Eliminate the interference before getting fancy.

INSIGHT

Before buying the expensive gadget, supplement or program, remove the things interfering with your body functioning normally first. Then assess.

Never has elimination been more important. It feels as if we leaped past the phase of ameliorating sub-par health straight into wellness optimization. With all the fancy biometric wearables, ‘everything’ supplementation, and 7-minute workout replacements…we seem to have forgotten how the simple art of elimination can turn the tides on our biomarkers.

The tendency of skipping over the difficult mundane into the complex fancy probably has a psychological term. For us laypeople, let’s just call it “hard stuff avoidance.” Before learning how to squat, push, pull and press…we want to master Crossfit. Before eliminating sugar, processed foods, caffeine and polyunsaturated oils, we want to chug Athletic Greens. Before we want to make amends in our existing relationships, we want polyamorous romance. We seem to have a desire to jump over the hard foundational steps (that usually take a good 3-6 months to shift your system) and land right into that aspirational cloud of pretty minutia (“check out my blissy brainwave states!”).

Because, well, it takes hard work and time. And we also live in an environment of enticing options that play to our desire for ease and speed. Add the premium costs of a privileged industry to boot and we keep raising the bar to our best selves into a stratospheric impossibility. Where simplicity can feel boring, it’s also highly effective. Show me the person who can remove one addiction for an entire year, and you’ve recognized talent for real mastery; not the dabbling tendencies of weekend warriors and retreating respites. In no way am I am example here but I admire the stoic efficacy of it all and believe we could have more democratized options to get back to baseline.

INSPIRATION

Free accessible well-being without the fuss.

We had a few inspired examples here to illustrate the principle of exclusion before optimization. The most well known example being the Elimination Diet: first upon the scene in the late 1920s by Dr. Albert Rowe who understood most symptoms would naturally alleviate if you removed suspected food from one’s diet for a period of time.

But we decided to go even more basic with the removal of indecision around expensive hype fitness programs. Illustrating this is FitFam: who have boiled down the philosophy quite simply: access to quality fitness (or well-being) is a fundamental right and should be available to everyone. No fancy fees, programs, or gadgets of any kind: people in a city just get together and workout. They’ve removed the complexity and doubled-down on what’s actually effective to building consistent habits: consistency and accountability.

INNOVATION

Free From: pledge what you’ll remove first.

Free From is a not-for-profit online community of people pledging to remove an unhealthy addiction, substance or habit from their life to make room for the body to heal on its own.

• All pledges are free, remote and community run and happen on the first of each month. Sign in directly to your pledge group with a simple one-click registration.

• Anyone can join or create a singular pledge (even if they are doing several at the same time). Examples:
  free from (SUGAR) free from (ALCOHOL) free from (CARBS) free from (PROCESSED FOODS) free from (COFFEE) free from (SOCIAL) free from (BREAKFAST) free from (MASTURBATION) free from (IT ALL!)

• Pre-programmed daily reminders, tips and encouraging quotes get sent into the group to move you along your pledge.

• Pledge Rituals personalize the experience:

  • “I pledge because” share with Before photo

  • Sign a consequence contract for accountability

  • Wagon Wall honesty (you can fall off 3x only)

  • Completion After photo doing reward to celebrate

  • Free From Alumni - earn 12 monthly pledges a year to win a free health check (from advertising sponsor)

• Running costs supported by biohacking brand ads — waiting for customer who have mastered the fundamentals to start optimizing.