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The Missing Link Between Knowing What To Do and Actually Doing It · FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast

• 1:06
  Turo Virta: To welcome back to the Fit Me To Fitness podcast.
• 1:11
  Turo Virta: Today I want to talk about something I see all the time, and maybe you recognize yourself in this. You know what to do, you know you should move more, you know strength training would help, you know protein is important, and you know the vegetables are good. You know, drinking more water would probably help you to feel better. You know, going to bed earlier would help, and definitely, you know, eating in the evening when you are not hungry is probably not really about hunger. You know, all of this, but still you don't always do it. And then comes the frustration. Why can't I just be consistent? Why do I know what to do, but I still not do it?
• 2:02
  Turo Virta: Why can I start so well on Monday, and then by Thursday evening everything is already falling apart, and this is where many people start blaming themselves. They think they are lazy, they think they have no discipline, they think they are missing motivation, they think they need a stricter plan, they think they need to start again harder, cleaner, more perfectly, but I want to offer you a different idea today. Maybe the problem is not that you don't know what to do. Maybe the problem is that you don't have a system that helps you to do it when real life happens, because real high life is not always calm. Real life is not always organized. Real life is not always perfect. Monday morning, coffee in hand, motivation high, calendar open, everything planned. Real life is work, family, stress, tired evenings, bad sleep, traveling, hormones, emotions, kids, unexpected problems, a full inbox, low energy, and those days where you feel like everybody needs something from you, and then by the time you finally have a moment for yourself, you have nothing left, and that is where most fitness and nutrition plans fail. Not on the good days, most plan work very well on good days. Most plans work very well when you are motivated. Most plans work when you slept well, your fridge is full, your schedule is calm, and you have energy to drain, but your plan doesn't need to only work on your best days. Your plan needs to work on normal Tuesday, a stressful Thursday, a weekend with family events, a day where you have 15 minutes instead of 60, a day where you don't feel motivated, a day where you already ate more than planned, and your old brain says, well, now the rain is ruined anyway.
• 4:19
  Turo Virta: That is where the real work is, and that is exactly what I want to talk today. The missing link between knowing what to do and actually doing it, and I also share why this is the reason I built my new studio app, not because I think people need more random fitness fitness advice.
• 4:38
  Turo Virta: There is already enough advice in all over social media, maybe even too much. I build it because most people don't need more information, they need a system, they need structure, they need to know what to do today, they need to support when life gets messy, they need a way back when they fall off, and they need something that helps them build trust with themselves again, so let's get into it. So, here is the thing I want you to understand: information is useful, but information alone doesn't create change. You can know everything about calories and steal over it every night, you can know every benefit of strength training and still skip workouts for months, even for years. You can know walking is good for you and still sit most of the day. You can know protein helps with hunger and muscle, but still eat a breakfast with almost no protein, not because you are stupid, not because you don't care, but because knowledge is only one piece. I like to compare this having a map. A map is helpful, but a map doesn't walk, you walk for you, it doesn't, does it, doesn't do the work for you, map can show you the road, but you still need to take the steps, and if the road gets blocked, if it starts raining, if you get tired, if you take the wrong turn, you need more than a map, you need a way to adjust, and that is what most people are missing.
• 6:29
  Turo Virta: They have information, they have saved workouts, they have receipts, they have podcasts, they have Instagram posts, probably even saved. They have screenshots, they have meal plan from five years ago. They have enough information to write a book. They have. they don't have, but what they don't have is actually a system you can follow, and this is why collecting more advice can become another form of procrastination. You feel productive because you are learning, you listen another podcast, you save another workout, you watch another video, you read another post, and all of that can be helpful, but at some point the question is not what else do I need to know. The better question is, what am I actually doing consistently, because your body doesn't change from information you collect, your body changes from actions you repeat, and this is uncomfortable because it means you don't need 100 new things, you need a few simple
• 7:39
  things done often enough: strength training two or three times per week, walking a bit more, eating enough protein, getting enough fiber, drinking water, sleeping as well as possible, planning your meals a little bit, stopping all or nothing thinking, coming back after bad days, and that is not sexy, but it works. The problem is not that these things don't work. The problem is that most people don't have a system to keep going and keep doing them when life happens. And next, I want to talk a little bit about motivation, because that is not the system, and because a lot of people tell me I just need more motivation. I get started when I have, when I feel more motivated, and I get it.
