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Abstract

nk food for dinner and TV shows in the evening. It was my comfort zone, but it was slowly killing me. That thought scared me…I wanted to live a long and prosperous life. But my <a href="https://readmedium.com/recent-study-disclosed-the-long-term-effect-of-coffee-drinking-habit-11ded6d749cb">lifestyle</a> could stop me from achieving this goal.<h1 id="3bdf">Challenge</h1>After this revelation, I decided to challenge myself with <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-walked-daily-for-1-hour-for-435-days-2c16c46021e9">daily physical activity</a>. After a short research, I found out that squats and <a href="https://readmedium.com/100-push-ups-in-1-set-the-training-plan-i-used-to-do-it-in-2-months-aebb99160ca2">push-ups</a> are the most universal exercises. So I decided to start with them.The initial deal was the following. Squat every day at least 10 times. Push up every day at least 10 times. These numbers were about my maximum for one set.The key, in the beginning, was to start exercising daily. I hoped to increase these numbers with time, and later I did it. <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-2-hours-of-forced-walking-a-day-improved-my-health-107f6c775d26">Consistency matters more</a> in building habits than quantity.The following things became better with building my habit during that <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-walked-daily-for-1-hour-for-435-days-2c16c46021e9">12-month sports challenge.</a><h1 id="62e3">Results</h1>My strength suddenly increased. But I didn’t notice it to some point.The challenge lasted for a couple of months, but I didn’t see any <a href="https://readmedium.com/72-days-of-meditation-habit-building-a88a5f747e56">special results</a>. The muscles became a little stiffer. I increased the numbers in the set to 30. The routine was formed. Still, I didn’t think it was much progress.Until the day I moved.Moving is a messy process. You are chasing between two locations. Carry boxes with things, trying not to lose anything. But the most unpleasant part is moving furniture. You have to rent a big van to transport it. Also, the furniture is freaking heavy.Imagine my shock when I tried to lift the sofa to help put it in the van, and I did it! I barely could move it previously. Now it was not so hard for me to lift it up. Obviously, I wasn’t alone, but still, it opened my eyes.Further, I paid closer attention to my physical interaction with the world. And I noticed small but inspiring results:<ul><li>it became easier to lift heavy things</li><li>my <a href="https://readmedium.com/72-days-of-meditation-habit-building-a88a5f747e56">breathing</a> became deeper</li><li><a href="https://betterhumans.pub/i-ran-2-000-km-in-365-days-results-b9a612d9af9a">run 500m</a> to catch a bus stopped being

Options

a challenge</li><li>I started to <a href="https://readmedium.com/simple-trick-that-helped-me-sleep-better-during-senior-year-17c4b92865fd">sleep better</a></li><li>my average daily <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-2-hours-of-forced-walking-a-day-improved-my-health-107f6c775d26">heart rate</a> decreased</li><li>I needed less <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-walked-daily-for-1-hour-for-435-days-2c16c46021e9">time to recover</a> after intense physical activity</li><li>my <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-drank-4-liters-of-water-daily-for-365-days-this-is-what-happened-2d89a3233238">appetite</a> increased (I always had a bad one)</li><li>sexual life became better and more intense</li><li>I improved my discipline</li><li>work performance increased (I can explain with better blood circulation)</li><li>my overall <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-drank-4-liters-of-water-daily-for-365-days-this-is-what-happened-2d89a3233238">physical shape</a> became better</li></ul><h1 id="33c5">Final Thoughts</h1>These results weren’t crazy. I didn’t get 20x better at everything. But they were noteworthy.<a href="https://readmedium.com/72-days-of-meditation-habit-building-a88a5f747e56">Small changes</a> to my daily routine led to <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-2-hours-of-forced-walking-a-day-improved-my-health-107f6c775d26">significant improvements</a> in my life.In a year, I increased my minimums per day.Now I have to do 50 squats daily. I didn’t increase it more, just because it’s too boring to do squats for a long time.Push-ups minimum became <a href="https://readmedium.com/100-push-ups-in-1-set-the-training-plan-i-used-to-do-it-in-2-months-aebb99160ca2">100 times</a> per day. Now I really love the feeling of pumping blood in my chest and shoulders.Completing a one-year-long sports challenge proved to me that I can. It gave me faith in myself. It’s a life-changing experience. I strongly recommend it to everyone.If you must do something, then you can do it. It became my new motto.Debes Ergo Potes in Latin.Also, you can read about other <a href="https://readmedium.com/recent-study-disclosed-the-long-term-effect-of-coffee-drinking-habit-11ded6d749cb">valuable experiences</a> <a href="https://deniard.medium.com/list/health-70b8991a13df">on this list</a>. For example, <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-walked-daily-for-1-hour-for-435-days-2c16c46021e9">365 days walking</a> challenge or <a href="https://betterhumans.pub/i-ran-2-000-km-in-365-days-results-b9a612d9af9a">365 days of running</a>.P.S. If you liked this thing, <a href="https://deniard.medium.com/">follow me</a> and clap a couple of times. Good luck!You can support me directly with your <a href="https://medium.com/@deniard/membership">Medium subscription</a>. It helps a lot!</article></body>

