A minimalist approach to fitness is about simplifying your routine, focusing on the basics, and finding a sustainable approach that supports your health and well-being without complicating your life.

I talk a lot about minimalism and the concept of simple living as it relates to clearing space in your home. And as I just celebrated my 38th birthday, I’ve been reflecting back on the last 20 years of my fitness journey – with its many twists and turns! With everything I’ve tried – diets, training programs, bio hacking – the only thing that’s truly worked is taking a minimalist approach to fitness: keeping it simple and effective.

It’s about stripping away the extras and getting back to what works, plain and simple. This guide offers practical tips, and my personal best practices, for embracing and maintaining a minimalist fitness lifestyle.

Make your health a priority

Prioritize your basic health needs and functional fitness. This means centering your workouts and your lifestyle choices on the things that contribute to your long-term health and wellbeing. That’s the filter through which you can make all of your decisions – by asking yourself whether what you’re doing is going to benefit you in the long run. This means avoiding extreme workouts that leave you feeling burnt out and in pain and instead asking yourself – what are the essential activities that will keep me healthy, mobile and strong in years to come?

The minimalist list typically includes:

• Cardiovascular exercise for heart health, like walking, cycling, or swimming
• Strength training to maintain muscle mass, bone density, and functional strength
• Mobility and flexibility work to keep joints healthy and improve overall movement

For cardio, a brisk daily walk or bike ride may be all you need to keep your heart in good condition. For strength, bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, and planks can build and maintain functional muscle without the need for fancy equipment. A few minutes of stretching or yoga can improve your flexibility and support recovery from other exercises.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy that “bootcamp” or CrossFit workout or sprinkle in a few HIIT classes. However, if those activities aren’t effective and sustainable for you now and in the future, consider scaling back. The good news about the basics is that you can stay consistent with them long term.

Do exercise you enjoy

I know you might be thinking who actually enjoys exercise?! And that’s a valid thought, so let’s reframe the statement with these questions:

1. What exercises make you feel connected to your body?

2. What exercises bring you a sense of joy and presence?

3. What exercises don’t feel like exercise?

The best workout is the one you enjoy

The best workout is the one you enjoy enough to keep doing consistently. If you hate running, why force yourself to run every morning? If the thought of lifting heavy weights fills you with dread, there are countless other ways to build strength.

Your fitness is personal and not about jumping from trend to trend or punishing yourself. Instead, find joy in the movement (even when it’s a challenge and especially when you’re drenched in sweat). Maybe that’s hiking, swimming, dancing, or even playing with your kids at the park. When exercise feels like play, it becomes much easier to integrate into your life.

Commit to something you can enjoy for years.

Use what you have

Use what you have do what you can is the minimalistic fitness mantra. 

The minimalist fitness approach doesn’t require a fancy gym membership or state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, you can get a great workout with little to no equipment. Bodyweight exercises—like push-ups, squats, lunges, and planks—can be done anywhere, anytime.

You don’t need fancy equipment

Don’t let social media trick you into thinking that you need fancy equipment to build strength, improve your stamina, flexibility and endurance. Items like resistance bands, a kettlebell, or a set of dumbbells can provide a variety of strength and cardio workouts without taking up much space. Never underestimate the power of an outdoor walk. Even jumping rope in your backyard can be a quick, high-intensity cardio workout.

If you’re working out at home and don’t have a designated space for exercise, that’s okay. Use the space you have, whether that’s a corner of your living room or your backyard. A yoga mat and some creativity can turn almost any space into a functional workout area.

Simplify your nutrition

Fad diets, a constant stream of new “superfoods,” conflicting information about “clean” and “healthy” eating and way too many supplements to count have all complicated nutrition. Minimalist fitness extends to nutrition as well, focusing on simplicity and sustainability.

The basics of nutritious eating have been the same for decades:

• Eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible
• Focus on plant-based options like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts
• Incorporate lean proteins like fish, chicken, beans, or tofu
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated

Focus on real, nutritious food, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Fuel your body for your long-term health, daily life and workouts without the stress of calorie counting or complex meal prep.

Consistency over perfection

What matters most is what you can stick with over time – not having the perfect workout routine or “cleanest” diet. 

This means you’ll have to let go of the idea that you have to workout for hours every single day, follow a strict meal plan and never enjoy sugar or caffeine again. A 20-30 minute workout a few times a week can yield significant results, especially when combined with active living throughout the day, like walking or taking the stairs.

If 20-30 minutes is all you have, great! It’s better to stick with the 20-30 minutes than it is to only workout when you have a full hour 7 days a week. It all adds up over time!

Move throughout the day

Did you know there’s such a thing as being active but sedentary?

One of the best ways to simplify fitness is to integrate movement into your daily life. This is often referred to as “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” (NEAT), which is just a fancy term for the calories you burn doing everyday activities like walking, cleaning, or even fidgeting.

Instead of thinking of fitness as something you only do during a designated workout session, look for opportunities to stay active throughout your day:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Walk or bike to nearby destinations
• Stretching while watching TV
• Take a break from sitting every 30 minutes to stand up and move around

Try movement snacking

Movement snacking – getting enough to keep you going in between longer sessions – takes the pressure off formal workouts and keeps you moving naturally throughout the day.

Rest and recover

In a minimalist fitness lifestyle, rest and recovery are just as important as your workouts. Active rest—such as walking, stretching, or light yoga – allows your body to recover while still engaging in gentle movement. This can help reduce soreness, improve flexibility, and keep your body feeling fresh for your next workout – without getting stiff from inactivity. This is my personal approach to rest because my rest days usually don’t mean doing nothing. I take walks, take a yoga class or stretch to prevent burnout from being in the gym but keep moving. 

Above all, listen to your body. 

Social media often creates unrealistic expectations about what fitness should look like. Minimalist fitness is about stripping away the excess and focusing on what really matters: your health, well-being, and enjoyment of movement. It’s about doing the exercises you love, using what you have, and prioritizing consistency over perfection.

With a focus on simplicity, you can create a sustainable, enjoyable, and effective fitness routine that helps you feel your best.