• 8:34
  things done often enough: Motivation feels amazing. When you are motivated, everything feels easier. You want to train, you want to eat better, you want to go for a walk, you want to plan meals, you want to drink water. You feel like this time is different, but motivation is like sunshine. It's nice when it's there, but you can't build your whole life assuming it will be sunny every day, because it won't. Some days it rains, some days there will be some storms some days, you wake up and motivation is nowhere, and if your whole plan depends on motivation, then your plan disappears the moment motivation disappears, and that is why I don't want my clients to rely only on motivation. Motivation is welcome, but it's not the foundation. The foundation is a system. A system is what helps you to act when motivation is low. A system is telling you what is my workout today, what is my minimum if I don't have time, what meal can I make when I'm tired, what to do if I overeat? What is the next best choice? How do I restart without waiting until Monday? Think about brushing your teeth. Most people don't brush their teeth because they are incredibly motivated. They brush because it's part of system, it's part of the day. You wake up, you press, you go to bed, you press.
• 10:15
  things done often enough: You don't negotiate with yourself for 45 minutes. You don't need a motivational video.
• 10:18
  things done often enough: You don't say, "I missed pressing yesterday, so this whole week is ruined. So let's skip it for this week. You are pressing again, and that is what we want with health habits, not perfection, not obsession, not motivation all the time. We want habits that become part of your life, and to build that, you need repetition, you need reminders, you need structure, you need a plan that is not too big. You need to know what to do on the days when your brain starts negotiating, because your brain will negotiate. Your brain will say, "Not today, start on Monday, you are too tired, you don't have enough time. You already ruined today. One more snack doesn't matter. You can do it tomorrow. And sometimes your brain is right, sometimes you do need rest, sometimes you are exhausted, sometimes life truly is too much, but often your brain is not asking what is the best for you long term, it is asking for what feels easiest right now, and that is why systems matter, because a good system makes the next step easier, not perfect, just easier.
• 11:47
  things done often enough: One mistake I see people make is that they try to build habits with will power alone they say I will just be more disciplined, I will stop eating sweets, I will train five times per week, I will cook everything from scratch, I will track every calorie perfectly. I will never snack after dinner again. I will never drink again, and maybe that works for a few days, but then life happens. And when the plan is too strict, one mistake feels like a failure. This is why I like systems better than strict rules. A rule says you must do this perfectly. A system says here is how we keep going.
• 12:33
  things done often enough: A rule says no sweets. A system says if you want something sweet, eat it after a proper meal, portion it, enjoy it, and move on. Rule is saying train one hour or it doesn't count. A system says if you have 10 minutes, do the minimum workout.
• 12:54
  things done often enough: Rule is saying you failed because you over it. The system says drink water, eat your normal next meal, go for a walk, and continue. A rule creates guilt. A system creates direction, and this is a big difference, because many people don't actually need someone yelling at them, they need direction, they need clarity.
• 13:27
  things done often enough: They need to know what do I do next, and this is one of the biggest reasons people get stuck. They think the big question is, how do I never fail again? But that is the wrong question. You will have bad days, you will miss workouts, you will over it. Sometimes you will have stressful weeks. You will have periods where your routine is not perfect, and that is not the problem. The real question is, what is my system for coming back? Because successful people are not the people who never fall off, they are the people who can come back faster. They don't turn one missed workout into three months. They don't turn one weekend into I'll restart in January. They don't turn one imperfect meal into a whole week of chaos. They come back not with punishment, not with guilt, not with extreme restriction.
• 14:28
  things done often enough: They come back with the next simple action, and that is the missing link. I want you to think about this. Do you have a plan for your worst days?
• 14:44
  things done often enough: Because most people have a plan for their best days, they have the perfect workout plan, perfect meal plan, perfect morning routine, the perfect idea how life should look, but they don't have a plan for the day when the kids need didn't sleep, they don't have a plan for the day when work was stressful, they don't have a plan for the day when they are traveling. They don't have a plan for the day they feel emotional and tired. They don't have a plan for the evening when they are standing in the kitchen looking for something, even though they are not hungry. And this is where the whole thing falls apart. A good system needs two versions, your ideal version and your minimum version. Your ideal workout might be, let's say, 45 minutes. Your minimum minimum workout might be 10 minutes. Your ideal walk might be 10,000 steps. Your minimum might be 10 minutes outside.
• 15:44
  things done often enough: Your ideal meal might be cooked at home with protein, vegetables, fiber, and carbs, but your minimum might be Greek yoked with berries, eggs with bread, tuna salad, or a simple sandwich with protein. Your ideal evening routine might be no phone, stretching, tea, early bedtime. Your minimum might be brushing your teeth earlier and going to bed 15 minutes sooner.
• 16:13
  things done often enough: This is not lowering standards.
• 16:19
  things done often enough: This is building consistency, because consistency is not doing the perfect thing every day.
• 16:24
  things done often enough: Consistency is having a way to keep the promise, even in a smaller way, and this is something I talk about often.
