You have just come off the 2020 Quarantine. Your fitness wasn’t quite as consistent as it was before the world shutdown. You were a little more lenient with the treats after dinner. You had a few more home beverages on the back deck as it got warmer outside (oh wait, was that just us?) You were doing what you had to do to get to the other side.
And then everything slowly starts to reopen and you decide you are ready to make the BIG change. You are ready to be your pre-covid self. You decide to hit the gym six days a week and be super strict in counting your calories to “get back on track.”
You are super motivated. You are doing ALL the right things. Why are you getting farther away from your goal? Why does it feel so hard all of a sudden?
Because you are focusing all of your energy into your intensity, not your consistency. Going to the gym for ten hours in one day won’t get you shredded, but going a little bit every day will. This is an important mindset shift to avoid frustration and achieve any goal. You need consistency for long term SUSTAINABLE results.
When you start anything, you have motivation on your side. But motivation is like a feeling, it comes and goes. And before you know it, you are putting in more work than what is convenient for everyday life. And this makes it hard to be consistent.
Intensity makes for a good story. Consistency makes for progress.
Here are three ways for you to be more consistent for any goal:
Find your Lead Domino. Find the one habit, action, or behavior that once instilled, makes all the other habits easier or nonexistent. This needs to be something that feels easy to incorporate (so you will be more inclined to do it) and once in motion will build momentum for more. Example: Using grocery pickup. This helps you stick to your list and by not going into the store, you are less likely to impulse buy. If you don’t buy it, you don’t have it to tempt you at home because let’s be honest-it’s way easier to resist once as you are scrolling through your app versus resisting it everyday at home.
Give yourself an external consequence and verbalize it. What happens if you don’t do your mobility 3x a week? What happens if you don’t get in your daily step count goal? Choose something, not food related (because that kinda defeats the purpose, huh?), to keep you more likely to do that habit or action. And then tell someone. Out loud.
Find someone to hold you accountable. An accountant to help you stay accountable to your financial goals. A workout buddy to check in with when you hit the gym. A nutrition coach to give you feedback and insight on smart nutrition choices.
So while the “10-day Juice Cleanse” sounds good on paper, its intention is quick results, not long term sustainability.
Find a pattern that promotes long term results.
Build the consistency and you’ll be on the path to success in no time.