A Perfect Daily Workout to Keep You Fit and Sane

Jason and Chelsey Magness are longtime GearJunkie contributors and world-class adventure racers. They developed this daily workout for clients. And you can use it too.

This new habit may save your sanity in the coming months. No equipment is required, just some willpower, commitment, and maybe a little core.

Six years ago, my wife and I created a simple workout called The Daily as an experiment for ourselves and some of our training clients. The idea was to create a simple and sustainable workout that celebrated the “human-machine” while using humanity as the reward mechanism.

The Daily:

• 5 sun salutations (see video below)
• 1-mile run/walk
• 1-minute plank
• 1-minute wall sit
• 20 pushups
• 20 V-ups
• 1-minute meditation

With all the crazy changes in our social and physical realities this last month, we’ve decided to share it with GearJunkie readers everywhere and invite them to join us. And yes, we know there are a lot of online options out there, so we’ll answer a few questions about what The Daily is and what sets it apart.

Why the mile run?

We know a lot of people that cringe at the idea of running a mile. Yet “striding bipedalism” is one of the things that makes humans unique among mammals. There is no other mammal that uses two legs as its primary form of locomotion.

What better way to celebrate humanness than to make use of that sexy bipedal stride every day? So if you hate running, at least go for a fast walk. And yeah, it’s OK to swagger.

How long does it take?

The Daily is designed to take between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your fitness level. That’s it.

What about the sun salutes?

OK, first off, we love yoga. And coordinated breathing and movement has a host of well-researched benefits both in relieving anxiety and increasing focus. Furthermore, mammals of all sorts regularly stretch as part of their daily routines whereas modern humans have largely lost this habit, as we sit around all day. Active stretching for even a few minutes can help create a shift back toward healthy living.

Is it OK if I only do it 3 days a week?

Of course. But then you can’t call it “The Daily” now, can you? Research on forming habits suggests that those actions happening every day are far more likely to last. Daily habits are far more likely to return easily when they are interrupted for a bit due to sickness, travel, etc.

Spending 20 minutes every day being physically (and mentally) proactive for your health is important. And “The Daily” sounds so much better than “the 3 days a week.”

It’s about social accountability and connection.

Even though we created The Daily, my wife and I rely on a Facebook group to keep us committed to #everydamnday. Being part of an online group of people that are spread around the world but committed to a common goal is powerful.

Positive accountability is amazing motivation. And because the group is built around a simple workout with no level of competition, it has been a great resource for the members. There are many nights that I’ve been headed to bed but ended up doing The Daily in my pajamas after a quick Facebook check “reminded” me.

So if you do join, post a pic or an update from your Daily, as it will certainly inspire others to get out there and helps us all stay connected (and healthy) in this time of mandatory social distancing.

Is The Daily always the same?

We’ve created it so that the first month of doing The Daily is always the same. So if you’re making this a new habit, everyone has the same entry experience. Once you get going, the group changes the workout a bit every 1-2 months. Some group members have been doing it #everydamnday since 2014!

Does it cost anything? What’s the catch?

The Daily is free. The Facebook group is free. The gentle nudges from your fellow humans are free. In truth, we wanted a community around us to help curb our own lazy tendencies. The only catch is that if you aren’t doing it every day, you can’t call it “The Daily.”

So we invite you to join us. Try it for a week and commit to seeing it through. At the very least, it will give you something else to do with a little bit of your time besides updating the coronavirus world-ometer every 15 minutes.