Never take the easy way out, but if you can make a hard thing easier, do it.

This has always been a mantra of mine, but it’s one that sometimes gets odd looks. People think I’m saying the same thing two different ways. I’m not.

Read that line again. The first is about quitting. The second is about finding ways not to quit.

Take fitness.

The easy way out is simply not to do it. Forget the weight room, skip the run and hang out on the couch. This is what many do, and believe me, when you train as hard as I do, there are days I’d love to chill on the couch and eat junk food all day. On those days, though, I push through and try to make a hard thing easier. Maybe I do a lighter workout or train a muscle I love. Something I enjoy to make it easier, so I still train.

Nutrition is no different.

When getting ready for a fight, I have to drop a significant amount of weight in eight weeks. That’s hard. It takes dedication. It takes working out and training a ton. But one of the hardest parts for me has always been the nutrition piece.

Seriously, it sucks giving up all those tasty, less-healthy, processed foods to make weight. No more pizza. No French fries. No alcohol. But I have to do it. I can’t get close to my goal. I have to get to 155 pounds. Not 156 pounds. 155 pounds, or else I don’t fight. There is no easy way out.

So, I make things easier. I simplify things.

When trying to make weight, I narrow meals down to a combination of one of three proteins and two of four starches. Ground turkey, ground bison, and chicken are my proteins. Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and sweet potatoes are my starches. That’s it.

It doesn’t seem like much, but you can create plenty of combinations between them all. And if I throw in a little ketchup one day, mustard another, or Tessemae dressing (my favorite), I’m always getting new flavors while still being healthy, so I don’t get bored and have the urge to cheat.

This used to be a process, buying all the groceries and spending every Sunday meal prepping with my wife. Anyone who does this knows it’s a pain. It’s time-consuming, and time is not something I always have a ton of.

So once again, I simplified. I’m fortunate to be partnered with MegaFit Meals, which makes all of my favorite meal combinations possible through their custom meal option. I create my meals online- and they do everything else. My meals come cooked, seasoned, and weighed out. No meal prep. Just 5 minutes in a skillet. And I’m good to go. Again, a hard thing made easier.

Of course, some people may say they don’t have 5 minutes to heat a meal on the skillet. If that’s you, I don’t know how to help you. Get a personal chef, I guess. Just don’t take the easy way out.