# exercise: do the minimum effective dose of exercise every day

I want to avoid being overly unfit without spending too much time on exercise. So for the past few years I have done a small <10 minute exercise almost every day. The exact approach varied over time but now there are two types of exercises:

• Hard ones where I can do only a few reps, for example pushups, pullups, curls with heavy weights. These I count manually to my desired target and do 2 sets of reps.
• Easy ones that I can do for minutes, for example plank, squats, situps, curls with light weights. For these I set the phone timer for 2 minutes and do them for that long. Then I can daydream during the exercise. I quite enjoy these.

I pick 2 exercises every day and do them. It's different every day so the muscles get plenty of breaks. I won't bulk up from these but it makes me feel much better about myself. My mood is better for the day. And I no longer feel unfit or get out of breath from a bit of stair climbing.

If I feel unmotivated, sad, or otherwise constrained (for example while traveling) then I only do one set only, for example squat hold because I can do that anywhere, even in the toilet. Rule: never break the habit. No zero days. If it's the end of the day and I'm in bed, I can still do some situps. This way the habit stays in my subconscious and the momentum keeps me going. The habit gets easier over time. I don't even think about it much.

published on 2025-11-03

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