When I tell people they can get fit in five minutes, it never fails that I get the side eye, or the eye roll, or the ‘pfffftt’ sound of “ya right.”

And to be honest, I can’t necessarily blame them.

The fitness industry sells all kinds of quick fixes (7 minute abs, waist trainers, etc. etc.) and have everyone – myself included – wary of any of these unbelievable claims.

However, I’m not promising a six pack in five minutes; nor am I trying to sell anyone on the concept that you get all the benefits of exercise in just five minutes.

No, no, and no. 

You know it and I know it – it takes more than 5 minutes to get back in shape, to lose the weight, or to gain the strength you’ve had in mind for a few years now.

It’s Not About The Minutes

The reasoning behind getting Fit In Five is that it’s not about the length of time. If it rolled off the tongue as nicely, I could call it Fit In One because it would still promote the basic premise.

That basic premise is this: habit building.

We are so sold on the notion that getting back in shape requires hours at the gym or some fancy equipment or the newest in fit-fashion.

But it requires NONE of that.

Just like getting out of shape didn’t require an endless supply of donuts, the fanciest recliner on the market, and the sexiest sweats known to man.

What gets us out of shape is the same thing that gets us in shape – habits.

The bad ones get us out of shape, and they usually show up accidentally. They creep into our lifestyle overtime: skipping a workout here or there, ordering take out because it’s easy, getting the pint of ice cream and then accidentally eating it all in one sitting.

Nobody tries to get out of shape, we just let our inner lazy kid take over and she has terrible habits.

On the flip side, the good habits get us in shape and they require us to be deliberate in setting them up. The fascinating thing is that just like bad habits, good habits can creep, too!

Five Minutes Won’t Stay Five Minutes

Before getting to the actual five minutes part, let me first point out that the eye roll has to stop in order for any of it to work. If you automatically think it won’t work, then it won’t. You won’t be deliberate about keeping the habit, it’ll be easy to skip when something more enticing comes along, and you’ll be right back where you started.

However, if you’re able to “get out of your own head and just do it” as one of my clients put it, then you’ll get to experience the magic of getting Fit In Five.

Because the five minutes isn’t the destination, it’s the starting point.

After all, what makes you think you can find an hour for the gym each day if you can’t carve out five minutes????

So we start with five minutes, and we get consistent with five minutes. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do it.

It can be squats or jumping jacks or a walk or stretching or dancing around your kitchen or raking leaves. As long as it’s a deliberate five minutes, it counts.

That consistency then builds confidence that you can do it (cuz you can!) and it also builds momentum. 

Just think about it – what if you did 5 minutes of exercise every single day for a month… I bet by the end of that month, going for 6 minutes wouldn’t seem like a big ask, right?

Which is why it doesn’t matter if you stay at 5 minutes for a week or a month or even longer. Eventually you will get to a point where you think to yourself, “I can do another minute.” And that’s where the snowball effect takes over.

Before you know it you’re working up to 10, 15, even 30 minutes daily! All because you started at 5 measly minutes.

BONUS!

The added bonus is that it carries over into other habits, too!

Because you’re feeling so confident and proud, you’re also more likely to take better care of yourself in other areas – eating a little better, drinking more water, drinking less alcohol, going to bed a little earlier, taking those vitamins, etc.

So it’s not about the five minutes, it’s about building the habit that will get you to your goal. Now… what are you waiting for? I KNOW you’ve got five minutes 😉