Efficiency: Get In Shape Without Giving Up Your Life
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If you’re on this side of the internet, there’s a greater chance than not you have read Efficiency by WSP. (Linked here)
This simply titled e-book changed the way I viewed my life, work, business, and most importantly: fitness. In Efficiency, you will find an emphasis on health & wellness being the pillar of a young go-getter’s life; health is your greatest asset.
I agree full-heartedly with this sentiment, as physical fitness should be paramount, no matter the business dealings or stress from life surrounding you. For without health, the function of wealth is diminished.
Every person’s idea of an efficient workout is different, some say you need 45 minutes in the gym, 60-minutes of yoga, a few hundred pushups, etc.
All of these ignore the hard numbers behind output over time in relation to calories burnt and impact on metabolic health.
The most efficient exercise a human can do is also the most simple one: Running.
What running gets you, plain and simply, is the highest input-to-output ratio of calories burnt to time needed. Along with the host of metabolic health markers that come with cardiovascular output:
Increased VO2 Max, lower Resting Heart Rate, raised HDL, lower Triglycerides, and lower Blood Pressure to name a few.
Speaking of health, an increased VO2 Max is associated with a decrease in all cause mortality. (And here).
Efficiency, from a time perspective:
For the average suburban/exurban anon, the average gym commute is 4-6 miles, making that around a 10 minute car ride, one way, equaling 20 minutes TOTAL time.
If you’re a city dwelling degen, the average commute is longer, you’re probably inside one 1-mile radius from a gym and walking there. We’ll call it even, although walking times can change.
The average user goes to the gym 4x a week.
4 * 52 weeks in a year, gives us 208 gym commutes a year.
208 gym commutes * 20 minutes of commuting = 4,160 minutes of commuting total.
4,160 minutes / 60 minutes in an hour = ~69 hours a year LOST commuting to the gym.
Depending on what you bill your personal hours at, this can be a lot *value* allocated back to you.
Furthermore, this gives you almost 90 minutes back to you a WEEK over the course of a year. If you believe in compounding efforts, that cut down should time table of starting your side business by a reasonable chunk!
If you allocate 120 minutes 5 days a week into side business activities, that equals 31,200 minutes a year. By saving on a gym commute, that time can become 36,400 minutes a year; a 16% increase.
Feel free to do your own math for compounding effects.
What does the perfect weekly mileage look like?
Balancing running and the rest of your life is easier than you think.
You most likely are on some kind of lifting program, where you are finding yourself in the gym >=~3 times a week. You did come here from X after all, the authoritative and centralized source for all things fitness.
If you’re not at the level to start running 15 miles a week, start at these two guides:
Adding Cardio for The Initiated
Day 1 of the “running” week is usually Monday, but calendar weeks are Sunday. Choose whichever 7-day period works best for you.
Rest Day can be cross training if you need/want.
Become more efficient AND healthy!