How you can 200 Pushups in 3 Weeks by Embracing Small Daily Habits

Ok, let's get right to this...

Disclaimer: You don't "have" to do pushups. You don't "have" to do this number. Read on to see what 'Coach D' is going on about now 😂

The point of sharing this post is to REITERATE the absolute AWESOMENESS of "Tiny Habits" (as BJ Fogg calls them) or using the approach of Strength Coach, Dan John; "Little and often". It's also to share how it can make you FEEL and how it can move you from NOTHING to SOMETHING with little to no energy or thought. Let me share some thoughts...

Putting "Tiny Habits" into action

Without diving too deep into BJ Fogg's AWESOME approach for this post, I want to share a couple important aspects of his approach that I dove into with my pushups over the past few weeks:

1) The HABIT / CHANGE needs to be small. "STUPID small". To the extent you think "that can't possibly do any good".

2) Creating a NEW HABIT is much easier when combined with something you ALREADY do! In the book, BJ shares how he started flossing just ONE tooth when he brushed his teeth for example. That very quickly built to ALL his teeth. In my case with my pushups, I combined it with my morning routine at work as I get ready for my day.

3) Celebrate it! Habits that FEEL GOOD and/or are associated with positive thoughts/emotions STICK. BJ's research found that when we celebrate our small habits, it more quickly becomes ingrained in our minds and therefore becomes automatic. Sounds silly right? But it works! This could come in the form of a fist pump or saying "awesome!", "right on!" or "YES!" in your head or out loud. BUT, it NEEDS to be genuine vs "going through the motions". Truly be proud you did what you did, and what you set out to do.

The WHY?

💪I decided to work with this habit (in addition to a couple others prior to it) using BJ's framework to experiment further with doing small doses over time (utilizing some of the extra wisdom from the "Tiny Habits" book).

💪I went with pushups for this habit as it was one example BJ used in his book and it was simple enough for me. I can do it anywhere, anytime I want and it takes very little time/energy to make it happen.

💪I chose to do 10-reps each day because it's EASY for me. It's "enough", but simple ya know? I won't feel like I'm dragging my ass to make it happen, but at 10 I'll be satisfied. I also chose 10 because it's not only MORE than ZERO (which is the number I did each day prior to the habit), but also because it's a BUNCH more than ZERO. 😂

The TARGET

💪 Orginally I was aiming for 10-pushups DAILY.

💪 On work days, I would do them during my morning routine when I get to work (coffee on, prep for the day, setup first session mats etc).

💪 On days away from the studio, I'll fit them in around coffee time in the morning.

0-200 with EASE

How many people that YOU know, have done 50 pushups over the last 3-weeks? How about 100? How about 200!!?? I'm thinking not many right? Well, I have as of today (when this post was published). NOT bragging!!! Happy? Yep. Feeling good? Yep. I feel this way not only because I did what I wanted to do, but also because it proves the point of SMALL and CONSISTENT habits for the win! This time however, with added "ammunition" in the form of wisdom from BJ Fogg.

Basic math. 200 is MORE than ZERO. Wait.... 🤔.... Yes, yes it is. To break this down further;

🧮 Between July to Sept 22nd, 2025 when I started this little daily habit, I pretty much did ZERO pushups specifically. Sure I may have done the odd bit here and there showing clients something technique wise, but overall - ZERO. That's 13-weeks (probably more) where I did NOT do any pushups. I'm sure it was actually more.

*Note I'm counting specifically PUSHUPS - other forms of exercise are seperate for the purpose of this post (and in general as I'll explain shortly)

🧮 From Sept 22nd to Oct 17th I did 200 pushups. In just under 4-weeks time, with EASE. I repeat; 0-200 pushups, with EASE (says "no one ever!" right?)

What did I discover in this process??

Anything we experience in LIFE and in our HEALTH PRACTICES is a LEARNING opportunity if we have that mindset. LEARNING more about YOURSELF, where you are NOW and what you WANT NOW is incredibly POWERFUL, compared to "do this routine because so and so 'said so'". 🫣 That RARELY lasts. Here's what I discovered in the almost 4-weeks so far...

Consistency doesn't mean "perfect". Now I've said that before here in the Zen Blog and elsewhere many times, but I was reminded of it here. In the nearly 4-weeks time so far here's how many days per week I did my 10-pushup daily habit:

Week 1: 5/7

Week 2: 4/7

Week 3: 6/7

Week 4: 5/7*

(*still two more days this week to go as of publishing this)

"Perfect" is IRRELEVANT to us humans. Consistency is POWERFUL stuff though! As you can see, EVERY week since I started my 10-pushup habit, MOST days of the week I did 10 pushups.

Let's say I did EVERY SINGLE DAY over the 28 days. That would have been 80 more pushups. Pretty good right? But think about it; I did 200 MORE pushups than I did over the past few months! Does another 80 really make ANY difference in the bigger picture??? Would I have won an award of some kind? Would I have maybe had a few days where it became a real pain in my ass to do them because I wanted to be "perfect"?? Would I be able to get a "better response" from people for those 80 extra pushups!? Does it really matter what ANYONE else thinks of my silly little habit?

