Why Knowing Why Changes Everything
The Why allows for the How
For some unknown reason, my LinkedIn account is currently suspended. If we met online via LinkedIn, I encourage you to add me to your Facebook or Instagram, X, where I continue to post content. Mr. Skeptical says, “I don’t get it. You claim Occam’s Razor Fitness is all about being simple and saving time. But you get so into educating your clients on why they should do what they do. Many think that’s a waste of time.”
I pause and ponder his question, realizing that in a way, he has a point. But I’m not going to give a flimsy, quick answer, I’m going to use that answer to do this full newsletter today.
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 Feet
The modern world drowns us in information but starves us of meaning. Health advice becomes noise when it’s divorced from purpose. Eat this, avoid that, move more, sleep better—we’re given tactics without context.
But humans don’t thrive on obedience. We thrive on understanding. When you don’t know why you’re doing something, it feels like punishment. When you do know why, the same action feels like progress.
Knowing why turns “I should” into “I must.”
Mr. Skeptical, of course, rolls his eyes.“Why do I need to understand anything? Just tell me what works.”
And this, dear reader, is why Mr. Skeptical is forever starting over.
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 Feet
Let’s get specific. The Why gives you leverage. It aligns your actions with reality. And once you get it, adherence becomes automatic—not because you're strong, but because you're not confused.
Here are three case studies where understanding the Why transforms the How from optional to obvious.
1. Vegetables Are Alive. And They Don’t Like You.
Let’s say you grew up thinking vegetables are the pinnacle of health. Spinach, kale, broccoli—guilt-free, vitamin-rich, moral superiority on a plate.
Then one day, you learn that plants are not passive. They can’t run, so they defend themselves chemically. Oxalates, lectins, alkaloids—all designed to irritate the gut of whatever tries to eat them. That’s you.
Now, you’re not skipping the kale because some influencer told you to. You’re skipping it because you realize it’s trying to kill you softly. Your How (eat animal-based, minimize plant toxins) has been fused to a compelling Why (biological warfare in your salad).
Mr. Skeptical raises his hand, “But when someone is in a coma, we say they’re in a vegetative state, meaning they're not alive.”
He’s so irritating. “But they’re still alive, unless they’re brain dead. And even then, it’s subjective. But that has nothing to do with vegetables, which are alive until they’re harvested.”
2. American Wheat Is a Biochemical Time Bomb
You travel to Italy and eat pasta with no bloating, no brain fog. You come home, eat a sandwich, and feel like you swallowed a bag of rocks.
What gives?
You dig a little deeper. You find out American wheat is red hard winter wheat—high in gliadin, sprayed with glyphosate, and genetically modified to maximize yield, not health. European wheat, by contrast, is often older strains, less tampered with, and less inflammatory.
So when you start avoiding wheat at home, it’s not out of fear. It’s out of knowledge. You know what it does to your gut lining, your insulin levels, your immune system.
The Why flips the How from restriction into freedom.
Mr. Skeptical folds his arms. “So you’re going to avoid wheat till you revisit Europe?”
“Actually, yes, that is the plan. I’m waiting to be in France again before I eat bread.”
“But that seems so hard to do.”
“When you avoid wheat or sugar or anything for a while, it becomes easier with time to avoid. Now it’s not even a temptation.”
Mr. Skeptical shrugs his shoulders, “Yeah, I don’t know.”
“I’ve seen countless people who come to Crunch gym in South Beach from Europe or South America, and they complain about gaining weight here in the USA. The main cause of that is that they think they can eat pizza like they did back home without gaining weight.”
3. Jogging Into Sarcopenia
You’re a man in your 40s. You love jogging. It clears your head. You feel like you're doing something good for your body.
Then you learn that steady-state cardio in aging males actually accelerates muscle loss, raises cortisol, and leaves you skinny-fat with a protruding belly full of visceral fat. You find out that muscle, not cardio endurance, is the primary driver of longevity, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.
You don’t quit jogging because it’s hard. You quit because it’s wrong.
The Why changes everything.
Suddenly, the resistance training you’ve been ignoring looks like salvation, not an obligation.
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
When you understand the Why, the How doesn’t feel like a restriction. It feels like clarity. You stop fighting yourself. You stop needing motivation. You just do.
And this is why so many fail: they copy tactics from people whose motivations they don’t share. They follow rules without internalizing the story behind them.
Mr. Skeptical frowns.“So you’re saying my habits don’t work because they’re not mine?”
“Bingo. You're living someone else's protocol with none of their conviction.”
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
Trace Every Habit Back to Its Root.
Ask yourself why you do what you do. If the answer is “because someone said it’s good,” dig deeper.Learn the Biology Behind the Advice.
Understand how foods actually interact with your physiology. Why does sugar wreck your mitochondria? Why does resistance training protect your brain?Write Your Own Health Philosophy.
You don’t need a guru. You need a worldview. Something internally consistent and grounded in first principles.Quit “Just Trusting the Process.”
If you don’t understand the process, you won’t trust it—at least not when things get hard. And they will get hard.Repeat This Sentence Until It Becomes a Reflex:
If I don’t understand why I’m doing it, I probably won’t keep doing it.
And if the idea of improving your health naturally resonates with you, then you likely appreciate the fact that I was a chiropractor for 22 years and have always believed in going the natural route first. If that's the case, check out some of my other posts, and book a free, no-strings-attached fitness consultation with me via Zoom. To schedule, click here.
Be Aware.
Other links related to this post: Why I Avoid Wheat Keeping It Simple The Answer To EverythingPS Links on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Full disclosure: Chat GPT was used to research and enhance this post.