Easy Fail.

I recently joined a small group fitness class at my gym. I’m on week 16 or so, and I haven’t missed a class. The work in the class is hard, not the kind of stuff I’d normally gravitate toward, and it’s been incredibly beneficial. I have numerous examples I won’t share here, but let me just say: consistent effort improves mobility, strength, and your life in ways that are hard to overstate.

And that leads me to the problem I’m seeing more and more in media and fitness ads:

Easy, quick workouts.
Ten minutes to a flat stomach.
Five moves to sculpt your arms.
Get fit in under seven minutes a day.

We’ve seen this before, but it’s getting louder again, fueled by short-form video, attention spans, and our convenience culture. And while there’s nothing wrong with efficiency, this constant push for easier, faster, minimal-effort fitness is quietly eroding our understanding of what real progress takes.

The Lie That Sells

Let’s be honest: easy sells.
The idea that you can transform your body with a few minutes of light effort a few times a week is attractive. It promises results without disruption. It fits into lunch breaks and scroll sessions. And when it’s wrapped in slick production and a smiling influencer? Even better.

But here’s the truth:

Sustainable fitness isn’t found in convenience. It’s found in consistency.

You can’t shortcut your way to strength. Mobility takes daily attention. Metabolic health and body composition don’t shift because of one clever “booty band” circuit.

The Science is Clear

Research consistently shows that the key drivers of health and fitness, cardiovascular endurance, strength, and metabolic health, respond to progressive overload, consistent volume, and intentional effort over time.

Here’s what moves the needle:

• 3–5 days of training per week with varied intensity
  

• Resistance training that challenges you beyond light reps
  

• Zone 2 and VO₂ max training for heart and lung health
  

• Recovery and sleep that support physical adaptation
  

• Nutrition that fuels, not sabotages, your goals
  

There’s nothing flashy about that. But there’s also no denying it works.

The Problem with Just Getting Started

Some might argue, “But these short workouts help people start!” And sure, some movement is better than none. But let’s be clear: that logic only holds if those small starts lead to something more.

Unfortunately, most marketing around quick workouts doesn’t frame them as a starting point. It frames them as enough.
And this is simply bullshit.  And they know it.

People spend months or years chasing results through convenience, instead of learning to prioritize their health the way it truly requires.

Worse, they start to believe something is wrong with them when the results don’t come, when in reality, the approach was flawed from the start.

The Reality of Progress

Progress in fitness mirrors progress in life:

• It takes effort when you don’t feel like it.
  

• It asks you to show up even when it’s inconvenient.
  

• It requires discomfort, repetition, and patience.
  

The group class I’m in now isn’t revolutionary. It’s not even perfectly designed for me. But it’s regular. It’s challenging. It makes me better.
That’s what works.

What To Do Instead

If you’re stuck in the cycle of jumping from one quick fix to another, try this instead:

• Commit to 3–4 real workouts a week.
  Not 7 minutes, not “when I have time.” Block the hour and protect it.
  

• Prioritize strength.
  Use weights that challenge you. Track progress.
  

• Get your heart rate up with intent.
  Mix steady Zone 2 efforts with higher-intensity intervals once or twice a week.
  

• Be honest about what you're doing.
  If it feels too easy and you’re not seeing change, it probably is too easy.
  

• Be patient.
  Give it six weeks, then six months, and then a year. You won’t believe what’s possible when you stop starting over.
  

Let's Go! 

I say all this not to criticize beginners or people short on time. We all start somewhere. And we’re all busy.

But fitness doesn’t work because it’s convenient. It works because it’s a priority.

So if you’re serious about changing your body or health, be wary of the promise of ease.

You don’t need extreme. But you do need to work.

You and your family are worth the work.

Buy my book on Amazon: It’s on sale! Fitness First! 

See you in the gym!