Aretas Connects Vol. 9 | Don't Major in the Minors

Hey Aretas Performance Community,

We’re coming at you today a day early with the holiday tomorrow! In today's world, it's easy to get lost in the endless stream of health and fitness trends. From new "superfoods" and complex supplement regimens with hours-long morning rituals, to extreme diets and workout fads, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. It often leaves us feeling confused, frustrated, and wondering where to even begin.

And this can be even harder on a holiday. Is it a “cheat meal” to eat cake on my kid's birthday? What if I want burgers with buns on the 4th of July? Or ice cream with my kids after a long, fun, sunny summer day? What about traveling and not having access to the same kettlebells or workout equipment?

At Aretas Performance, we believe in cutting through the noise. We're here to help you simplify your approach and focus on what truly moves the needle for your health, energy, and performance. We call it "Not Majoring in the Minors."

The Three "Majors": Your Non-Negotiable Pillars of Health

We’ve built sustainable, impactful health and fitness on three fundamental pillars. Master these, and you'll unlock lasting results:

1. Nutrition: Fueling Your Body Intentionally

Nutrition is more than just eating; it's about providing your body with the essential fuel it needs to perform, recover, and thrive. This isn't about restrictive diets, but about consistent, mindful choices.

• Focus on: Whole, unprocessed foods. Prioritizing protein, choosing diverse fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, and opting for quality carbohydrates to match your activity levels.

• Why it's a Major: Optimal nutrition directly impacts your energy, mood, recovery from workouts, body composition, and long-term health. It's the foundation for everything else.

2. Movement & Fitness: Consistent, Purposeful Activity

Your body is designed to move. Consistent and progressive physical activity is critical for building strength, maintaining mobility, supporting cardiovascular health, and enhancing mental well-being.

• Focus on: A balanced approach that includes strength training to build muscle and bone density, cardiovascular exercise for heart health and endurance, and flexibility/mobility work to maintain range of motion and prevent injury.

• Why it's a Major: Regular exercise enhances your body's capabilities, improves metabolic function, boosts mood, and helps you feel stronger and more capable in daily life.

3. Rest & Recovery: The Foundation for Growth

Often the most overlooked "major," adequate rest and intentional recovery are where your body repairs, adapts, and gets stronger. Without it, even perfect nutrition and training can fall short.

• Focus on: Prioritizing consistent, quality sleep, managing stress through effective strategies (like mindfulness or light activity), and incorporating active recovery (like gentle movement or stretching) to aid muscle repair.

• Why it's a Major: Recovery allows your body to integrate the benefits of your training and nutrition. It optimizes hormone balance, reduces fatigue, improves cognitive function, and prevents burnout and injury.

What Does "Majoring in the Minors" Look Like?

"Majoring in the minors" means getting bogged down in the minutiae or chasing every new trend, diverting energy from the fundamental practices that truly matter. This could include:

• Obsessing over obscure supplements before getting enough sleep.

• Chasing extreme detoxes instead of eating consistently balanced meals.

• Trying a new "biohack" before mastering basic strength training.

• Spending hours researching the "perfect" diet instead of simply cooking more whole foods at home.

When it comes to fitness, majoring in the minors refers to trying all sorts of “sport-ish” exercises—ones that oftentimes mimic the sport—rather than focusing on the major movement patterns: Push, Pull, Hinge, Squat, Midsection exercises, and Locomotion. Loading a sport-specific movement pattern without focusing on the actual fundamentals is akin to teaching a 5th grader trigonometry. It might look cool, but there’s no foundation.

While specific details can be helpful, they don't replace the power of consistent attention to these three core pillars.

Your Path to Lasting Results: Mastering the Majors (and Enjoying the Holiday!)

At Aretas Performance, our coaching philosophy centers on empowering you to master these "majors." We work with you to simplify your approach, build sustainable habits, and create a personalized plan that integrates optimal nutrition, effective movement, and strategic recovery into your lifestyle.

Looking for some practical ways to major in the... majors this holiday? Celebrate with us by downloading your 4th of July Cookbook from Rooted Nutrition! As we head into the holiday weekend, we're excited to share a special gift to help you celebrate deliciously and healthily. Enjoy our complimentary cookbook, packed with festive and nutritious recipes for your gatherings!

And if you’re interested in learning more about Rooted Nutrition coaching to fuel your performance and experience real food for your real life, you can learn more here, or book a free discovery session with Laura here.

Ready to cut through the noise and build a foundation for lasting health and peak performance? We're here to guide you. You can easily schedule your next session or discovery call with our coaches through our new online booking system (details below!).

ICYMI: Your New Streamlined Booking System is Live!

We recently launched our updated online booking system on July 1st to make scheduling your personalized training and nutrition sessions even easier. For full details on the new system, check out our dedicated launch email here.

You can now easily book directly with your coach:

To book with Mitch Sadowsky, our Head Performance Coach & Golf Fitness Specialist, specializing in Golf TransFOREmation, Private Training, and Junior Athletic Development:

To book with Laura Sadowsky, our Director of Women’s Performance and Nutritionist, specializing in Rooted Nutrition Coaching, Bump to Baby Strength, Perimenopause Power, OsteoStrong, and highly individualized 1:1 Training:

To book with Drake Sutton, our Head Performance Coach & Athletic Development Expert, specializing in athletic strength & conditioning, speed development, and Long Snapping Training:

Other Aretas Updates & Community News

We're keeping the energy high this summer and have some exciting news for you!

• Fall Sports Prep: Summer means we’re already gearing up for fall sports! If you're looking for sport-specific training programs to get ahead for the upcoming season, email Drake for personalized options.

• Rise & Grind on the Beach: Our Rise & Grind workouts are going strong, and we're having a blast on Bradford Beach! For a fun, effective outdoor workout, join Mitch and Volley Life on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 AM. Check out the website here for more details and to register.

• Drake's Speed Camp Kicks Off! Don't miss out on Drake's highly anticipated Speed Camp for high school athletes, designed to develop explosive power, agility, and speed. Camp times are Monday and Friday mornings at 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM, running from June 16th to September 5th. Sign up here!

• Women’s Performance Updates: We've enhanced our women's performance programs to offer even more value and convenience. We've streamlined scheduling and made session times more available, added more value to your membership, lowered the single session cost, and introduced specialized pre- and postnatal coaching with our Bump to Baby Strength offering. You can now easily schedule for Bump to Baby, Perimenopause Power, and OsteoStrong programs right here. 

We're passionate about helping every athlete reach their peak performance, and every individual thrive. Thank you for being a valued part of the Aretas Performance community.

In Excellence,

The Aretas Performance Team