Happy Thursday to you,
I hope you are well?
The sun is shining here in Oxfordshire, the birds are singing and it feels like spring is just around the corner (correction: it’s just started raining – can’t win!).
Lucy and I have been busy planting and preparing vegetables for the year to come this week.
As I may have mentioned before I love growing my own food, it’s great to know exactly where your food comes from and to ensure that it has no nasty chemicals sprayed all over it.
Our neighbours have just bought three “Burford Brown” chickens so we’re also looking forward to a few of their eggs too!
OK, enough of my homesteading let’s get on with some exercise…
A few years ago I read a very interesting book called ‘Mini Habits’ by Stephen Guise.
The idea behind the book is that by performing 1-3 ridiculously small daily habits you can motivate yourself to achieve great things.
The author gives the example of 1 push up a day.
Sounds doable right?
Now you may be thinking “What’s the use of 1 push up a day?”
But the author explains how 1 push up is set as the minimum and often he would perform up to 20 per day because once he had completed the push up continuing felt easier.
Over time the friction of having to perform 1 push up daily disappears and an exercise habit is formed leading to longer workouts.
The book really got me thinking.
I started to think about some of my workout programs and how inadvertently I was using a similar process.
Many of my workouts only last 4 minutes: Beginners program, Women’s Program, Swing Program, Bodyweight Program, and 37 Core Workouts.
I developed the programs based on my experience of what works.
My experience has shown me that STARTING is always the hardest thing to do.
So you need to make starting really easy and very short workouts do just that, just like 1 push up a day.
For most people the thought of:
Driving to a gym, getting changed, spending 1 hour exercising, taking a shower, getting changed again, and driving home…..is way too much!
It’s hard to start when you know you have all that to do.
So make your start super easy.
Exercise at home (especially as we have little choice right now)
Keep your workouts very short.
Build a daily habit to reduce the friction caused by starting to exercise.
If you want a really simple way to put this into action try JUST ONE of these options:
- 5 Kettlebell Swings per day (more if you feel like it)
- 5 Bodyweight Squats per day (more if you feel like it)
- Stretch or Mobilise 1 body part per day (more if you feel like it)
- 3 Slow Mountain Climbers per day (more if you feel like it)
- 3 Burpees per day (more if you feel like it)
- 1 Pistol Squat per day (more if you feel like it)
- 1 Clean and Press per day (more if you feel like it)
- 1 Turkish Get Up per day (more if you feel like it)
Don’t focus on the results. Focus on the habit. Time will make exercising easier and the results will come.
See my favourite one exercise per day workouts here
Here’s a 4 minute workout from my 50 kettlebell circuits:
- Single Handed Swing – 30 secs each side
- Clean and Press – 30 secs each side
- Forward Lunge – 30 secs each side
- Racked Squat and Press – 30 secs each side
Now if you are feeling good, rest 30 – 60 seconds and repeat this workout.
If you manage 3 circuits, that’s a total of 12 minutes of exercise and you are done.
Imagine how you would look and feel if you committed to a habit of just completing this workout 3 times per week.
You can use the exact habit forming formula I mention above and start with just the first exercise. Don’t even commit to the full 4 minutes, just commit to the first exercise.
Build habits and build a better body!
This weeks question:
Q. “Can I do the renegade row with only one kettlebell?”
A. Yes. In fact, I recommend that everyone begins with the one kettlebell variation.
The renegade row is an advanced exercise that first and foremost requires good core strength.
The classic renegade row involves taking the standard push up position but with each hand on top of the kettlebell handle. The kettlebells are alternately pulled up (rowed) to just in front of the hip and then place back on the floor.
The best way to begin, and indeed my favourite option, is to place one hand onto a bench, box or parallette, and the other onto the kettlebell.
Perform all the reps on one side and then switch sides and repeat.
Keep the body as straight and motionless as possible by strongly engaging the core muscles. The core demands should be more anti-rotational than rotational.
I hope this helps.
Take care,
Greg