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7 SIMPLE STEPS TO HEALTHIER HABITS
BY ZACK HARRIS, CPPS
Copyright © 2021 and Beyond
Author: ZACK HARRIS
All Rights Reserved.
HARRIS FIT SYSTEMS
First Published on 10/01/2021
For additional information, please contact:
ZACK at HARRISFITSYSTEMS@GMAIL.COM
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Disclaimer
You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this exercise program. These
recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You
must consult your physician prior to starting this program or if you have any medical
condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. This program is designed for
healthy individuals 18 years and older only.
The information in this manual is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise
training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publishers
advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before
practicing the exercises in this manual, be sure that your equipment is well maintained,
and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training and fitness. The
exercises and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any
exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your
physician.
See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking
any medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise program.
If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while
exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.
Don’t perform any exercise unless you have been shown the proper technique by a
certified personal trainer or certified strength and conditioning specialist. Always ask for
instruction and assistance when lifting. Don’t perform any exercise without proper
instruction. Always do a warm-up prior to strength training and interval training.
You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high
cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30
years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered
dietician. If your physician recommends that you don’t use this e-book, please follow
your doctor’s orders.
Copyright © 2021 and Beyond, All Rights Reserved: Harris Fit Systems
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Waiver and Release of Liability
(READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PERFORMING ANY EXERCISES IN THIS MANUAL)
I UNDERSTAND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED IN
PARTICIPATING IN ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM AND / OR ANY EXERCISES CONTAINED
WITHIN THIS MANUAL IN CONSIDERATION FOR BEING ALLOWED TO UTILIZE THE
INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL, I AGREE THAT I WILL ASSUME THE RISK AND FULL
RESPONSIBILITY FOR DETERMINING THE NEED FOR MEDICAL CLEARANCE FROM MY
PHYSICIAN AND OBTAINING SUCH CLEARANCE, THE SAFETY AND/OR EFFICACY OF ANY
EXERCISE PROGRAM RECOMMENDED TO ME, AND ANY AND ALL INJURIES, LOSSES, OR
DAMAGES, WHICH MIGHT OCCUR TO ME AND / OR TO MY FAMILY WHILE UTILIZING
THE INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY
LAW I AGREE TO WAIVE AND RELEASE ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, SUITS, OR RELATED
CAUSES OF ACTION AGAINST ZACK HARIS, ZACK HARRIS LLC, HARRIS FIT SYSTEMS, THEIR
EMPLOYEES, OR AFFILIATES FOR INJURY, LOSS, DEATH, COSTS OR OTHER DAMAGES TO
ME, MY HEIRS OR ASSIGNS, WHILE UTILIZING ALL THE INFORMATION OR PARTAKING IN
THE EXERCISES CONTAINED WITHIN THIS MANUAL OR VIDEO LIBRARY. I FURTHER
AGREE TO RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD ZACK HARRIS LLC, HARRIS FIT SYSTEMS OR
ZACK HARRIS FROM ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR FUTURE CLAIMS PRESENTED BY
MY CHILDREN FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES OR DAMAGES.
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Introduction
One of the most common issues for those trying to build healthier habits is
wondering where they should start. It can all be incredibly overwhelming,
especially in today’s environment of information overload via social media.
The purpose of this e-book is to help you cut through the clutter by
identifying seven of the most critical factors that can impact your overall
health and wellbeing over the long term.
Hopefully you read something here that resonates with you, and feel free
to reach out here with any additional questions.
- Zack
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Step 1:
Your Water
Start each day with 16-24 ounces of water. As soon as you get out
of bed and before you eat breakfast, rehydrating yourself should
be your number one priority. Water is lost overnight through our
breath as we sleep (1), so replenishing that lost water will be a
great first step to jumpstarting your hydration needs for the day.
As for the total amount of water you should be drinking each day;
the exact amount will vary depending on your activity level,
environment, body size, et cetera. But a good guideline, as
provided by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine (2) is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men and about
11.5 cups (2.7 liters) a day for women. Keep in mind that this is
the total amount of fluid recommended per day, some of which
will come from food and different beverages other than water.
