The repeated combat effect: if nothing changes, nothing will change

Are you looking for a change? So why do you always do the same thing? The more you repeat a behavior the less it affects you, because you get used to it, this is the repeated combat effect. Therefore, to have a better result, you must change something, try something new. Nothing will change until something changes.

The repeated combat effect comes from exercise research, but can be perfectly applied to daily life. When you perform an exercise, for example push-ups, your body experiences a stimulus that stresses your muscles until muscle soreness occurs.

Continuing to do this or another exercise that causes this pain will result in a reduction in it, because it affects us less and less. Therefore, The more you do this type of exercise systematically, the less pain you will feel and the less it will affect you.. How can we apply this to our daily lives?

The effect of repeated combat in daily life

According to the repeated combat effect, the more we do something, the less impact it has on us. Yes, a behavior or a series of habits may make us improve at one stage of our lives but, over time, the effect reduces.

The same thing happens when you start exercising. At first, you can do three exercise sessions a week, reap excellent results, but over time your body will get used to it and you will have to do more if you want to continue improving. If not, the body will stagnate and may even go backwards.

Another example can be found in substance consumption. stimulants and/or addictive substances such as caffeine, alcohol, tobacco or drugs. At first, a little bit is enough to get what that substance has to offer. But over time it takes more to achieve the same thing, because the body gets used to the dose and no longer has the same effect.

The same thing happens when we consider losing weight. At first, by doing what needs to be done (improve eating habits, consume enough water, exercise, control stress, sleep better, etc.), we immediately begin to notice weight loss. But As soon as the body gets used to it and the repeated combat effect kicks in, weight loss slows down.because the body gets used to it.

In these and all cases where you have stagnated you can surely apply the repeated combat effect, what happens is that you simply find yourself with a new baseline. If you want to improve, you have to change something to be closer to the change you are looking for.

What the Repeated Combat Effect Doesn’t Teach About Improvement

Doing the same thing over and over, even if it worked for a long time, will end up leading to stagnation. The real problem is not stagnating, but not realizing that you have to change your strategy.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with reaching that moment of stagnation. You’ve had to work hard to get there. Instead of regretting it, congratulate yourself on your achievements and think about what change or changes you need to make to continue improving.

The repeated combat effect in its original context implies that the muscles have adapted to the exercise. Therefore, if you keep doing it you will not improve (you will not increase your muscle mass, you will not get stronger, you will not increase your endurance or your speed, etc.). That is to say, If it doesn’t hurt there is no improvement. The same thing happens with habits and personal development: if it doesn’t cost there is no improvement.

But, Why not settle for what we have already achieved? Why change if what we do has given us improvements and we are satisfied with them? Why want more and more, when what we have achieved is enough?

It is not a question of ambition. It is a matter of personal satisfaction. If you can achieve more, why not go for more? In any case, settling and staying stagnant has a terrible consequence: boredom. And when we get bored we start to give in. And by giving in, we begin to lose.

Making changes to seek a higher change keeps us motivated, It keeps us active not only to achieve our goals, but also to maintain them.