Don’t Major in the Minors: Fitness Priorities That Matter

Don’t Major in the Minors

What happens when genuine effort goes into a choice that has little to do with the result we want? Devon McGregor returns to a phrase from the first episode, “don’t major in the minors,” and follows it through fitness, movement practice and ordinary life.

In this episode:
- When preparation helps and when it keeps us from beginning
- How worthwhile commitments can crowd out sleep and recovery
- What measurements and methods are actually doing for a client
- Why a small action can deserve serious attention

Choose one thing you’d like to make room for this week, give it a place, and notice whether it helps with the change you want. Share your thoughts at devon@devonmcgregor.com.

Sources and further reading

Adult sleep duration
Watson NF et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult. Joint AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus statement. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2015.
Recommends at least seven hours regularly for adults aged 18–60. Individual needs vary, and duration is only one dimension of healthy sleep.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4442216/

Sleep loss and exercise performance
Craven J et al. Effects of Acute Sleep Loss on Physical Performance: A Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review. Sports Medicine, 2022.
Across 69 publications, acute sleep loss generally impaired exercise performance. Results varied considerably, and participants were predominantly male; the pooled result is not an individual prediction.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01706-y

Performance and perceived exertion
Kong Y et al. Effects of sleep deprivation on sports performance and perceived exertion in athletes and non-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 2025.
A review of 45 studies covering performance and perceived exertion, with effects differing across outcomes and study conditions.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1544286/full

Individual sleep needs in sport
Walsh NP et al. Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2021.
Supports individualized sleep advice and appropriate assessment of sleep difficulties. Simply recommending more time in bed may be unsuitable for someone with insomnia.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/7/356

Supplements and specific uses
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Health Professional Fact Sheet.
Reviews evidence, limitations and safety for specific ingredients. Some supplements can help particular performance outcomes. This episode should not be taken as advice to stop something prescribed or recommended for a medical need.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/

The water, golf and planning examples are illustrations, not accounts of identifiable clients.

This episode is educational and offers coaching perspectives. Individual health concerns, persistent sleep difficulties and supplement decisions may need appropriate professional guidance.