Honouring Your Commitment: By applying the Minimal Effective Dose
- Active Living Active Living
- Nov 19, 2024
- 5 min read
I love to frame this concept around self-respect and commitment, because at its core, exercise and training are just tools to uphold something deeper: the promises we make to ourselves. You're absolutely right that it’s not just about the exercise; it’s about honouring the commitment you’ve set, whether it's to yourself or to a larger goal.
The Ideal level of training is something most of us strive for, but it’s often not sustainable week in and week out. It’s the level where you push yourself, perhaps even beyond your current limits, and see great progress. But life gets in the way sometimes—work, family, health, other priorities—and we have to shift.
That brings us to the Minimal Effective Dose (MED), which is so important because it allows for sustainability without sacrificing too much progress. It’s not about slacking off or doing the bare minimum; it’s about doing what’s necessary to maintain momentum and achieve results with less effort than we might think. This could be a reduced frequency of training or shorter, more focused sessions, but it’s still a reflection of honouring your commitment—just in a more realistic and sustainable way.
Then there's Scraping By, where you're just fulfilling the minimum requirement or showing up without any real intent. It’s the "I’ll just do it because I have to" mentality, often driven by external pressures like rewards programs, social comparison, or fear of falling behind. But as you said, this is where a lot of people end up when they don’t make themselves and their goals a priority. It’s about doing the minimum without really engaging, and that’s where commitment starts to fade.
Ultimately, the key is understanding where you are and what you need. The Minimal Effective Dose is about knowing that showing up with purpose, even if it's at a reduced level, is still better than nothing. It’s still progress. And it’s about respecting your own time, energy, and goals as much as you respect the commitments you make to others. Being true to yourself—consistently—will always move you further than scraping by, even if it’s less flashy or less intense in the short term. The thing you must remember is that this still needs to ensure safe training practices for injury prevention and longevity
How do you think people can best transition from scraping by to honouring the commitment they made to themselves, even when motivation isn’t high?
TRAINING DIARY time...BUT FIRST...
Embracing the Minimal Effective Dose: The Power of Consistent Commitment
This week was one of those weeks where life, work, and study commitments pushed me into Minimal Effective Dose (MED) mode. Sessions wise it might look like the same load, but it wasn't the sessions was short sharp and only the essentials was done.
To be honest, I don’t love going there. For me, the level of commitment I expect from myself is usually much higher, so stepping back to MED feels like a compromise—something I’d only choose when absolutely necessary.
But here’s the thing: I showed up. I did the MED, and I didn’t give in to the excuse of "I don’t have time."
Was there sacrifice involved? Absolutely.
I had to get up early every single day this week. I had to make sure I went to bed early enough to get the minimal amount of sleep I need to function. And all of this while juggling work, life admin, and study commitments.
Do I like getting up at 4 a.m.? No, definitely not. But that’s what it took to get my training in when the gym opens at 5 a.m., so I could be done and out the door by 6 a.m.
I’m not sharing this to brag or claim some special achievement. I’m sharing it to remind you that, just like showing up to work every day requires consistent commitment and planning, so does maintaining your physical and mental health. It’s not something you can “wing.” If you do, your results will be just as unpredictable.
So, whether you're pushing for your ideal training routine or dialling it back to the MED, the key is showing up—every day. Consistency and planning are what make progress possible, no matter how busy life gets.
Now Lets get down to 5am training business:
MONDAY - Strength (Full body Heavy weight) plus 30min Recovery Cardio (normally 1 hour)
TUESDAY - Strength (Full Body moderate weight) - (skipped recovery bike ride) WEDNESDAY -Interval Treadmill Set - (Skipped proper long mobility)
THURSDAY - Strength (Full body Moderate Weight) - (Skipped recovery Walk) FRIDAY - Spin Class, Quick Stretch and 700m Swim (Swim was shorter)
SATURDAY - 25 min Recovery Cardio - (Skipped the 1 hour easy run)
SUNDAY - ITS MY BIRTHDAY and I am going to the mountains!
RACE REPORT TO FOLLOW SOON!!
As you can see, it still is a well-balanced mix of sessions. For some people, this might be the ideal setup— and that’s completely okay. Everyone’s fitness journey is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. What works for one person may not be what works for another, and that’s the beauty of creating a training plan that’s personalized to your needs and goals.
What is important is that you remember that balancing both resistance and cardiovascular training is one of the key ingredients for this.
However, the other part is consistency, these are key to making steady progress, (balance and consistency) it’s important to acknowledge one crucial fact: stagnation in your training is just like stagnation in your life or weight loss journey. The moment you stop challenging yourself—when you’re no longer pushing for that next level—you stop growing.
In training, stagnation often looks like sticking to the same routine, exercises and weights for too long, avoiding new challenges, or not increasing the intensity as your body adapts. The same applies to life. If you’re not actively moving forward, you’re essentially standing still, and standing still leads to one thing: staying in your comfort zone.
And here’s the truth about comfort zones—they’re not where dreams are realized. They’re where dreams are quietly buried. Comfort zones are where progress slows down, where motivation wanes, and where goals feel farther away rather than within reach.
If you want to see true growth, whether it’s in the gym, in your career, or in your personal life, you have to be willing to step outside that zone. Growth requires discomfort, challenges, and change. It means taking risks, trying new things, and sometimes failing—but always learning and improving in the process.
So, while this mix of training might be the ideal for some, the key takeaway here is this: if you’re staying stagnant, whether in your fitness routine or in life, you’re not moving forward. And without forward movement, there’s no growth. The comfort zone might feel safe, but it’s not where you’ll achieve the things that truly matter.
If you’re ready to push yourself beyond what’s comfortable, whether in the gym or in your everyday life, remember that growth happens when you embrace the discomfort of stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s where the real magic happens.
REMEMBER!!! COMFORT ZONES ARE WHERE DREAMS AND GOALS ARE KILLED.
Happy Training Everyone! see you all next week
Comments