(And no, sodas shouldn’t count towards this total - although I’m
not opposed to having a diet coke myself occasionally. Just make
sure you’re not considering it as a part of your “daily hydration”
needs.)
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Step 2:
Your Steps
The next thing you should be focused on is your total daily step
count. When it comes to aerobic activity, I find that it paints a
more clear picture to look at overall daily activity level than it is to
simply “throw in some cardio sessions” a few times a week,
without considering how active you are for the other 23 hours of
the day that you aren’t exercising.
For example, if you’re someone that has a very active job, you
might already be walking in excess of 10,000 steps per day. For
this person, throwing in additional cardio sessions might not be
necessary. But for an office worker that leads a sedentary life and
averages less than 5,000 steps per day, just throwing in a few
minutes of cardio each week might not be enough.
So how many steps a day should you shoot for? Studies have
shown that between 7,500 and 10,000 steps per day can improve
blood sugar levels, regulate blood pressure, and can positively
effect mental health (3).
It’s also a good way to shed some excess calories, as maintaining a
step count between 7,500 and 10,000 could potentially burn
somewhere between 250 and 600 additional calories each day,
depending on your weight.
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Step 3:
Your Nutrition
When first trying to change your eating habits, take things one
step at a time. I find that a lot of people get caught up trying to
make a complete 180 degree change overnight, which
overwhelms them and causes them to throw in the towel before
they can make any meaningful progress.
Ask yourself: What do your eating habits look like right now? Are
there any simple, sustainable changes could you make to make
those habits healthier?
To be clear, I’m not a proponent of any particular diet when it
comes to fat loss. The key here is managing your total caloric
intake versus the total amount of calories you’re burning (4). So
when I say you could “make your eating habits healthier”, I’m not
implying that you should eliminate all of the carbohydrates or
completely avoid any sort of processed food at all cost (hint: plain
oatmeal is a “processed” food, and that doesn’t make it
inherently “bad”).
What I am saying is that there could be alternatives to what
you’re eating right now that might be:
• More satiating
• Less calorically dense
• More micronutrient dense (vitamins & minerals)
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Just as an example, let’s say your breakfast is currently:
• A large, unmeasured bowl of cereal = 400 calories (let’s say
1 serving of this cereal is 200 calories and you happened to
pour 2 servings)
• 8oz of whole milk poured over there cereal = 150 calories
• 3 eggs, cooked in oil = 300 calories (one large egg is 70
calories, so 3 large eggs would be 210 calories, plus
approximately 90 calories for the oil)
• Hickory smoked bacon, 3 pieces = 120 calories
• A 12oz glass of orange juice to wash it down = 150 calories
• Total Calories: 1,120
Let’s say you enjoy this breakfast and don’t want to give it up. This
is where most people face issues; they’re told they “can’t” eat
foods they enjoy, so they force themselves to go on a specialized
diet plan for a period of time, which often leads to them
eventually relapsing back to their old habits - because the
extreme nature of the diet they were trying to stick to was
unsustainable.
Why was is unsustainable? Often, it’s because they just plain
didn’t enjoy being on the diet. So they simply weren’t going to
stick with it for a lifetime, and that’s understandable.
Instead of forcing yourself to give up foods you like altogether,
you could look at what you’re eating right now and try to optimize
it.
Let’s say you find an alternative cereal that’s higher in fiber (5)
and lower in calories per serving. Let’s take it a step further and
say you invest in a food scale (about $20 for a good one on
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Amazon), and you make it a point to measure out one level
serving of this cereal as opposed to just filling up the bowl with a
randomized amount each morning.
You could consider using 1% milk instead of whole milk to fill up
your bowl, and if you’re eating less total cereal, you’re probably
not going to need as much milk overall.
Consider scrambling the eggs without the oil. Experiment with
some salts, peppers and other seasonings to find a taste that
resonates with you.
You could keep the bacon as-is if you’d like, or you could opt for
turkey bacon instead, which is about half the calories.
Consider replacing the orange juice with water. OR, if you really
like that orange juice, you could consider mixing 8oz of that
orange juice with 4oz of water and adding a packet of stevia to
sweeten it up a bit, which would cut calories by about 33%.
