Catch Up with Coach M - Edition 62 - Compound interest

We live in a world obsessed with shortcuts. Every week there's a new diet, a new training method, or a new supplement promising faster results with less effort. Yet when we look at truly successful athletes—and healthier, happier people in general—we usually find something far less exciting. We find consistency. We find patience. We find years of small decisions adding up to something extraordinary. That's the power of compound interest, and it's just as relevant to your health journey as it is to your bank account. Welcome to this week's edition of Catch Up with Coach M.

This week I'm not going to get overly technical or challenge you with complex training concepts. Instead, I want to talk about something that sits at the heart of every health and fitness journey: the process.

Many of you watched the Comrades Marathon yesterday. What we witnessed wasn't just a race. It was the final chapter of months, and in many cases years, of consistent work. Every athlete standing on that start line had accumulated thousands of training kilometres, early mornings, missed social events, sacrifices, setbacks and victories along the way.

What we saw on race day was simply the result of compound interest in action.

Some athletes had to dig deep during their training journey to get themselves ready for Comrades. Others arrived at the start line feeling prepared and had to dig deep on the day itself. Either way, the challenge was very human. It's a reminder that progress isn't always smooth and that every worthwhile goal requires resilience at some point.

For those of us balancing full-time jobs, family commitments, businesses and everyday responsibilities, the journey can feel even more challenging. We often compare ourselves to athletes who seem to have unlimited time to train, but the reality is that consistency matters far more than perfection.

The Power of Compound Interest

This is where the concept of compound interest becomes so powerful.

Just like investing money, small deposits made consistently over time create remarkable results. One workout won't transform your fitness. One healthy meal won't change your body composition. But repeat those actions week after week, month after month, and suddenly you find yourself fitter, stronger and healthier than you thought possible.

The challenge is that compound interest doesn't sell very well.

It's boring.

It doesn't make for flashy social media posts. It isn't a 21-day challenge, a detox tea, a miracle supplement or the latest fitness fad promising life-changing results by next month.

Compound interest asks you to do something much less exciting: show up consistently for a very long time.

That's why so many people miss it.

We're naturally attracted to quick fixes because they offer immediate hope. They promise that the answer is out there somewhere—a new programme, a new gadget, a new diet. But if you've been around health and fitness long enough, you realise that the people who achieve lasting success rarely have a secret.

They simply keep making deposits:

• The easy run that feels average.

• The strength session squeezed in between meetings.

• The 45-minute cycle on the indoor trainer.

• The walk after dinner.

Individually, they seem insignificant. Collectively, they become life-changing.

These are people who do life, manage their responsibilities, and still find a way to keep making deposits.

They train when motivation is high.

They train when motivation is low.

They make good decisions more often than bad ones.

They stay patient while everyone else is chasing shortcuts.

The problem with quick fixes is that they often produce quick results and equally quick reversals. Compound interest, on the other hand, can feel frustrating because the results are almost invisible at first. Weeks can pass without noticing much change.

Then one day you realise you're running further, recovering faster, carrying less weight, sleeping better, or simply feeling healthier than you did a year ago.

The gains weren't sudden.

They were accumulating quietly in the background the entire time.

You Don't Have to Train Only One Way

One mistake many people make is believing they have to commit to only one mode of training. If you're a runner, you think you must only run. If you're a cyclist, you think every session needs to be on the bike.

The truth is that variety can be one of the smartest tools in your training toolbox.

Yes, if your goal is running performance, a minimum amount of impact training is required. Your body needs to adapt to the specific demands of running. Bones, tendons, muscles and joints all need exposure to the impact forces they'll experience on race day.

But that doesn't mean every training hour has to be spent pounding the pavement.

Strategically planned blocks of non-impact training can provide tremendous benefits while reducing stress on the body. Cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical training and even certain strength sessions can contribute significantly to your aerobic development.

An hour on the bike can often deliver similar cardiovascular benefits to an hour of running, with far less impact and recovery cost. This allows you to accumulate more quality training while staying fresher and reducing injury risk.

The key is understanding that fitness doesn't only come from one source.

Your body responds to training stress, recovery and consistency. Sometimes the smartest session is not another hard run, but rather a low-impact session that allows you to keep building fitness without breaking yourself down.

The Journey Matters As we reflect on the incredible performances at Comrades, remember that what inspired us wasn't just the finish line—it was everything that came before it. The early mornings, the consistent training, the sacrifices, and the countless ordinary days that nobody saw. Your health journey is no different. Keep making the small deposits. Keep showing up. Keep trusting the process, even when the results aren't immediately visible. Because in health and fitness, as in life, compound interest rewards those who stay the course long enough to let it work. The incredible performances we saw at Comrades, remember that the finish line is only a small part of the story. The real achievement lies in the countless ordinary days that came before it.

The real achievement lies in the countless ordinary days that came before it.

Your health journey works exactly the same way.

• Don't underestimate the value of showing up.

• Don't discount the power of consistency.

• Don't feel trapped into one mode of exercise.

And don't forget that every small investment you make today is contributing to a healthier, stronger version of yourself tomorrow.

Keep building.

Keep investing.

Trust the process.

The compound interest will come.