Health | Fitness | Lifestyle

I Did 10 Squats and Push-Ups Daily for 365 Days

This is what happened to my body and mind

Exercises are useful for the health. We all know this thesis. But it is freaking hard to establish a habit to exercise daily or at least 3 times per week.

Only 23% of Americans get enough exercise, according to the last report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Consequently, 77% don’t exercise enough. I understand these people. I was one of them for a long time. I sincerely wondered where people get time and motivation to exercise daily?

Is exercising hard? — Yes!

Frankly speaking, exercising is super hard. You need to plan it in advance — find time in the schedule. Book some time after for a shower — nobody wants to be sweaty. If you exercise in the gym, you need extra time to trip there and back. The exercises require a lot of effort, too.

No wonder most people prefer don’t bother too much about physical activity. Especially, because it doesn’t have any visible effects in short term. We all know what we need to do. The question is how to do it?

Revelation

At some point, I understood the important thing — sport isn’t only about physical shape or appearance. It’s about my health. Regular physical activity protects the body from chronic diseases and early mortality. This 77% of people have a higher risk of heart attack, backbone problems, and earlier death.

I was one of this 77% of people. Sedentary work. Lack of activity in life. Not drinking enough water. Lots of coffee. Junk food for dinner and TV shows in the evening. It was my comfort zone, but it was slowly killing me. That thought scared me…

I wanted to live a long and prosperous life. But my lifestyle could stop me from achieving this goal.

Challenge

After this revelation, I decided to challenge myself with daily physical activity. After a short research, I found out that squats and push-ups are the most universal exercises. So I decided to start with them.

The initial deal was the following. Squat every day at least 10 times. Push up every day at least 10 times. These numbers were about my maximum for one set.

The key, in the beginning, was to start exercising daily. I hoped to increase these numbers with time, and later I did it. Consistency matters more in building habits than quantity.

The following things became better with building my habit during that 12-month sports challenge.

Results

My strength suddenly increased. But I didn’t notice it to some point.

The challenge lasted for a couple of months, but I didn’t see any special results. The muscles became a little stiffer. I increased the numbers in the set to 30. The routine was formed. Still, I didn’t think it was much progress.

Until the day I moved.

Moving is a messy process. You are chasing between two locations. Carry boxes with things, trying not to lose anything. But the most unpleasant part is moving furniture. You have to rent a big van to transport it. Also, the furniture is freaking heavy.

Imagine my shock when I tried to lift the sofa to help put it in the van, and I did it! I barely could move it previously. Now it was not so hard for me to lift it up. Obviously, I wasn’t alone, but still, it opened my eyes.

Further, I paid closer attention to my physical interaction with the world. And I noticed small but inspiring results:

it became easier to lift heavy things
my breathing became deeper
run 500m to catch a bus stopped being a challenge
I started to sleep better
my average daily heart rate decreased
I needed less time to recover after intense physical activity
my appetite increased (I always had a bad one)
sexual life became better and more intense
I improved my discipline
work performance increased (I can explain with better blood circulation)
my overall physical shape became better

Final Thoughts

These results weren’t crazy. I didn’t get 20x better at everything. But they were noteworthy.

Small changes to my daily routine led to significant improvements in my life.

In a year, I increased my minimums per day.

Now I have to do 50 squats daily. I didn’t increase it more, just because it’s too boring to do squats for a long time.

Push-ups minimum became 100 times per day. Now I really love the feeling of pumping blood in my chest and shoulders.

Completing a one-year-long sports challenge proved to me that I can. It gave me faith in myself. It’s a life-changing experience. I strongly recommend it to everyone.

If you must do something, then you can do it. It became my new motto.

Debes Ergo Potes in Latin.

Also, you can read about other valuable experiences on this list. For example, 365 days walking challenge or 365 days of running.

P.S. If you liked this thing, follow me and clap a couple of times. Good luck!

You can support me directly with your Medium subscription. It helps a lot!