Why do we brush our teeth every single day of our lives? Because it only takes 2 to 3 minutes and it would be incredibly hard to justify not spending such a small amount of time on our maintaining our own personal hygiene. What if exercising becomes as simple and habitual as brushing our teeth?
So much so that you’ll have no excuse to skip it. If you don’t feel like exercising, just tell yourself this: how busy can I be to not even take 15 minutes out of my day to take care of my own body? Yes, exercising for only 15 minutes a day won’t result in massive weight loss or muscle gain. But it’s the perfect amount of time to start with to turn it into an unbreakable lifelong habit.
This is how compound interest really works. The short-term returns are minuscule, but the long-term results are truly exponential. The key is to be consistent. Don’t cash-out on yourself in the middle and have patience. The benefits are yours to reap.
If you exercise for just 15 minutes a day for the whole year, it’s only obvious for it to become second nature of yours. It’ll be as natural as brushing your teeth. Once you cross this one-year mark, it’ll feel like you’ve unlocked this new superpower. The superpower to want to exercise every day. Almost like how the morning isn’t complete till you’ve brushed your teeth. This is when the fun really starts. You can amp up your workout by hiring a trainer, attending a yoga class, or joining a gym (all of course after the pandemic is over). There’s only 1 direction to go from here and that’s up 🚀
Having said all this, I don’t want you to focus on having unrealistic expectations out of yourself. Exercising literally every day is insane. Life has it’s up and downs. It’s okay to not be okay and take a break. But don’t forget to get back on the horse and start exercising. A break is good if its short, long breaks are no bueno.
This principle can be applied to anything new you want to turn into a habit: learning how to play a new instrument, reading, writing, etc.
It also helps to track these habits using an app and visualize your progress. And there’s no shortage of recommendations.