“Optimized” Breakfast Calorie Content:
• A portioned, regular sized bowl of cereal = 170 calories
• 4oz of 1% milk = 75 calories
• 3 eggs, no oil = 210 calories
• Turkey bacon, 3 slices = 60 calories
• 8oz glass of orange juice = 100 calories
• Total calories: 615
If you’re keeping track, that is about a 45% reduction in total
calories. In this example, “optimizing” this meal saved us 505
calories in a single meal. Over the course of a week, that’s 3535
calories.
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Of course, these numbers are just an example. But they’re a
useful reference to better understand how drastically different,
from a caloric standpoint, two meals that might visually appear
very similar can really be, depending how mindful you are of what
and how much you’re actually eating.
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Step 4:
Your Supplements
First and foremost, you should ask yourself: “Do I really need to
take any supplements in the first place?”
You can answer that question for yourself by considering the very
definition of the word “supplement”, which is “something that
completes or enhances something else when added to it” (6).
So in other words, if some aspect of your nutrition is already
“complete”, you probably don’t need to add to it unnecessarily.
For example, if you’re already getting in enough protein every day
through whole food, do you need a protein supplement? No.
If you’re not getting enough of something through your diet
alone, and it’s more practical to get what you need through
supplementation versus through the addition of more whole food,
then supplementation makes sense for whatever it is you
specifically lack.
One example would be those on a vegan diet; by completely
eliminating animal products, you could potentially become
deficient in vitamin B12, calcium, iron, or zinc (7). This would be
an example of a time when supplementation makes sense; if the
foods you consume are inherently low in something that your
body needs and adding the foods that do contain what you need
isn’t an option, then supplementation could be advisable.
Of course, the most straightforward way to find out exactly what
you’re deficient in is through bloodwork. I would recommend that
you have bloodwork done routinely in order to make sure
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everything is as it should be. That will paint the clearest picture
possible in regards to what supplements you may or may not
need to invest in.
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Step 5:
Your Sleep
Sleep should be something that’s taken seriously and prioritized
very highly, yet is very commonly overlooked by many of us.
It seems that sleep is the first thing that we sacrifice and the last
thing we worry about improving. Think about it: most hard
working, goal-oriented individuals will readily forgo an extra hour
of sleep in order to squeeze in a late night workout or to be ahead
of a deadline, but how often will they delay a workout or an
important project in order to give themselves an extra hour of
sleep?
I have absolutely been guilty of this myself in the past. For me, it
used to be that if the choice was between getting 7 hours of sleep
and putting off my workout or getting my workout in and only
sleeping 5 hours – nothing was going to stop me from getting to
that work out.
But my views have changed on this.
Nowadays, I’m much more willing to prioritize my sleep and make
sure I’m typically getting in at least 7 hours each night. That’s
because the recovery process (8) during sleep plays an invaluable
role in the longterm progress made towards your health and
fitness goals.
Understand that when we train, we aren’t getting stronger; we’re
getting weaker. Muscle is being broken down in the gym. In order
for your muscles to adequately repair themselves, you need
adequate sleep (9).
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And incase you’re asking yourself, “but what about that workout
you missed?” – the answer to that is to simply write your training
program in pencil, not in pen.
You might have written your gym schedule as
“Monday/Wednesday/Friday”, but there’s no reason why you
couldn’t move those days around as needed. If you feel weak,
tired, and it’s already late in the evening on Monday, why not
wait an extra day?
You could rest Monday then hit that scheduled workout when
you’re more fresh on Tuesday. The dual benefit to this is that #1.
You didn’t sacrifice any sleep, and #2. You’ll likely be much
stronger on Tuesday than you would’ve been on Monday, which
means a greater capability to handle heavier weights, which leads
to better muscle and strength gains over time.
Just keep in mind that, when it comes to the gym, what’s most
important is the amount of total volume you’re getting in each
week – move your days around as needed to adjust for your
lifestyle.
Looking beyond the muscle building role that sleep plays; a lack of
sleep can also contribute to risk of higher blood pressure, stroke,
heart attack, weight gain, lower sex drive and depression (10).
