Minimum effective dose comes from the unhealthy fear of overtraining. Athletes who train hard and long will reap more reward, which creates an advantage. Instead of using dose-response all the time, maybe we should move toward the concept of rehearsal for performance and modeling to win more often.
Exercise is Medicine: Make a Habit & Get Your MED.
Being physically active is preventative medicine
Exercise is medicine.
I think at some level we all know this. We've all heard it in some shape or form, whether it was from the doctor or some new research thats making the news. But really we already know it, at some intellectual or cognitive level at least.
Do we put that knowledge into action?
Probably not! Sure, it's easy to tell ourselves that we're too tired, don't have time, don't know how, are too unfit to go to a gym, don't enjoy exercise, don't know the best exercise for (insert whatever ails you here), don't want to exercise on our own or whatever the reason excuse is. The truth is its just a matter of habits.
Warning, tangent ahead!!
We are built to be energy efficient, right down to the way we think.
I like to use the analogy of walking across an overgrown patch of waste ground: The first time is always the most challenging, because you're pushing through the weeds, picking your way through thorns and carefully doing your best not to come a cropper on obstacles unseen in the growth. When you get to the other side and look back theres a bit of a path left behind. If you take the same route again soon, its a bit easier because there's still a bit of a path; some of the weeds will have sprung back, and need to be pushed aside again or pruned back, but it's still a bit easier than the first time. With regular, repeated travel, you create a path which you can follow easily; the grass is tramped down, the thorns pushed back and the obstacles clearly visible. However, if you don't go that way for a while, it'll be either partially or fully overgrown and you'll be starting again.
In neuroscience (the study of the brain) there's an expression for this..
Neurons that fire together, wire together.
Neurons are the nerve cells that make up our brains and internal communication systems.Every action, every thought depends on a message making it down a path. When a path is taken more frequently, the body improves that path by making it wider, so the message can reach its destination more quickly and efficiently.
The thicker bands have more neurons, allowing better transmission of whatever message they carry.
Over time, less used paths get overgrown, In the brain, the path less travelled thins, as energy is needed to maintain each and every pathway. The thicker the pathway, the more energy needed to maintain it. This ability of the brain to rewire itself in response to the demands placed on it is known as neuroplasticity.
The point of this basic introduction to neuroscience?
Same old habit or a new direction?
When we are in the HABIT of saying "I can't" we thicken the connections on that path, making this the answer we default to. How many times have you caught yourself saying"I can't" to something you've never even attempted? How do you know since you've never attempted it??? The answer is you don't know, you're just defaulting to the most energy efficient answer. It's not necessarily the CORRECT answer, its just the easiest one for your brain to throw out there. Now that you're aware of this, you can take action to stop it from sabotaging your success. Anytime you catch yourself saying that horrible four letter word, pause and ask if that is the correct answer, or is it the just the easiest one to reach.
What's the next step?
Ban "can't" and replace with "can try"
Change your language. Eliminate that four letter word (can't) from your vocabulary. There are other good reasons to do this, but they'll keep for another day (if you really want to know more on this ask me about brain regions activated by language and neurotransmitter cascades in response to certain words). Get into the habit of saying "I can" and then giving it a go. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish when you let go of this horrible four letter word! Obviously, a single day of saying "I can do it" will not overcome years of a habitual negative, but it'll start you along a new path. Of course, when you're forging a new path, there will be thorns and pricks that have to be pushed aside, there will be obstacles over which you may stumble, but pick yourself up and refocus on reaching the destination. Over time you'll become aware of what you stumble on most often and will eventually catch yourself before you trip up, and you'll take a slight detour around it.
Back on topic.
So, exercise is medicine, and the main reason most people don't stick to an exercise plan is mostly a matter of changing habits. It's easier to stay motivated to keep working on making those changes if you are seeing results from the actions you're already taking. Exercise is medicine, and like any other kind of exercise, it has a minimum effective dose. If the medication says take 200mg then you take 200mg. Why? Because less than that may not be an effective dose.
For exercise, regardless of the desired physical training effect, the minimum effective dose is challenging yourself.
The training session or workout is only a stimulus that can create in your body a chain of events that allow you to become fitter, slimmer, stronger etc. This is called adaptation. If the stimulus isn't enough of a challenge, then no adaptation or change is need for the body to be ready for that level of challenge the next time it faces it.
If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.
Of course, in order to make the most of the stimulus, appropriate nutrition and rest (including sleep!!) are needed. What foods and how much of them will depend on your current situation and what it is you're aiming to achieve.
120 Days to TOPIK #10 - Reduce, Reuse, and Reward your way to Fluency
120 Days to TOPIK #10 – Reduce, Reuse, and Reward your way to Fluency
Inspiration
The 3R’s (and icons) of maintaining a healthy environment and planet can be re-purposed to also remind us how to maintain a healthy, active, and rapidly learning brain.
