Catchup With Coach M - Edition 57 - Exercise, Training, and Why I Show Up Every Day

(Even When Motivation Is Missing in Action)

People ask me all the time why I train every day. Why I move my body so much. Why I don’t just “take it easy” once in a while.

Short answer: because it’s my job—and I love what I do. Long answer? Let’s talk.

Exercise vs Training (They’re Not the Same Thing)

Exercise is something you do when you have time and feel like it. There’s no real plan, no direction—you just move. And that’s fine. Movement is always better than no movement.

But training is different.

Training is intentional. It’s goal-oriented. It’s planned. Training sessions live in your diary as non-negotiable appointments, not optional suggestions you ignore when the sofa looks inviting.

You don’t train only when motivation shows up. You train because there’s a reason behind it.

Training is a long-term process. It evolves. One goal leads to another. Strength builds skill. Skill builds confidence. Confidence builds resilience. You’re not just moving—you’re developing capacity.

Diet vs Lifestyle (Same Lesson, Different Arena)

Think about nutrition.

A diet is temporary. It’s something you do for a few weeks to move the number on the scale. Then it ends—and usually, everything goes back to how it was.

A lifestyle is intentional. Habit-based. Sustainable. It adapts as life changes. The results take longer, but they last.

Exercise is to training what a diet is to a lifestyle. One is reactive. The other is deliberate.

“But Why Train Every Day?”

Because in every profession, you do what’s required to meet the demands of the job.

You maintain your tools. You sharpen your skills. You stay capable of doing the work.

My job demands that I stay fit, strong, and active. To meet those demands, I need a structured training program—one that might look excessive to someone on the outside.

But here’s what most “normal” people don’t realise:

Athletes train daily.

And the moment you commit to structured training—real training, with progression and intent—you are an athlete.

Not necessarily a professional. Not someone chasing medals or social media validation. Just someone who takes their physical capability seriously.

Let’s Clear This Up: Training Is Not Max Effort Every Day

Daily training doesn’t mean daily punishment.

My training program has ups and downs. The intensity shifts. The focus changes—just like it does for the people I coach. And that’s not accidental. That’s the point.

Training is built around monitored intensity and planned growth. Some days are hard. Some days are technical. Some days are about recovery, movement quality, or simply maintaining momentum.

The intensity is always aligned with where I’m at right now—physically, mentally, and professionally. Not where I was last year. Not where I think I should be based on someone else’s highlight reel.

That’s the difference between training and ego.

Progress isn’t about redlining every session. It’s about applying the right stress at the right time—and knowing when not to. Growth happens over weeks, months, and years, not in one heroic session that leaves you broken and dramatic.

This is the same philosophy I use with the people I train.

Different lives, different demands, different capacities. The goal isn’t to crush people—it’s to build them. That means adjusting intensity, scaling volume, and respecting recovery.

Rest isn’t weakness. Easy days aren’t laziness. They’re part of the plan.

Motivation Is Overrated (Standards Are Better)

I don’t train every day because I wake up motivated. Some days motivation is nowhere to be found. Some days I train powered by coffee, routine, and pure stubbornness.

Training isn’t about motivation—it’s about standards.

Motivation is emotional. It’s unreliable. Standards don’t care how you feel.

I train because it’s part of my job. And because I genuinely enjoy the process. When you love what you do, the work doesn’t feel like work—it feels like preparation.

If You Want to Move From Exercise to Training

Here’s where intention turns into action:

• Decide who you’re training to become, not just what you want to lose

• Put training in your diary—if it’s optional, it will be skipped

• Train for progression, not punishment

• Remove emotion from the decision—you don’t ask if you’re training today

• Play the long game—this is a lifetime skill, not a 30-day challenge

I don’t train every day because I have to. I train because it supports the life I want to live.

It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like preparation.

And once you stop waiting for motivation and start training with intention, something shifts:

You’re not just exercising anymore. You’re showing up with purpose.

And that’s where real change happens. A Simple Challenge (No Drama, Just Clarity)

Here’s the challenge: decide what you actually want to do. Are you exercising, or are you training? There’s no wrong answer—but there is a difference. Take five minutes and get clear. What’s the goal? What are you training for? Strength, health, longevity, performance, confidence? Write it down. Then ask yourself if your current actions support that goal, or just keep you busy. Once the goal is clear, structure becomes obvious. Sessions get planned. Intensity gets managed. Progress becomes measurable. Clarity turns movement into training—and that’s when things start to change.