Seven Minute Miracle

I stumbled upon the 7-minute workout in 2013, thanks to a New York Times article. Back then, I was overweight, stressed, and definitely not a gym enthusiast. But I’ve always been a sucker for efficiency and life hacks, and the idea of a science-backed, effective workout in just seven minutes was too irresistible to ignore.

I started in the most private way possible—doing the routine in my bedroom. It felt like a safe, hidden experiment. Over time, as I got more comfortable and confident, I graduated to the small deck just outside my bedroom. It was a tiny step out of my comfort zone, but it felt huge at the time.

As the months and years went by, I found myself rolling out my mat in the neighborhood park. What once seemed unimaginable—exercising in public—became second nature. I even started taking my 7-minute routine with me on trips, like exercising on a pier literally in the middle of Tomales Bay or the memorable week in Hualien, Taiwan, surrounded by strange rock formations and unbelievably loud cricket calls.

Today, I did it just outside our AirBnB in Healdsburg. People walking dogs or heading downtown either stared at the crazy guy jumping up and down or avoided eye contact as I rotated out of a push-up. I’d like to say I’m unfazed, but I’m still a little self-conscious.

Nevertheless, the workout has become a daily morning ritual; if not done, I would feel something nagging at me or maybe that the day has an odd shaped hole. I’m fitter, have more stamina and energy, and way prefer walking and biking to driving for any number of daily activities.

If you’d told me twelve years ago that I’d be the person confidently working out in public, I’d have laughed. But here I am, and it’s one of the few habits that’s truly stuck with me and reshaped my life in ways I never expected.

=======

This little piece appeared first in Reframe Science, a curated community for entrepreneurs, builders, and high-agency individuals taking charge of healthcare for themselves and their loved ones started by my friend and fellow entrepreneur Chrstin. I wonder which experiment I’m sharing with Reframers now will quietly reshape my next twelve years. Maybe it’s already begun.

Since Reframe is playing with Ernst Haekel art in its branding, I thought I’d ask ChatGPT to help come up with the right imagery for this piece:

Well, ChatGPT does know I love biking and mushrooms!

==========

And here’s how ChatGPT helped/wrote this piece: