5 Things I Learned From Working Out For 35 Days Straight

Deck of Cards Setup (Via Esther Sung-Eschenauer)

Every holiday season, the average American gains one pound of weight that they never lose. Getting in shape is the number one New Year’s resolutions every year, but only 8% of people actually meet their goals.
As a former fat kid turned fitness enthusiast, I still struggle with keeping my workout habits and diet consistent enough to see the results I know I should be seeing.

That’s why this past holiday season I made it my mission to participate in the Deck-A-Day New Year’s Resolution Jump Start, founded by Chris Mosier, member of the US National Team.

For the past 2 years, participants have committed to working out for 35 days BEFORE the New Year. These FREE workouts are continuously posted year-round, so group members are encouraged to continue their new, healthy habit beyond the ~35 day pre-New Year’s jump start period.

Sample workout. Fun exercise names like “bird dogs” are commonplace

The way it works is simple:

• Between Thanksgiving week and January 1st, Chris provides a workout consisting of 5 different exercises which require no equipment (except for the occasional set of weights, a chair or surface for step-ups, and a yoga mat to soften some of the ground exercises).
• Each exercise in the workout corresponds to one of the four suits of cards (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) with a fifth exercise for Jokers.
• Participants draw cards using a Workout of the Day app or a deck of cards, doing the exercise indicated by the suit of the card, and doing the number of reps indicated by the number on the card. Example: 8 of hearts
• The workouts look deceivingly simple and take 20–30 minutes to complete, but you’re sure to work up a sweat and work your muscles in delightfully unexpected ways. Chris even posts an occasional workout that’s as short as 9 minutes, but you’d best believe that those 9 minutes will be tough.

Fitness and distance running have provided me with so many metaphors over the years, but exercising every day for more than 30 days straight distilled those metaphors into leaner mantras. Here are a few of the highlights:

If something truly matters to you, you can and will find time for it.

The act of deliberately setting aside 20–30 uninterrupted minutes to better myself seemed surprisingly difficult. I know I have issues with time management (who doesn’t?) but for 30 days, I became more aware of them than ever. And as an entrepreneur, I knew that had to change, and fast.

THE SOLUTION: In certain circumstances, multitasking can do more harm than good, however, it’s entirely possible to combine one of Chris’ 20–30 minute workouts with other recreational activities, like catching up on your favorite podcasts or watching your latest addiction on Netflix. Combining these activities can create a reward system effect of sorts, making working out something you’ll begin to look forward to.

Having a system of accountability not only works — it’s borderline essential.

Everyone needs an accountabillibuddy.
And if you don’t have one yet, here are a few immediately available options:

• Odds are that you have a friend that is passionate about whatever it is you’re pursuing — be it fitness, a new hobby, project, or anything else.
  Ask that person to be your accountabilibuddy — not only will they almost certainly accept, they’ll be delighted to help and join you on your journey.
• You know that friend or coworker of yours that’s an early adopter or trendsetter, or that dabbles in things like juice cleanses?
  Invite them to join you in Chris’ Deck-A-Day group, which currently boasts more than 600 members. You’ll both get to partake in the fun/struggles as members post about their triumphs and struggles, along the way, with some members even squeezing in their workouts at the office.
• Chris Mosier himself is offering to help people stay accountable to their fitness goals this year, and who wouldn’t want to have an Olympian as an accountabilibuddy?

The more you focus on other people’s efforts and accomplishments, the easier it becomes to lose sight of how much progress you’re making.
Give yourself the credit you deserve, and give it often.

With how deeply social media has become ingrained in our lives, it can be borderline impossible to avoid comparing ourselves to other people’s highlight reels. This often leads to subtle and ongoing hits to our self-esteem, and in the worst cases, isolation, burnout and depression.

To remedy this tendency in myself, I’ve started practicing periodic, structured reflection to help me recognize the development of my efforts on an ongoing basis. Doing so creates a feedback loop where there otherwise might not be one, making it possible to see and feel a sense of progress in efforts that might be long term or even endless, especially in more infinite projects like building a business or maintaining ones health.

Being good once is easy. Being consistent is hard.

I always feel a wave of initial excitement when I take on a new project, habit or routine, and that initial excitement is often enough to help me power through the first few challenges that I come across along the way.

But when it begins to sink in that you’ve committed yourself to something that is wearing you down physically, mentally, and — if the two of those are fully worn down — emotionally, it becomes that much more important to dig deep and remember what inspired you to take on those challenges in the first place.

Some days are tougher than other.

During my time doing the New Year’s Jump Start, some days were tougher than others, but by the time New Year’s Day rolled around, I was in awe by how much stronger and confident I felt, despite how much I might’ve stronger along the way.

Rest and recovering properly is just as important as working hard.

December 2016 in a nutshell

My participation in this fitness experiment aligned with the holidays, which is typically one of the most stressful work periods of the year. The combination of emotional stress from work and the physical exhaustion of working out every day brought feelings that reminded me of my struggles with occupational burnout, which I realized can be beaten with mindfulness.

Making sure that I rested just as diligently as I worked led to a turning point around week 3, where I realized that things like stretching, eating nutritionally dense foods, and sleeping early — for more than 6 hours — are essential to maintaining physical and emotional stability.

The mind and body work hand in hand, more than we realize, so maintaining a healthy balance between the two is essential when pursuing a major goal.