Full transcript here 👋 Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. This is your life. This is your chance. Listen.

The word for today is rep. Just so we’re clear, rep is short for repetition. I’m not cool enough for it to be an abbreviation of reputation. We’ve looked, in episode “62 - Repetitive,” at how to use repetition to learn new skills, but today I want to illustrate a small trick I’ve used to get myself to do repetitive exercises. In December of 2019, I purchased a 40 lb. weight from a local sports store, thinking that I would exercise when I worked from home. I didn’t do much with it until April of 2020, after the pandemic put us into a Groundhog Day scenario. This was my first time doing any kind of regular weight lifting, so I didn’t know exactly how to progress. I set a goal of 10 reps and added one rep per day. The level of challenge seemed right, but where was it leading? Would I continue to add a rep per day until I busted out of every shirt I own? Thankfully, lack of motivation came to the rescue. I kept it regular through most of the summer in 2020, but at some point, the mental part of it caught up with me. I stopped wanting to begin rep one, much less rep 40-something. The 40 lb. weight sat sadly by my back door for months, forlorn in its disuse. Recently, I moved it to our carport, because, in episode “40 - Obstacle,” I talked about how making something harder to ignore can help you follow through. My goal in moving it there was initially to lift it any time I come in the carport door, but that’s, again, a little too high an expectation. Instead, I’ve committed to lifting it once a day when I return from a run, starting with 10 reps and adding one each day. It might seem like I’m headed down the same deadend, but here’s the kicker. When I get up to 20 reps, I reward myself by taking the goal back down to 10. Yes, it won’t build muscle in the same way that making myself power through ever-higher reps would, but I’ve learned from last year. Slow is better than none.

Today’s concrete challenge is to start or continue lifting any kind of weight. Consistency in lifting weights strengthens more than just the activated muscles. It helps your body burn fat more effectively and helps your bones and joints stay strong. Think back to episode “94 - Stretch” and how our bodies are antifragile, becoming stronger and better through use.

If you want to commit, say the following phrase: “I will make a plan to stay motivated in lifting any kind of weight.”

I’ll keep the music playing while you get it done, and don’t miss the soundtrack at the end of this episode.

Before you go, repeat the following soundtrack, “I am the kind of person who stays strong.

Let me know if this made a difference in your day by leaving a comment in your podcast app or at concrete.win/today.

Check back tomorrow for a new challenge. Until then.

References:

5 Health Benefits of Lifting Weights and How to Do It Safely

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