• 16:33
  things done often enough: The minimum matters. A minimum workout is not a failed workout, it's a kept promise. A 10 minute walk is not useless, it's a vote for the person you want to become. A simple protein breakfast is not perfect nutrition, but it starts your day with structure, and when you repeat small actions, you start rebuilding something very
• 17:02
  important: self trust.
• 17:05
  important: You start believing I am someone who shows up, I am someone who comes back, I am someone who can take care of myself, even when life is not perfect, and for many people that is more important than another meal plan, because if you don't trust yourself, every plan feels fragile. You start thinking, I will probably fail anyway. I always quit. I never stick with things, but self-trust is not rebuilt by thinking positive.
• 17:41
  important: It's rebuilt by keeping small promises you make to yourself over and over again, this is what a system helps you to do.
• 17:52
  important: So, what then? A real-life system includes, in my opinion, it needs a few things. Number one is clarity. You need to know what to do, not just eat healthy or work out more or be consistent, that's you. Back, your brain doesn't like vac, your brain likes clear. And today, today's workout is exactly this. Today's happy, today's habit is only this one thing. Today's focus is this, and next week challenge is this, because clarity reduces friction, and friction is one of the biggest enemies of consistency, because if every workout starts with you thinking, what should I do today, then you have already made it harder, if every meal starts with I have no idea what to eat today, you have already made it harder. A system gives you clarity. The number two is flexibility, and this is where many, many plans fail. They are clear, but they are not flexible. They only work in perfect conditions, but your life is not perfect, so your
• 19:11
  system needs options: home workout, or gym workout, full workout, or minimum workout, cooked meal, or a quick meal, tracking calories, or using simple plate method, harder week, or maintenance week, and this is important because flexibility doesn't mean chaos.
• 19:30
  system needs options: Flexibility means that you can adjust without quitting. Number three is accountability. Now, accountability doesn't mean someone saving you, it doesn't mean someone yelling at you it means that you are not doing everything alone inside your own head, because inside your own head it's easy to negotiate, it's easy to disappear, it's easy to say I will start again later. Accountability can be coach a community, community an app, a check-in, a calendar, a happy tracker, something that reminds you, hey, come back, you said this matters, and number four is feedback, and this is huge, because you will not do everything right immediately, then that isn't normal. You try something, you see what happens, you adjust. Maybe breakfast helps you with your evening cravings. Maybe walking after dinner helps. Maybe training three times per week is too much right now, but two times works.
• 20:45
  system needs options: Maybe tracking galleries is helpful for one person, but stressful for another. Maybe meal prep prep works for you.
• 20:53
  system needs options: Maybe cooking meat or protein ahead of time is enough. You need feedback, not judgment.
• 20:58
  system needs options: Feedback, and there is a big difference, because judgment is saying you failed, feedback tells you what can we learn, and number five way back, and this might be the most important part. Your system needs a restart button, not a Monday restart, not the January restart, not after vacation restart a next meal, restart next walk, restart next workout, restart a same day, restart, because the faster you come back, the less damage one bad moment can do, and that is what I want for people, not perfect habits, faster returns. So I thought I mentioned a little bit about the studio app, and because this is it brings me something I'm really, really excited about. Around the time this episode is coming, coming out, I'm launching my new studio app, and I want to explain why I built it, not because the world needs another piece of another place with random workouts, not because people need more confusion, not because I want to add another shiny thing, I bill it because I kept saying I kept, I keep seeing the same problem over and over again. People know what they should do, but they struggle to do it consistently.
• 22:35
  system needs options: They need a place where the next step is clear. They need workouts they can follow. They need realistic nutrition guidance. They need happy support.
• 22:47
  system needs options: They need help on bad days, they need reminders, they need accountability, they need a system that fits real life, and that is what I want this app to be, a place you can open it and know what should I focus on today, what workout can I do?
• 23:08
  system needs options: What habit am I building? What is the next step and for me that is the difference, because I don't want people to feel like they need to figure out everything alone. I don't want people to feel like every Monday they have to reinvent their whole plan. I don't want people to keep collecting advice, but never actually applying it. I want them to have a simple system, training, nutrition, habits, support, structure, a realistic action, because this is what actually works, not extreme dieting, not random motivation, not perfect weeks, not punishment after bad days.
• 23:50
  system needs options: Assist them that helps you keep going. And I want to be honest with you, this app launch is also connected to something personal for me, because recently I have been in a season where I had to admit myself that I can't prioritize everything. I know I probably post more on social media, because ultimately that's what I love to do. I love to help people, I love to give helpful advice in my social media. I know I could always do more for my business. I know there's always more things I could create, improve, write, record, plan, or promote, but at the same time I have my family.