Reduce → Reduce
Reuse → Review
Recycle → Reward
1. REDUCE
Reduction is synonymous with simplification. Remember we talked earlierabout how “studying harder” is less effective than “lazy recall”? Reducing the amount…
“Who every records that exceptional runners like Walter George and Alf Shrubb achieved quite remarkable performances on very low mileage? George ran a mile in 4:10 and 10 miles in 49:49 on little more than 3km of training per day. Even Paavo Nurmi, the most medaled Olympic runner of all times, trained pathetically little but performed exceptionally, even by today’s standards.” Tim Noakes (Lore of…
Over the past decade, software design leaders has ushered in an era of focus. Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Jason Fried, Drew Houston, and smaller shops such as IA, Atebits, and RealMac Software are creating very focused products, dedicated to solving real problems and cutting out bloat. The Lean Startup movement has taken this perspective and applied it to business processes, so that we're now seeing a renaissance of really good products.
Thanks to the proliferation of idea sharing and discussion provided by the Internet, vast numbers of people are able to experience, share, and contribute back to their communities, spurring knowledge of what works and what doesn't. And doing so quickly.
Asking Why and Setting Goals
At the core of this movement is the question of "Why". Why do people need this problem solved? Why are we building this product? Why do we need this feature? Asking "why" directs the conversation towards meaning.
It's no surprise that athletes are also asking why. Why should I run for 5 miles? Why should I lift heavy weights? Why should I change my workout?
The answer is always tailored to the end-goal, the result. Why do you want to work out? Are you trying to heal yourself (lose weight, fight an auto-immune disease, treat diabetes, etc.)? Are you trying to maintain good health? Are you training for performance (competitions, sport)?
These questions have always been asked, but now they are directing fitness programming. These questions are helping people cut out the bloat from their programs. If I don't care about running a 5K, do I really need to spend 30 minutes on that treadmill? Or, if I do want to run a 5K, how (if at all) should I be running on the treadmill?
People are busy. Most people's goals are not to Dead Lift 300lbs just to lift 300lbs. Most want to practice the olympic lifts only because it helps them build strength, which in turn makes them feel good, feel energetic, look sexy, have bragging rights, etc.
That's where the concept of Minimum Effective Dose (or MED) makes it's entrance.
In Lean Startup terms, think of it as "what features do I need to ship my MVP?" In fitness, it's "what is the minimum amount/type of exercise I need to achieve my goals."
The Minimum Effective Dose
My first encounter with this methodology was in a behavioral health class at university with Dr. Richard Winett. Here's a man, an accomplished psychologist and doctor, into his 70s, who looks like he's in his 30s. He showed the class a few photos he's taken over the years of his training and it was the first time I've ever seen a 60-year-old man with ripped abs. His musculature was more defined than mine.
Dr. Winett has completed significant number of studies proving the efficacy and effectiveness of MED training, specifically in regards to basic resistance training (weight lifting) and interval training for your cardiovascular movements (running, rowing, cycling.)
Sidenote: He favors resistance training for health maintenance; but, of course, programs should be tailored to your goal.
Old school doctors, trainers, and coaches have had doubts but the data pouring in sufficiently cements MED training as *the* preferred fitness program.
MED in CrossFit and pop-fitness
In CrossFit's early days, they had an extreme focus on simplicity, on doing the most with the least - not just with the exercises, but what was needed to accomplish them.
One of my favorite articles in the CrossFit Journal (Sept. 2002) walked you through building a garage gym. Talk about badass. It's amazing how much you can do with basic equipment.
Once again, the idea was to exercise *smarter* so you could spend less time, do less movements, but still achieve your fitness goals.
That's why CrossFit has exploded. Do more with less. Sound like a familiar mantra to you product designers?
Given the success of MED, it's surprising that so few people don't know about it. Two of the higher-profile champions for MED training have been Eva Twardokens (olympic skier / lifter) and Tim Ferriss (author, 4-Hour Body.)
An important concept in MED is "downtime". Your body needs time to recover. Overtraining can cause more damage, and make life much more difficult, than under-training.
My parkour friends would jokingly poke at me, "It seems the more time you spend playing video games, the more you improve." Little did they know...
I trained very intensely for short periods of time, and it led to huge improvements. I don't think anyone had a standing broad jump longer than mine. Why? I let my legs rest. I did nothing. (Granted, this wasn't purposefully thought out to improve my performance. I just wanted to play World of Warcraft.)
But I digress. MED is growing, and I hope this article provided a decent introduction as to why you should look into it. If you have specific questions about building MED into your fitness, reach out to me on Twitter.
Designing your life
But don't stop at fitness. Apply this MED process to nutrition. What are the foods you need to eat to achieve your goals? You might find they are vastly different than what you think.
Apply MED to your job. Apply it to your relationships. Apply it to life. Design your life by taking a step back to understand why you're doing something, then find the most effective path to doing it.
As fitness history is proving, sometimes that path takes a lot of hard work and experimentation. Sometimes it just takes a small step back to look at the big picture.
The minimum effective dose (MED) to trigger a melanin response from the sun (a tan) is 15 minutes. More than 15 minutes is redundant and will just result in burning and a forced break from the beach.
While you are remedying your burns, those who heeded the 15-minute MED will be able to fit in around four more tanning sessions. This makes them four shades darker, whereas you have returned to your pale, pre-beach self.
