I did the same workout for over 40 days. Here’s what I’ve Learned.

50 push-ups. 25 pull-ups. I did this for the last forty days.

I’ve learned so many things about consistency by just doing this boring workout every day.

This isn’t that much work to be honest. But this small test has taught me a lot. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned by doing at least 50 push-ups and 25 pull-ups over the last month.

• When forming a habit, make the daily goal super easy. Easier than the thinking required to rationalize your way out of the act. If you’re starting a reading habit and you believe you can read for 30 focused minutes, cut it in half and stick with 15 in the habit-forming phase.
• Consistency is better than intensity. Doing 250 push-ups on Monday is great. But I’d be incapacitated on Tuesday and quite possibly the rest of the week. Spreading the action across several days helps build the habit. The more I’m exposed to the act, the more likely I am to build the habit.
• I’m more likely to do something if I’ve already started. It’s easier to finish a set of push-ups if I’ve started than it is to start from scratch. This is true for any task, not just fitness-related ones. It’s easier to maintain a habit than it is to build one. After about 20 days, the habit was ingrained in my daily routine.

This simple experiment confirmed my belief that the value is in the routine. The value is in consistency. This applies to all aspects of life. Not just exercise.

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