What is "15 in 13"?

Saturday, January 12, 2013 · Mike Davis

Back in late November early December I began thinking about 2013 and what I wanted to do to make a difference for myself. Of course I instantly thought of such things as read my Bible more, be a better husband, nicer to the dog and so on… For me those are important so those goals are normally pretty standard, but I also wanted to come up with something that furthered my physical health as well. I want to be real here so as not to sound ridiculous, because I already work out 5 to 6 days a week, coach runners and run somewhere between 25 and 35 miles a week. Trying to consider something to further my physical health probably sounds quite obsessive. However for me I can become complacent at times and setting a new standard motivates me tremendously. I don’t have many consecutive weeks of getting in less than 20 miles on the road, but that’s an old standard and I was looking for a new. So anyhow, I considered different ways that I could further challenge myself physically as I approached 2013 and my 50th year on earth. I thought of all the things I have done in past years that I could repeat, but I wanted something different. Then it hit me just out of the blue, do something every day! Working out every day is something that most experts would frown upon, saying that you need to have rest days for your body. I agree that our bodies shouldn’t be lifting weight, logging miles or stressing itself physically 7 days a week, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do something to help me physically every day. I already was doing 50 pushups every day, but I was thinking something that would be more along the lines of cardio or that burned a few calories. Being realistic about the other demands in my life and how I already leave myself little time for many things because of my running, I thought maybe just 15 minutes of something. I figured out that in a 12 hour period, (720 minutes), I should be able to fit in 15 minutes of something, walking the dog, the elliptical, going up and down my stairs; just something for 15 minutes. So my new standard for 2013 would be do some type of exercise for at least 15 minutes each day and it seemed reasonable and doable. But me being me, of course I had to take it one step further and decide to add a challenging goal; at least 15 minutes every day for the entire year! Some might say doing at least 15 minutes of exercise a day is a goal or resolution and you might be right, but for me I do better when I make it a standard. Setting a standard for me locks in my commitment and becomes my norm. My goal though was that it would be every day all 365! On paper it seemed simple really; I normally run 4 days a week and strength train 3 times a week. Doing the math that already equals 7, but I normally strength train and run on the same day once a week, so that would leave me with a rest days. As I said at the top it is essential to have a rest day both physically and mentally so I wouldn’t change that approach. In fact I am inclined to double my running and strength training twice in a week and have 2 days that are dedicated to resting and other stuff. So now I have 2 days to add in at least 15 minutes of some type of physical activity. Easy right! There will be tough some days that it will be a challenge and downright hard! Soon to be 50 years old, I know better than ever that my health is critical as each year passes. A few years ago I read this quote and it became a driving force for me: “It’s not whether running or exercising will help you live longer, but rather running or exercising will help you get more out of your life longer” I do not know the author but I agree wholeheartedly. My desire to stay active long into my future is right near the top of my priorities and that means making healthier diet choices, life style and exercising. All have become a “standard” for me not a goal. January 1st I decided to go virtual with my standard and use the social media to publicize it. One that would hold me accountable and also, maybe others would be interested. As a coach I understand the value in such marketing and I forever am trying to use it to encourage others. So on January 1st I sat down to post on Facebook and as I typed it just came out; “15 in 2013”. Quickly a few of my friends responded wanting to join in and a group of us were now encouraging each other! Eventually it became “15 in 13” and on any given day up to 9-10 people will post what they did that day. I encourage them, they encourage each other and the funny thing is; some of them don’t even know each other! How sweet is that! While my goal is to maintain a streak that will last 365 days; I only want for my friends to try for every day but be okay when they miss a day. Just start a new streak today! “15 in 13” is something anyone can do and while there’s 354 days left in the year, there’s still time!