With that said, evaluate what your sleeping habits look like
currently and see if improvement can be made. As for exactly how
much you need; a general guideline by the Mayo Clinic (11) is for
adults to get at least 7 hours. I personally feel great off of 7; I can
function fairly well on 6, but I know it isn’t optimal and I try to get
my 7 hours as often as possible. Experiment and find what feels
optimal for you.
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Step 6:
Your Training
If walking is the #1 most beneficial activity for your overall health,
strength training is 1A.
Benefits of regular strength training (12) include, but are not
limited to:
• Increased muscle mass (which is increasingly importantly as
we age and our bodies naturally begin to lose muscle)
• Stronger, more durable bones
• Flexible joints
• Greater coordination
• Increased metabolism (more muscle = more calories burned
at rest)
Your workout routine doesn’t need to be anything elaborate: pick
3 days a week and make sure you’re performing some variation of
a push, a pull, a squat, a hinge and a lunge within those workouts.
I have a book available (13) that shows you how to structure a
workout meant to help absolute beginners get off to the right
start in the gym, but there are also many ways to get free
information if you’re willing to invest the time. Great strength
coaches such as Joe DeFranco, James Smith, Jeff Nippard, and Jeff
Cavaliere of Athlean-X fame are four very good sources of
information that I’d start with. There’s also plenty of free
information available through my own Instagram page.
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Step 7:
Your Recovery
“Your sleep” would also fall under this category, but I’m giving
“recovery” in general a section of its own - because what we do to
recover while we’re awake is equally as important as what
happens while we sleep.
The autonomic nervous system in our bodies has two divisions:
the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic
nervous system (14). You can think of the sympathetic nervous
system as the amped up “fight or flight” mode we naturally go
into when exposed to a stressor. The parasympathetic is the
opposite of that; it’s the “rest and digest” division that helps you
relax and digest nutrients.
When we undergo intense training – HIIT, weightlifting,
conditioning circuits, et cetera – we’re putting ourselves in a
“fight or flight” state of mind (15). In the face of an intense
physical demand, this is a good thing. But the problem is that
most of us have a chronically overactive sympathetic nervous
system due to additional stressors – such as constant problems at
home or in the workplace. This can increase the risk of insulin
resistance, high blood pressure, weight gain and depression.
So the takehome here is that once your training session is
complete, you should make it a priority to get yourself into a
“parasympathetic” state as soon as possible.
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Some ways to encourage this would be (16):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Meditating
Having a good meal
Box breathing
Watching a show you enjoy
Taking a nap
Avoiding caffeine for the rest of the day
Having a “cut off time” for any work related phone calls or
emails
Just like sleep, this can be a tough area for us to improve. Many of
us, myself included, have worn the “no days off” attitude as a
badge of honor, but there comes a point of diminishing returns if
you’re constantly in “work mode”, and you should absolutely
evaluate your current schedule to ensure you’re scheduling some
kind of “you time”. Also, keep in mind that it will make you much
more productive when you do get back to work. And personally,
I’d rather spend 4 incredibly productive hours working than 12
“so-so” hours.
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Conclusion
Your water, your steps, your nutrition, your supplements, your
sleep, your training, and your recovery: 7 key factors to assess and
address.
Take them one step at a time, understand where you are now
versus where you want to go, and you can develop healthier
habits that are effective and sustainable for the long run.
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Recommended Products
STRENGTH FOR BEGINNERS
OVERVIEW: The key to consistency in the gym is to have a plan. Figuring out what
exactly that plan should be is where things can get complicated.
That’s where “Strength for Beginners” comes in: If you’ve always wanted to make
working out a regular part of your routine but don’t know where to start, this e-book’s
for you.
https://www.harrisfitsystems.com/ebooks
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Zack Harris is the founder and owner of Harris Fit Systems
(www.harrisfitsystems.com). He’s spent over 15 years in the gym gaining realworld experience while also earning a formal education by becoming a Certified
Physical Preparation Specialist (www.cppscoaches.com), a Clean Health Certified
Nutrition Coach and a NESTA Fitness Nutrition Coach. He’s been helping everyday
people looking to gain a proper understanding of fitness, both online and in
person, since 2014.
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