Everyone wants to talk about it, coach it, show off their physique, and tell you all about diet tips and tricks for losing those stubborn 14 lbs post-holidays. I guess the health and fitness industry really is booming—valued at approximately 131 billion by 2030. Let’s just call it $100 billion. So yeah, everyone wants a piece of the pie.

But this article isn’t about that. Let’s actually talk about what the hell cardiovascular health is, what it feels like, and what other good things you can get just by exercising every day.

My Journey: From Rut to Routine

Let’s start off with the fact that I was always into sports. I was always what you would describe as being “athletically inclined”.

However, I took a bad seat—maybe because of a bad relationship or just being in a rut—and started saying, “What the f*** for?” Things changed two years ago when I started with 15 minutes a day. Yeah, just 15 minutes.

If you own a dog, those pesky little buggers rely on you to take them outside. I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a yard, so leash walking became a must. I started using those morning walks to take my furry friend to the park and keep her active.

But coming back, since I was already all sweaty and breathing heavy from the walk, I used it to just put on my leggings and throw on that workout outfit—no matter what. Didn’t matter if I wanted to work out or not. I made it my thing: just put on the outfit.

Then, once I was dressed, it was easy to unroll my yoga mat and say, “Okay, 15 minutes of something.” Didn’t matter what. Start with some crunches, dust off those dumbbells, and just do 10 reps on each arm.

It makes a difference to put on the outfit. Kind of like standing in the Superman pose in front of the mirror if you have a big speech to prepare for. It’s known that acting like you are already that person makes you more inclined to succeed. Same thing—put on your gym clothes. Trust me.

Starting Small: Skip the Gym, Grab a Mat

Exercises don’t need to start with a gym commitment. Get a yoga mat at a garage sale. Use secondhand if you want to spend $10. You can always splurge on a $100 mat later when you’re a yogi professional. Skip the gym membership at the start—you won’t go unless you’ve already reframed your mindset. The gym can also start later when you have 30 reps of 20 lbs down pat.

Find a video on Instagram. The reels make it easier to copy just 2-3 exercises. Follow that person if you like them, and know that your algorithm will change once you’ve followed a gym rat. So you’ll continue to be inundated with videos once you watch a few. Which is good, because you can continue to expand on your workouts.

Stick With It: Every. Single. Day.

There are days when I don’t feel like doing crap. But I get changed, and sometimes I’ll just stretch. Every. Day. Doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday or Sunday. Your dog needs to go out? You pair that with working out.

No dog? Find something else to pair your workout with. Not a fan of the 5 a.m. club? (Consider it—it might just change your life.) But if not, pair a workout with coming home. Come home, put on that outfit, and just start. Every. Day.

What Happens After 30 Days?

Well, science tells us that tracking your progress—in a journal, your Fitbit, or your Apple Watch—is what makes you stick to it. The scale? Not very helpful. Medicine is now telling us that BMI is no longer a good predictor of health. We’re using waist circumference instead. Yup, check if your pants are getting tight.

So, 30 days. What happens?

• Cardio benefits: Your heart is a muscle, and it needs exercise to improve cardiac output and circulate blood through your body. We talked about having good highways in your body, and once you improve the speed and power by which you keep those maintained, things just feel better. Directly linking to the production of endorphins and elevated mood.
• Muscle and bone health: Muscles get built when you tear them apart and give them time to regrow. Growing in parallel or in series is what muscle does—in the heart too. Cardiomyopathies, congestive heart failure—all a result of bad muscle growth and impairment in cardiac output. Bones? We all know about the broken hip—that shit will never feel the same. Bones become porous over time due to the imbalance of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Building bone with diet and exercise is the best way to avoid osteoporosis (porous bones = more likely to buckle and break).
• Immune benefits: That cardiac output increase? It increases how fast your immune cells can go around the body and help with the stuff that needs it most. Antibodies are amazing things—they actually multiply when things in your body need help. Keep exercising, and your immune system will thank you. Getting a cold or the dreaded unknown mixed virus (somewhere between COVID, RSV, and flu) will have a shorter lifespan. (I’m currently fighting off this dreaded thing.)
• Mental health: Ahhh, I think this is the least talked about benefit of exercise. First off, when you can commit to doing one thing for 15 minutes a day, it speaks to your focus and perseverance. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t shed a pound in one week—keep going. Remember what I told you about BMI. Give it a solid 30 days. What you see in 30 days might surprise you, but what you’ll notice about yourself is the mental clarity you can gain.

The Invisible Wins: More Than Just Exercise

Remember, what you’re doing here is so much more than just exercise. You’re building a habit of blocking time, doing something, and saying, “Done.” It will automatically carry over into other things, like writing that dreaded email. You’ll say, “I have five minutes to write this,” and boom—it’s done. What you’ll also find is that you have more clarity to write that email. (No judging if you want some AI assistance—you should be using it.)

Eventually, at 30 days, you may have dropped some weight, noticed ease going up a flight of stairs, or found yourself standing easily on one leg. My favorite? I can finally hold a 10 lb cooking pan in my left hand with ease.

Trust me, sometimes the things you can’t see are the ones you end up noticing making the biggest difference in your life. Sometimes, it’s not the physical progress but the invisible one that we can’t yet touch, see, hear, or feel that makes the most sense.

Final Thought: Celebrate Your Wins

So again, start small, fail fast, persist. It’s worth it. A six-pack may not be possible in 30 days, but you’ll surely feel a change in yourself. Even if you get just one benefit from starting an exercise routine—like your dog finally being exhausted and sleeping the whole day without bothering you—it’s a win. And wins are meant to be celebrated. Perhaps journaling about it? Perhaps attempting the next step of cutting out alcohol?

Celebrate your wins, even if you can’t see them (yet). Start exercising.