In 2024, I had one of those uncomfortable moments we all hope to avoid.
I found out my cholesterol was far too high—240, to be exact. For a 29-year-old strength coach, that number was more than just surprising—it was embarrassing. I train people for a living. I know what healthy looks like. I talk about it every day. And yet, here I was.
But the real gut check wasn’t the number—it was thinking about my role as a dad. As a father of three, there is simply no room to mess around with heart health. I’ve got too many people counting on me to show up strong, not keel over.
The Problem Wasn’t Lack of Knowledge
Like most of us, I didn’t need more information about what’s healthy and what’s not. I already knew that things like alcohol, salty snacks, and sugar were pushing my cholesterol in the wrong direction.
The problem was that those things were just too easy to access.
So I didn’t start with a full diet overhaul, or cutting out entire food groups, or tracking every calorie.
Instead, I made a few simple environmental tweaks—a strategy we called “environment engineering”.
And it worked.
What is Environment Engineering?
Environment engineering is the simple idea that you don’t always need more willpower—you just need to set up your surroundings to help you make the right choice.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about making the easiest choice the best choice.
For me, here’s how that looked in action:
- The salty snacks and sweets? They got sent to the back of the cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind.
- The veggies? They earned the prime real estate—the front row of the fridge, perfectly visible every time I opened the door.
That one little switch made a huge difference.
Because when you’re hungry, tired, and don’t want to think—what’s easiest wins. Instead of digging for chips or cookies, I’d just grab some carrots or a bland stick of celery and move on with my day.
Small Changes, Big Results
I didn’t count macros.
I didn’t go low-carb or do anything extreme.
I didn’t add more workouts.
I just tweaked the layout of my kitchen and made veggies easier to see and grab.
That alone, paired with continuing to train 2–4 times per week, made all the difference.
Over the next 4–6 months, my cholesterol dropped from 240 to 160.
That’s 80 points. No medication. No major sacrifices. Just simple, sustainable changes to my environment. Being on the younger side, yes probably helped, but I still had to work for it.
The Takeaway: Don’t Rely on Willpower
We all want to think we can “just do better,” but the reality is, willpower fades—especially after long days filled with work, kids, stress, and decision fatigue.
That’s why changing your environment is so powerful. You remove friction. You remove temptation. You make the right choice so easy that you don’t even have to think about it.
So if you’re trying to:
- Eat healthier
- Reduce cholesterol
- Build better habits
- Avoid the snacks you know are holding you back
Try flipping your space. Make your fridge and pantry work for you, not against you.
Put the good stuff front and center. Hide the junk. Let laziness work to your benefit for once.
You’re Not Weak—You Just Need to Tweak
Sometimes the difference between feeling stuck and making real progress is just a few small, strategic changes in the places you live every day.
I didn’t get healthier by grinding harder.
I got healthier by making health easier.
Thank you for reading!
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Ian Smith
Owner, Lead Trainer
Mountain Speed Strength & Fitness
Evergreen, CO.