• 24:39
  system needs options: We have our son coming up in three weeks, if all is going well. I'm recording this episode a bit earlier, so hopefully everything is well at the time this episode comes out, but our due date is july 17. We are very, very excited. I'm very excited for our son to be here and finally meet him. I have my own health, I have my own workouts, I have in my in-person trainings, I have my current online coaching clients, and one of my coaches said something that stayed with me, you can't prioritize everything, and that is true. Sometimes you have to choose. At this point in my life I'm not willing to negotiate with my family and my health, that means I have reduced social media a lot. Do I feel guilty sometimes? Yes, of course, because as a coach and business owner, there is always that voice saying you should do more, but I also feel amazing being able to prioritize what truly matters right now in this season of my life, my family, my own training, my current clients, my health, my real life, and honestly, this is also what I teach. You don't need to do everything, you need to know what matters most right now, that is a system two. A system is not only about workouts and meals, it's about priorities, because if everything is important, nothing is important.
• 26:21
  system needs options: And this is where many people struggle with fitness, they try to do everything, perfect workouts, perfect food steps, sleep, perfect morning routine, tracking perfect home, perfect work, perfect family life. And then they wonder why they feel overwhelmed. Of course, you feel overwhelmed, you are trying to carry too much. So maybe the answer is not adding more. Maybe the answer is choosing better.
• 26:49
  system needs options: What is the one thing that would help you most this week? What is the minimum you can do, even on hard days? What habit would make everything else easier? What support do you need, so you don't disappear when life gets busy. These are questions I want the app to help answer, not perfectly, but practically. Now let's make this practical, because I don't want this episode to just be nice ideas. I want you to do something with it, so here is your challenge for this week. I want you to stop asking what is the perfect plan and start asking what is my system. Write down these five things. Number one, what is my main health goal right now? Not 10 goals, just one. Maybe it is.
• 27:44
  system needs options: I want to be more consistent with workouts. I want to stop overeating in the evening. I want to get stronger. I want to have more energy. I want to lose weight without going extreme again. Choose one, then number two.
• 28:05
  system needs options: What is the daily or weekly action that supports that goal, for example, strength training two times per week, protein at breakfast, a 10 minute walk after dinner, planning tomorrow's food in the morning, drinking two bottles of water, going to bed 15 minutes earlier, and keep it simple. Number three, what is my minimum version? And this is very important. If the full workout is 45 minutes, what is the 10 minute version for me? Usually, I do instead of three sets, I do just one set of each exercise.
• 28:39
  system needs options: If the full walk or daily activity goal is 10,000 steps, what is the minimum if the ideal meal is cooked? What is the backup meal if the perfect evening is calm? What is the minimum evening habit? Do not skip this, because your minimum version is what saves you on bad days. Number four, what usually gets in the way. Be honest, is it tiredness, stress, not planning, emotional eating, too much all or nothing thinking, family schedules, work, lack of food at home, feeling like one mistake ruins everything. You can't build a system around obstacles you refuse to see.
• 29:30
  system needs options: Then number five, what is my restart rule? This is my favorite. You restart your restart rule could be I restart at next meal. I never miss two workouts in a row after overeating. I drink water and eat my next normal meal. If I don't have time, I do 10 minutes. If I miss a day, I don't judge it, I come back.
• 29:53
  system needs options: That is a system, and I promise you, this is more powerful than another extreme plan, because this teaches you how to live.
• 30:02
  system needs options: So, let's bring this together.
• 30:06
  system needs options: The missing link between knowing what to do and actually doing it is not more guilt, it's not more shame, it's not another perfect meal plan, it's not another 30 day extreme challenge, it's not waiting until Monday, that is, that missing link is a system, a system that gives you clarity, a system that works on normal days, also on messy days, a system that gives you a minimum, a system that helps you come back, a system that rebuilds self trust, because when you trust yourself, everything changes. You stop seeing one mistake as a proof that you failed. You stop needing perfect conditions. You stop waiting for motivation, and you start thinking, what is the next best action? And that is where consistency is built, not in perfect weeks, but in the small moments when you come back, when you do the 10 minute workout, when you eat the next normal meal, when you go for the walk, when you drink the water, when you choose protein at breakfast, when you stop turning one imperfect day into a whole lost week, that is the work and this is why I built the Studio app to help you stop crashing, to help you stop collecting random advice, to help you know what to do next, to give you structure, workouts, nutrition habits and support that fit real life. So if you are listening around the launch, the app is now available. You can check it through my website or the link in the show notes. And if you are some someone who feels like that, I know what to do, but I need help actually doing it.
• 31:58
  system needs options: Then this is exactly why I created it. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, you don't need a perfect plan, you need a system you can come back to, talk to you in the next episode,
• 32:25
  Unknown: you.