#41: Controlling Your Inputs

Hey Friends,

Happy Easter!

Today, I’m writing about something I am extremely passionate about - the power of controlling your inputs.

So many people in health and fitness are worried about outcomes. They want to lose X pounds or look a certain way in the mirror.

This week, I’ll share my opinion about shifting your focus to your inputs instead of outputs.

Weekly Action Point

🧘 We are going to find 10 minutes every day this week to do some sort of stretching/mobility routine 🧘 

People often overlook flexibility as an important part of their fitness routine.

Why?

Because you can’t see your flexibility when looking at yourself in the mirror.

But it’s essential for living a healthy, active lifestyle. Here’s an example video if you want to follow this one:

Otherwise, there are hundreds of other videos out there. Just search “10 minute mobility” or “10 minute stretch”, and pick a video each day this week. I promise you’ll feel better as a result.

Controlling our Inputs

So, what the heck am I talking about when I say control your inputs?

Our inputs are the things that we have direct power over doing or not doing.

We can control what time we go to bed, how much water we are drinking, what food we decide to eat, if we go to the gym or not, how much we walk throughout the day, etc.

Taking an input focused approach to fitness is, in my opinion, the best way to ensure your long term success.

Instead of being focused on how you look in the mirror or the weight on the scale, focus on the things you have direct control over.

Shift your mindset in this way, and you will get more satisfaction out of your fitness routine. As a result, you’ll be more consistent sticking to it in the long term, and your output goals will come as a result.

For example, some of you may know that I have been working with a bodybuilding coach for the last 4 months or so. I have been extremely strict in my diet, I never miss a workout, and have been religious about getting enough sleep at night.

People ask me all the time why I’m subjecting myself to a routine like this.

The honest answer? If I control everything that is in my power to control, I feel fantastic about myself, regardless of how I look.

There’s a certain sense of peace, accomplishment, and satisfaction from simply knowing that you are doing your best.

I don’t care at all what I look like because I get so much joy and fulfillment out of knowing that I am very honestly doing everything that I can.

I’m controlling my inputs and loving the journey. I don’t focus on the outputs at all, because I know that they will come.

But what happens when people are focused only on their outcomes?

I see it all the time. They have this idea in their head of how they want to look. Maybe they try really hard on a fitness routine for a month or two, maybe even three.

And then they realize that any fitness goal is a long-term goal.

Maybe they get discouraged by how far they’ve come in 3 months and decide to give up.

It’s extremely discouraging not to get the outcome you were hoping for.

Focusing on outcomes causes people to give up on fitness routines, feel defeated, and damages their self image and confidence.

Shifting your focus to your inputs increases consistency, makes you feel strong and powerful, helps you to move in the right direction, and allows you to find enjoyment in the process.

Hopefully, you are understanding the important difference I’m trying to convey.

Ask yourself, what things in your life can you control that maybe you aren’t doing?

If you aren’t doing things you know you can control, how come? What’s stopping you?

If you keep telling yourself that you have a fitness goal, do your inputs help you move in that direction?

Put another way: If I took a look at your day, would I be able to guess what your goals are just by looking at the actions you are taking? Do your actions (or inputs) align with the things you tell yourself you want to achieve?

Just a month ago, I did another newsletter that very closely relates to this topic. If you don’t remember it, I’d recommend giving it a quick skim through again. Here’s the link to it. 

If I had a podcast, this topic is very honestly something I could talk about for hours. Doing my best to try and hit this point in under 1,000 words so that these newsletters stay short and digestible 😃 

Ben’s Best

This week, I’ll share my recipe for my favorite sauce. It seems dramatic to say this sauce has been life-changing for me… but it kinda has.

I feel like I am always telling people about it. I just enjoy it that much, and it makes sticking to a meal plan extremely easy for me. Because as long as a meal has this sauce, I’m good.

So here is my recipe for my Thai peanut sauce that I put on my lunch literally every day:

20 grams of PB2 powdered peanut butter
20 grams of pure maple syrup
10 grams of sriracha
10 grams of reduced-sodium soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a small jar/ramekin and mix well

2. once all ingredients are combined add water, a splash at a time, until you get a sauce-like consistency. Mine is usually about the consistency of ketchup.

I measure everything out in grams for anything I eat, just because it’s easier to me than getting out a tablespoon or whatever to measure things. But if you don’t have a food scale, just do 2 parts powdered peanut butter and maple syrup to 1 part sriracha and soy sauce. It doesn’t need to be an exact science; measure it however you want.

Bam! You just created a sauce that is good on basically anything. It has 10 grams of protein and around 100 calories. I eat it in a ground beef/sweet potato bowl, or over a chicken/rice/veggie mix.

This is one of my go-to, simple things that I eat all the time. Check out newsletter #36 if you wanna hear my opinion about finding simple things you enjoy eating.

That’s all I have for you guys this week.

Have an amazing rest of your Sunday, and go crush it this week.

Ben