So I asked myself the same question I discussed in my article yesterday. What is the ONE thing I could turn into a habit that would make the biggest impact on my life? The answer was training. Of course I was already working out regularly. Typically five days a week. But this wasn’t enough…
I thought about the 10000 hour rule. To be the best in the world at something you need to spend approximately 10000 hours practicing it. I looked at the current amount of training I was doing and I saw that it just wasn’t enough. I needed to be even more consistent. And I needed to spend even more time.
For years I have sometimes done some training in the mornings. Other times I didn’t at all. It’s been off and on, literally for many years. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Sometimes none at all. Thus, I chose my new habit to start a morning training routine that I did without fail EVERY SINGLE DAY. This would be in addition to my regular workouts. This could involve any sort of movement practice. If I was sore and didn’t feel like much it could be basic energy drills, mobility and having some fun moving. (Yin training) If I was feeling great it could be significantly more intense. (Yang)
I’m really not much of a morning person, but I knew that this routine could be lead to big results if I did it consistently. My initial plan was roughly 30 minutes a day as a minimum. Later on I’ll increase this to an hour. It’s already paying off. And guess what? It’s been about 21 days now. Every single one of them started with this routine. It’s literally taken no willpower to do.
Why? It was all in how I set it up. You can learn that process here.
I can’t wait for one year from now to see just how far this new routine takes me…
Comments
I use this instead of caffeine. I have it programmed in so that when I stand up, barely conscious, I go once through the quick joint mobility circuit I learned at an RKC free class. Neck (left/right, side/side, turkey forward/back), wrists (interlocked finger roll), elbows (“put on your arm into your sleeve” with hand threading through armpit), shoulder circles, hip circles, knee circles, ankle circles while balanced on one foot. It only takes a minute or two, and I’m already waking up and ready to move. Then I go downstairs and do some groundwork. Roll, rock on all fours, crawl. 5 minutes and I’m done. No thought required, no programming, and no motivation because feeling awake and alert in just a couple minutes is the reward that my body now expects.
It wasn’t until a couple months went by that I started to notice improvements in other areas too. I was more coordinated, less achy, and stood up straighter. I think the little things added up over time are what produce the best results. Sure, I can gain strength in 6 weeks by working hard, but I think it’s the cumulative effect of the long haul that does it. Sort of like brushing your teeth. You can focus on it for an hour a day for six weeks, but it’s a better strategy to get in a little every day without fail.
I’m doing the same thing with swings this month. 300 a day. I’m just knocking them off, and not worrying about it. After almost three straight weeks though, everything is better. I am learning subtleties of technique, and my strength is up, endurance is better, traps are growing, and my low back feels great. I am learning the wisdom of focus and repetition. It’s a great teacher.
Good luck with your experiment!
Scott
I wish the best results for your training. I like to approach my training in the way that Mas Oyama philosophized: “One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice.” Your consistent, dedicated practice pays dividends.