You need to be consistent. Here’s how.
As we all know, when it comes to health, fitness, and performance, you need to be consistent to achieve anything.
It’s such a basic concept, but why is it so hard to do so?
Well, first we need to consider this: life is short but life is also long! You have enough time, but you also don’t have as much as you think. Conflicting, but both are true. It’s all about perspective. Nothing is exactly black or white, especially with health and fitness.
Here are some tips to help you in that regard:
1) Goal setting
Set a goal, work to achieve it, and expect it to change as progress occurs!
It is important to have a clear, defined goal to work towards. It can be hard at first. You need to seriously sit down and analyze your time, resources, and availability to commit to your goal. Assessing these factors can significantly decrease your time cycling through ineffective and random training.
It is also important to realize there are different types of goals, and as you progress, the level of commitment and effort it takes to achieve these goals is greater. Which is good!
For example, say a professional basketball athlete (i.e. Angel Reese or Sabrina Ionescu) is your inspiration. At the point that they’re at, they have committed YEARS worth of time and resources to reach that level. But something as simple as committing to 100 shots a day can begin your journey. As you progress and get better, 100 shots a day will not suffice, especially in competition. You will realize that the sacrifice of time, resources, and effort will become greater- which is good because you will also realize that you have become better! Just be aware.
2) Comparison is the thief of joy
Don’t let it steal yours.
In this day and age with the presence of social media and the internet, it is hard to circumvent the idea of “perfection”. Oftentimes we worry ourselves about not being able to do what others are, or achieving the goals of others without mistakes, consequences, or significant time.
What we do is compare ourselves to the results of others, without living the reality of others.
Truth be told, the most successful people you see or know lived lives you will never live. This is not to say they had it better or worse, simply they are objectively different. Similarities may exist from person to person and drawing on knowledge or experience from them may (and probably will) aid you in your own journey. Just do not make the mistake of comparing apples to apples.
3) Do not ignore your heart
Do what you truly love.
This goes hand in hand with “comparison to others”. Because we are always in the presence of information- what seems like the objective “right” or “correct” way to go about health and fitness can often time derail us from what our true intentions and purpose are.
If your most fulfilled, healthy, and consistent life comes not from lifting weights and having giant arms- but the ability to do the splits- then training for that is more than enough.
Referring back to goal setting: the goal should always be to do what you love.
If you love long-distance running but your goal is to have the biggest body possible, then adjustments and optimizations must be made to fit you. The end result may not be an IBBF-style build, but at the end of the day, your training was purposeful and fulfilling.
In conclusion, remaining consistent is simply in the details. The greater you align with your purpose, set goals according to it, and focus on yourself (and not others), you’ll find that it is easier to not only remain consistent but progress faster.
Hope this helps, stay on the mats!
