The Fitness “Time” Myth: Why You Don’t Need More Than an Average 20 Minutes a Day

For years, I believed the same myth everyone else did—that a serious workout had to last at least an hour. Or more. Anything less was said to be cheating. I’d see some people leave the gym after half an hour and think, “They can’t be making progress.”

But I was wrong.

After three decades of consistent training through challenging workdays, family life, travel, and everything in between—I’ve learned that “time” isn’t the barrier most people think it is. The real challenges? Structure, focus and consistency. Once those are in place, then fewer well-spent minutes can outperform longer distracted ones—every single time.

The Myth That Keeps People Stuck

We live in a world that glorifies extremes and amplifies this through information overload. All or nothing.

Busy professionals often apply that same mindset to fitness: if it’s not a complex marathon workout, it doesn’t really count. But this belief quietly sabotages progress.

It leads to guilt (“I don’t have time today”), inconsistency (“I’ll start again on Monday”), or procrastination (“I’ll wait until I can find that hour in my day”) and eventually, burnout.

The irony? The harder you try to fit long sessions into an already full life, the less consistent you become.

When people tell me they don’t have time for fitness, what they often mean is: “I don’t have time for perfection.”

Good news! You don’t need it.

The Power of Efficiency

Results don’t come from extended hours logged—they come from intent, and the consistent effective sessions behind the time spent.

If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know that the Sensible Fitness Program was built around that idea: structure your training, nutrition and recovery in a way that fits your reality, not someone else’s fantasy.

A 20-30 minute session of focused, intelligent effort—the kind where your phone stays out of your hand and your attention fully on the reps—triggers the same adaptation as a 90-minute session scattered across distractions.

The human body doesn’t measure minutes; it responds to stimulus.

And that stimulus doesn’t care how long you’ve been exercising—only that you’ve shown up with purpose. Focused purpose. In simple terms, more intensity less volume.

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

Most people fail. Unfortunately. Not because they lack motivation, but because they rely on it.

But motivation is emotional. And fickle. It rises and falls, and rarely shows up when you need to mobilize.

Discipline, on the other hand, is structural. Think of it as a precursor to action. Once you act, motivation follows — and that momentum sustains you. It becomes the small trigger that nudges you into showing up for the next session. And the one after that.

In my Fitness Mindset Transformation (FMT) sessions, I help clients reframe their thinking:

You don’t look around to see whether you have time for fitness; you instead protect your fitness time and make it non-negotiable. That’s how fitness (and a healthy lifestyle) becomes a lifelong commitment.

Treat your exercise sessions like meetings with your future self. In the same way you wouldn’t skip an important call with a client, don’t skip the time you’ve set aside to ensure your body becomes athletic, feels powerful, and performs optimally over time.

At 59, I’ve trained through every season of life. The reason I stay consistent isn’t because I have more time—it’s because I don’t chase extremes. And I’ve figured out how to balance priorities to “fit it all in.”

Shorter sessions, done with focus and intent don’t just build muscle, they also build momentum. And that momentum is what turns habits into a lifestyle. And when you “feel” less-than-motivated (as I also often do)—just start!

Remember, motivation doesn’t precede action. It comes from execution.

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If you want help learning how to train with your life instead of against it — including during holidays, travel, and high-stress periods — that’s exactly what we explore in my coaching and mindset work.

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The Takeaway

You don’t need more hours in the day.

You need a sensible approach—one that respects your energy, your stress, your commitments, and your real life.

That’s the foundation of The Sensible Fitness Program: practical initiatives that deliver real, ongoing results from targeted effort.

A genuinely sustainable solution.

Because lasting fitness isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what matters.

And that applies just as much during busy periods, travel, and holidays as it does during “perfect” weeks.

If you’d like help navigating fitness around real life—without extremes or guilt—I offer a free, no-obligation Discovery Call.

It’s a chance to talk through where you are, what’s getting in the way, and what a sensible next step might look like.

👉 Book a Free Discovery Call

Let’s look at a plan that fits your life—and finally puts an end to that fitness time myth.