Get where I'm going with this... 🤪

The pushups are EXTRAS in my days/weeks. Because my pushup habit is small, takes nearly no time and takes next to no extra energy, it doesn't get in the way of ANYTHING else I'm doing in my weeks. AND it's MORE than I was doing previously - yet it doesn't feel like it's any more effort or energy to do so!!

I play tennis with my friends each week once a week...

I play hockey in a Sunday morning men's league once a week (most weeks)...

I do my strength and mobility work 2-3x per week...

I go for walks and/or runs in the woods a few times per week...

I do plenty around the property at the cottage (when we can get there)...

... and whatever else comes along each week.

None of these things are impacted in ANY WAY by my pushup habit - YET I've added MORE to those days because of it! Win-Win I'd say eh?

I realized the POWER of CONNECTING NEW habits with OLD ones. BJ refers to this in book, and it's why if you see my habit tracker spreadsheet, the days I missed are days I'm NOT at the studio. Why? Because I don't have the "trigger" that's there 4-5 days per week of my morning routine getting ready for my day. My routine at home on off days is very different and I don't have the same "oh right!" reminders (yet anyway) as I do at the studio.

This didn't bother me. I very quickly realized the importance of this connection. It was a great mindset exercise. Sure I could get pissed off at myself for "not being perfect" and doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY like I originally aimed for. But in the first 4-weeks (as the habit still builds from it's infancy), I'm "lacking" 80 pushups. So? I'm UP 200!!!! That's how I look at it. It REALLY WAS a good "ah-ha" moment though to show why so many habits DON'T stick when we rely on "willpower", "force" and some sort of "magic" to make them happen, rather than "auto-reminders" from things / habits we ALREADY DO. *I love EVERY BIT of that psychology!!! It's fascinating to me!

Focusing on the PROCESS is EASIER when habits are SMALL. I know the importance of focusing on the process and not the outcome. This is how I coach my clients as well. HOWEVER, this approach to building NEW habits helped me realize that it's much easier to focus on the process, when you keep the habits small.

I don't have an end goal per say. I know I'll get stronger over time. I know it'll become even MORE routine than it already has for me. But I have NO IDEA where it'll go - and it doesn't matter. It's all doing MORE for myself than I was previously with this exercise. In "Tiny Habits" BJ used a pushup habit as well. He started doing 2 pushups (yes, just 2) every time he went pee. As silly as it sounds, think about it; We pee 3-5 times per day (some people more). So that's a minimum of 6-10 pushups a day. He eventually shares that it built up to much higher numbers now that have become his normal daily pushup habit. For me, I may be totally content down the road just doing 10 pushups each day. But I may at some point think, I'll add a couple more... maybe 5 more... why not 10 more while I'm down here. Who knows? Whatever path I take, I'm doing WAY more REGULAR pushups than before - Which makes me happy. 😃

Small habits create less barriers to NOT do them! Some of you have already had these types of discussions with me. My pushup habit had a prime example of this in week 2 of my new habit...

I was not only dealing with some collapsed ear drums (which went back to our last trip to Newfoundland and the flight home) but also some sort of sinus infection. 🙄 Annoying! I wasn't feeling myself overall. Had several "blah" kind of days, ya know? HOWEVER, I even surprised myself when I continued to do my pushup habit regardless. Why? Because "it's just 10 pushups". It'll take 30sec or less. Why WOULDN'T I do them still?? That's the POWER of SMALL, SIMPLE habits that we completely and often overlook!!

One day in particular I was NOT feeling it. But I got on the floor. A few pushups in I felt "ugh..." and very "blah". What did I do? I did 5 pushups. Took a short break. Then did 5 more pushups. BOOM!! 10 pushups for the day. The habit continues. My target was NOT 10 pushups in a row was it? Nope. 10 pushups each day. I could do 2 pushups 5x in the day if I wanted. This approach allowed me to easily get in my habit, be proud of STILL doing it, all while feeling like poo. 💩 Awesome!

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There are about 11-weeks left in 2025. That can mean continuing this habit can add as much as another 770 pushups (7/7 days per week). If I get 4/7 days in those 11-weeks I'll add another 440 pushups to my 200 already. What makes the "health nerd" in me smile, is when I think how many I (might) have done otherwise in the next 11-weeks; 20? Maybe 50 for some reason or another? What is 100% certain is, it would be no where near 400 or more, like it will be by continuing this habit of just 10-daily pushups (MOST days of the week). That's such an awesome fact!

Think about what that will do over time to the body. Better yet, think about how good it will feel not only physically, but mentally to say "I regularly do pushups each day, most days of the year". Hitting 10 pushups EVERY DAY of a year would mean 3640 pushups each year. Compare that to ZERO up to let's say a couple hundred that many folks (may) do?? Think about what THAT would do to your body over time in so many ways.

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This post is to show and remind all Zen Blog readers the absolutely AWESOMENESS of small ("tiny") habits. The power of CONSISTENT ACTION each day (or most days) and what it can do for you.

If you're a person who complains about all the things you "can't" do...

If you're a person who often talks about "all the things you WANT to do for your health", but then you end up doing none of them...

If you're a person who feels overwhelmed at the thought of living a healthier lifestyle...

You NEED this approach and MINDSET - and if you're open to it, you'll be smiling ear to ear in no time because of what you're accomplishing. ☮