom from 10 years ago? Why don’t we do the same for a book that we read 10 years ago? For me, being lean in this instance would be working on cutting out the unnecessary distractions in our life. These activities that are not helping us in our pursuit of bettering ourselves. Once again, I do believe that downtime is an extremely important part in the process of our journey of positive forward momentum. However, keep this downtime constructive by always asking yourself, ‘How is this contributing to my goal of bettering myself?’.
I have a particular rule that I try to stick to in all that I pursue. It is a simple rule yet one that can be very difficult to follow. The rule is the 80% rule, and I commonly refer to this rule as the ‘Lean Rule’.
If you have studied economics I am sure that you have heard of the Pareto Principle. The principle states that for many events 80% of the effects come from 20% of causes. This theory was espoused by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of the income in Italy went to 20% of the country’s population. In marketing speak, you will be better off if you focus on the 20% of your target audience that buys 80% of your product, since they are the ones that keep coming back to buy your products. If it weren’t for them you probably wouldn’t be making a profit.
Conversely, if we look at subtracting 20% from a hundred, and completely and wholeheartedly focus on the remaining 80%, we will find that this 80% is still more than plenty to get by on and even prosper with. To give an example, what would happen if we were to stop eating at 80% full? We would still receive the adequate nutrients needed to build a strong and healthy body. We would still enjoy the food on our plate and the company with us. However, the most important thing would be the creation of a body that strives and prospers off of moderation. Because we are not stuffing ourselves to capacity with every meal, we allow our body the ability to digest and take in the proper nutrients it needs, at the pace it needs to do this. We are creating an efficient body with a minimum loss of energy. This translates into a lean and healthy body! Once we push past the 80% mark, we are simply wasting food and precious energy that could be used elsewhere to better result. How many times have you eaten to your limit and have needed to take a break from the massive lunch or dinner that you have consumed? How many times have you consumed way too much alcohol and wasted the next day in trying to recover? All of this is wasted energy and does not contribute to achieving (or maintaining) the body you want, nor the life you desire.
Similarly, if we keep our expenses to 80% of what we have and allow the remaining 20% to be saved, we will always have extra. This extra money, like stored energy, will always be there for us when it is time for us to pursue greater challenges. Challenges that take us to greater heights in our lives. If you neither have the energy nor money for these challenges you will always be stuck in the same place. By following the 80% Lean Rule you will always be prepared for the next step in life when the opportunity arises. You will never again lose your chance to progress towards your goals.
When starting a program with a new client I always have them do a very important assignment. I ask them to spend one week writing down everything that goes into their mouth. And I mean, everything! They are not to change anything in the way of their current eating habits. What I have generally found is that when we sit down after that first week and go over their eating journal there is always a waste of energy due to the way they are eating, or because of the amount that they are eating. By working with the 80% Lean Rule and cutting out 20% of the wasted energy in my client’s diet, they will automatically be on their way to both looking and feeling great.
When cutting out 20% of a person’s diet most people would think that you just cut back on the amount of food that you are eating. However, even if you have a 20% reduction in food, yet still eat the same foods that were contributing to the wasted energy you will still be losing energy. In order to properly use the Lean Rule to your advantage you need to substitute the wasted energy with positive producing energy. So rather than just cut out 20% of the current food you are eating it is necessary to replace the bad foods with good foods. The interesting part about this system, is that you may end up eating a larger quantity of food although you will not be eating past your 80% full mark. While this might seem strange, think of the density of a food and how heavy it feels in your stomach when eating it. Even though ‘heavy’ foods will fill you up faster this doesn’t necessarily mean that the food is creating positive energy for your body. However, when you eat foods that are higher in positive energy you will be able to eat more, while in turn reap the benefits of the added nutrients in this way. Instead of having to stuff your face!
Because the quality of energy from these foods is improved, you will find that the quality of energy it produces in you will be greater. With this extra energy you will be able to maximize your efficiency through minimal effort and have extra energy to spare. Just like the money in your piggy bank that you have saved.
Being lean in the physical sense doesn’t equate to being weak, or having a lack of muscle. In the same way, being lean with money doesn’t mean being meager or cheap. Again, in my opinion, living lean means using what you have in the most economical way that gives you the best possible results. What I am referring to here is being weary of wastefulness, and using your resources in a way generates more, instead of taking away. If we all constantly and constructively pursue this notion, there is no reason why anyone on the planet shouldn’t be living a life of health and riches.
In closing, for me, living lean is a mindset that goes well beyond just looking great. Living lean means always having the energy, the passion, and the riches to live life on my terms. This is what I want for you, your loved ones, and everyone in the world. This is my passion.
Live Lean. Live Well.