Point: exceeding your MED can freeze progress for weeks, even months.
In the context of body redesign, keep the following in mind:
1) To remove stored fat, do the least necessary to trigger a fat-loss cascade of specific hormones.
2) To add muscle in small or large quantities, do the least necessary to trigger local (specific muscles) and systemic (hormonal [neuroendocrine]) growth mechanisms.
How to Apply the "Minimum Effective Dose" to Your Finances
Efficiency. This could be my favorite word (Or, it could be "los pantalones". It's a toss up).
I love efficient web designs, work spaces, and finances. Anything that delays progress or prevents you from completing a task, achieving a goal, or simply getting started should be eliminated at any cost. You may not realize it, but your financial life can be made more efficient. There are roadblocks and bottlenecks everywhere in your financial life, and removing them will allow you to achieve the lifestyle you desire.
Becoming more efficient with your money will allow you to be in a position to take more risks. You could finally start that business you've dreamed of, or confidently take 6 months to a year off of work to travel.
The problem with money is, people like to complicate it to no end.
Head over to your local Barnes & Noble or Borders, and you'll find more books about investing than you could read in a lifetime. How is anyone supposed to fully grasp a financial concept that takes 400 pages to explain, let alone implement it? So many people forget that the point of investing is to have more money after a defined period of time than you did when you started. Investing is not a hobby. I'll say it again, investing is not a hobby. It is a task to be completed in the most efficient manner possible.
So if the point of investing is not to entertain ourselves, then one could assume that we want to simplify the steps and take only the necessary actions to complete the task. That's where the "Minimum Effective Dose" come in to play.
The following is an excerpt from Tim Ferriss' latest book The 4-Hour Body:
The minimum effective dose (MED) is defined simply: the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome. (Arthur) Jones referred to this critical point as the "minimum effective load," as he was concerned exclusively with weight-bearing exercise, but we will look at precise "dosing" of both exercise and anything you ingest.* Anything beyond the MED is wasteful. To boil water, the MED is 212°F (100°C) at standard air pressure. Boiled is boiled. Higher temperatures will not make it "more boiled." Higher temperatures just consume more resources that could be used for something else more productive.
If you need 15 minutes in the sun to trigger a melanin response, 15 minutes is your MED for tanning. More than 15 minutes is redundant and will just result in burning and a forced break from the beach. During this forced break from the beach, let's assume one week, someone else who heeded his natural 15-minute MED will be able to fit in four more tanning sessions. He is four shades darker, whereas you have returned to your pale pre-beach self. Sad little manatee. In biological systems, exceeding your MED can freeze progress for weeks, even months.
Ferriss shows us how this concept can be used to achieve a desired body composition, but what about achieving a desired financial situation?
As we've previously discussed, there is not a "one size fits all" solution to getting out of debt, saving more, or finding a career that satisfies. The reason? Everyone's goal is different. In terms of physical appearance, everyone has a different idea of what the perfect body looks like. Some say it's bulky and muscular, while others prefer the long, lean look of a swimmer. When it comes to money, some are willing to sacrifice greatly in order to live a lavish lifestyle, while others prefer giving up the cars and jewelry for a highly fulfilling career or a life of simplicity. These are merely different ends of the spectrum, and you may lie somewhere in between.
To apply the MED, you must have a concrete goal in mind.
In fitness, it's been shown that having a goal of "being healthy" is entirely too broad. You need to have a specific goal, such as, "I want to lose 20 lbs. of fat, while increasing my overall strength by an average of 25% for all major muscle groups." Now that's a goal that you can effectively work toward!
The problem with the MED is that our minds tend to reject its simplicity. We try and fail using several other methods, knowing full well that had we implemented the MED at the beginnning, we would be much further along. The MED is boring, and our minds dislike the monotony.
There is no better example of this than saving for retirement.
Conventional wisdom shows that the most effective way to build a nest egg is to make automated contributions to an account that gradually steps down from aggressive to conservative as we get older. Although Target Date funds aren't perfect, they tend to be the most effective way to achieve this. If Google Maps gave you directions to retirement, this would be the suggested route.
So, you've got your Target Date fund set up, and your making regular contributions. Then what happens? You get a little bored with it. It's not fun. You start to ask yourself if you're diversified enough. Even though a mutual fund is made up of several securities usually from different market sectors, the fact that your account appears to only have one holding plays tricks on you.
Or, better yet, your buddy tells you about this hedge fund he's in that returned 50% last year. He fails to mention that it lost 45% the year before. Without doing any due diligence, you blindly sell out of your boring Target Date fund and jump into the hedge fund. Next thing you know, it's down 20% and your money is locked up for 12 months. By the time you're able to withdraw your money from the hedge fund, you've lost money. All the while, you're boring little Target Date fund had a modest 5% return that year. Not only would you have made more money had you left it alone, but you also would have saved yourself from the work and stress of making the change.
Although the Minimum Effective Dose for finances tends to be the boring way of doing things, resist the urge to spice things up with strategies that are too good to be true.
