Consistency is the key to success when it comes to achieving your fitness goals and there is no doubt that it's the toughest part.
Most of us have all had times in our lives, (typically around the new year) where we are really consistent when first starting a fitness routine. We have a lot of motivation for a few weeks and then it fades and we are back to our regular routine.
The biggest mistake that leads to that outcome is doing too much, too soon. If you're not currently active, going from 0 days/week to 4-5x days/week is going to be a big adjustment. Too much of an adjustment to sustain because its completely different to how you're living your life right now. We often think that massive success requires massive action and that brings us to an all or nothing mindset.
That mindset is harmful, discouraging and does nothing for you. It implies you need to do everything right or nothing at all. It doesn't work, throw that thinking out.
Just because you had an overindulgent weekend doesn't mean you need to continue those patterns through the rest of the week. If you missed one night of brushing your teeth, you're not going to quit and say "well, that's it, I guess I'll just stop brushing my teeth". You know the consequences.
I'm sure we can all agree life can get messy and complex. Sometimes that means we sacrifice, sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits temporarily. We will not be perfect all the time but that doesn't mean we should quit. It means we should learn how to adapt and focus on what we can do during those times.
What you need to know, is just because you don't have every piece of your health journey together right now, doesn't mean you're not making progress. It doesn't mean you're not benefiting your body in some way.
Aesthetic Trap
Often the focus when it comes to fitness is the aesthetic benefits. There is not a problem with that. The problem comes when you only look at the aesthetic results or lack there of and think, well I'm not there yet, I didn't make the progress I wanted to make so I'll just stop.
What about your heart health? What about your bone density? Over the course of time, people have been getting sicker, weaker, and injured more frequently. Not all of that is preventable through a nutrient dense diet, enough sleep, enough water, and exercise, but a lot of it is. I've personally seen what happens when people neglect their health and wellbeing and I'm not interested in that being my future if I can do anything to prevent it.
Maybe you're young and those things don't matter to you much right now but your body is still affected by how you treat it today whether you care or not. Looks aren't everything.
We need to acknowledge that in our journey to wanting a better body composition, just because that goal takes a lot of time and is very challenging to achieve, doesn't mean it should be the only focus. If you looked the way you wanted to right now but you felt weak, tired, stiff, and had other health issues, would you be happy with that? Most people would say no and I have to agree. If you feel like crap, its not worth it.
The Long Game
Adapting your lifestyle is not an overnight fix. There is no hack, no pill, no shortcut. It's about staying consistent and putting in the work even when you don't want to.
Whatever health and fitness goal you have, it will take time to achieve. Once you achieve that goal, then what? Often you need to maintain the progress you made. This means it's the long game. You won't be doing this for a few months or even a year. This is about creating a lifestyle.
I think the part that scares people the most about that, is they feel they need to change everything about the way the live their lives. People often look at it as they no longer get to enjoy the things they like, the foods they want to eat, the drinks they want to have etc. I believe this is what stops people from trying before even getting started.
Part of that is true, more often than not, you will have to make adjustments to multiple areas of your life including: Sleep, hydration, nutrition, movement.. etc. But what is not true is that it needs to be super restrictive, joyless, and painful.
In conclusion, If you're creating a lifestyle, you need to be consistent. In order to be consistent, you need to enjoy the journey. This means eating healthy foods you enjoy and doing activity you like. If you hate it, you're not going to stick with it and if you try to, you will be miserable.
The longer it takes you to start, the longer it will take you to feel good, strong, and ready for any physical task. You can get started today. You can make this a lifestyle change that you enjoy.
Remember:
Start small
Your health matters
Do what you enjoy
Not sure where to start? Looking for a coach or program? Don't hesitate to reach out.
All coaching inquires:
Want to see more posts? Follow me on Instagram @jessicacazesfitness
Kommentare