Fitness coaches worth their salt apply the “Minimum Effective Dose” strategy when programming for their clients.
I used it all the time with my fitness clients, and years ago discovered it was the best strategy for my burning out business professionals and even skincare clients.
Here’s what it means, and how to apply it to your daily life:
Minimum Effective Dose: What it Is
You can probably get it from the name, so this will be short. Minimum effective dose is doing just enough to generate the desired change.
There is no reason to expend more resources than you need, be it time, energy, or money.
Example, if you can get results with a three-step skincare routine, there’s no reason to invest time, energy, and money into a 7-step routine.
There’s no reason to cut hundreds of calories beyond what you need to safely lose weight, nor is there a reason to do a 2-hour workout when a 30-min workout will suffice.
Get it? Great, now how to use it.
Minimum Effective Dose: How to Use It
There are several ways to apply this to life.
1. Seek out a coach/consultant:
It may be that initially you do need a pro to help you determine what the minimum effective dose is for your goals. You can discover whether the coach/consultant buys into this method in their initial consultation (which should be free, btw).
For example, a personal trainer’s goal should be to get you independent of them by a certain amount of time. Not to keep you dependent on them for the rest of your life.
My goal with my skincare clients is to empower them to feel empowered in their purchases, knowledgeable about their needs, and know the difference between truly effective formulas and BS marketing formulas. This way, they are confident in their continued use of our products (not to mention they feel too fantastic and work too well to stop!).
A wellness coach, nutrition coach, or any other type of coach should be the same: The goal should be to teach you how to coach yourself.
2. Now say you don’t want a coach/consultant for whatever reason. How can you still apply this method?
Well, you will have to be willing to do a little self experimentation. Start small, increase exercise by a little bit, and track progress. If you’re not seeing enough in a solid amount of time, up the game a bit.
If one serum isn’t decreasing those wrinkles or evening out that dark mark, evaluate and see what additional product might enhance results.
Get the idea?
Know where you want to go, get started strategically and steadily tracking progress. Adjust as needed.
"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step." ~Naeem Callaway
