There is nothing more disheartening than admitting you’ve fallen off of something you, at one time, were determined and motivated to do. It’s a tough conversation to have with yourself. Will you do what you said you would do, long after the mood that you’ve said it in has left? This does not have to be related to your health and wellness; this could be related to any item in your personal or professional life.
Routines > Consistency > Habit
There are three aspects to achieving success that have been proven in multiple case studies to increase your likelihood.
Let’s get into it.
Will you do what you said you would do, long after the mood that you’ve said it in has left?
Routines
As defined, routines are “A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program”.
The two keywords to pull from the definition of Routine is “sequence” and “regular”. When something is in sequence, it is a strict set of rules that follow a pre-determined flow of execution. Take for instance, hitting the gas pedal on your car. Once the gas pedal is pressed, it turns a pivot, that in turn pulls the throttle wire. The throttle wire is connected to a throttle linkage. That linkage serves to control a valve that regulates the air intake to the engine. The more you step on the gas pedal, the wider open the valve becomes and the more air is let in. Although you may have thought the “gas pedal” controls the “gas flow”, this is actually false, but that is not the point.
The angle here is to not learn the mechanics of a car. The point of the analogy above is that the vehicle components follow a systematic routine. One action follows another. It is “sequence of actions regularly followed”. It is a “fixed program” to make the vehicle go.
Establishing and then most importantly, following, a fitness routine is the foundational block of success towards a goal. Allow a routine to be your outline and motivator.
Consistency
As yes – the glue. If you are not consistent, get ready to crumble. Have you ever seen a foot race? Let’s dive into the differences between a marathon vs. a sprint; keep reading even if you think you know where this is going.
Off the gate, a marathon runner inherently knows there are 26.2 miles to go. In no sensical way is a marathon runner thinking about leading the pack the moment he/she is out of the gate. Why? Because leading the pack within the first 3 minutes shows nothing in a marathon.
Off the gate, a sprinter inherently knows there is only 100 meters to go. In no sensical way is the sprinter thinking about conserving energy out the gate. It is an all-out war of energy release and max effort.
So what does this have to do with consistency? Most would say a fitness is a life-long journey – including myself – thus favoring the marathon analogy. However, there is also a massive aspect of fitness that many neglect.
A fitness routine is consistent, yet adaptable.
Being adaptable is just as important. A fitness routine is consistent, yet adaptable. Why? Because of the inherent issues that are bound to occur throughout a routine, such as:
- Injury
- Lack of Motivation
- General life disruptions
- Travel
- List goes on…
The point is: Yes, a lifelong fitness lifestyle is indeed a marathon, however there are times for sprints.
You don’t think after running 26 miles you wouldn’t want to sprint that last quarter mile? I know I would. Same can be said with a fitness routine. You’ve worked hard to reach a certain point (to hit a PR, new record, or personal growth) and you sprint that last bit because you made it! Maybe, there is a dull point in your fitness that requires a spark to get you back up and running. Light the spark – burn it quick – then light the candle. Sprint vs marathon.
You have to be adaptable in your fitness. Yes, the topic of discussion is CONSISSTENCY, but this concept of being adaptable is more important because it already insinuates you’re remaining consistent – you can’t have adaptation in something that isn’t already in motion.
Now – choosing your consistency is a completely different topic in itself.
If you’re consistently inconsistent, well, I need not to say more. Same could be said for being consistently lazy, missing a workout, or sneaking one too many cookies at that work party (yeah, we see you).
I’ll cap consistency section with this: let’s say you get injured. This, for me, is one of my absolute biggest frustrations. Rush hour traffic? Doesn’t bother me. Politics? No. Bad weather? No. But man, an injury sure does piss me off. Mostly because I’m working so hard to be healthy – not injured.
However, an injury doesn’t completely knock you out of the game. What – you can’t focus on the four other tenants of your health? What about your emotional health? Spiritual? Social? Emotional? What about maintaining your healthy diet in the midst of an injury? What about doing just something within the realm of not hurting yourself more (stretch, walk, seated movements)?
Ah – light bulb moment.
That’s remaining consistent. In the face of certain unmotivating circumstances, will you do what you said you would do, long after the mood you’ve said it in has left. Hmm…I feel like we’ve heard this before.
In the face of certain unmotivating circumstances, will you do what you said you would do, long after the mood you’ve said it in has left. Hmm…I feel like we’ve heard this before.
Habits
How often is it that we associate habits with bad habits? “Ah, I’ve gotta break the habit”…”I know, it’s such a bad habit”…”I know, I don’t mean to do that, it’s just a habit”
Habits are a good thing when directed appropriately. I’ve pulled the chart from the beginning of this blog because it illustrates the “Habit Curve” perfectly.
Habits are a good thing!
The amazing thing about our brain chemistry is that, at the subconscious level, your brain doesn’t differentiate between good and bad habits (source). Meaning, bad habits and good habits follow the same pattern and sequencing for establishment of neurological pathways.
Bad habits find themselves into existence from a path of least resistance, laziness, or pleasure, among a few other documented nuances. Now, I can already hear the argument of the fitness buffs – “Well, fitness can be pleasurable” and to that, I would say, that is also true.
However, I challenge you in asking the majority of our society if exercise is enjoyable – then you’ll see my angle.
In defining pleasure, I’m talking good & bad. It is pleasurable to eat pizza and binge-watch a TV show. It’s also pleasurable to brush your teeth when your breath stinks or your mouth feels weird. One is bad, one is good, yet each can either turn into a good or bad habit.
Hey Steve? How is eating a pizza and binge-watching a TV show a good habit? Well – what about a cheat day? You can build a healthy habit of doing this only once a month. Same with brushing your teeth. Doing it every day is certainly a good habit. However once a month will end you up like “smelly breath Tyler” (we all know that person in our life).
You can’t have a habit without routines and consistency; it’s like baking a cake without flour.
Building a habit is one of the surest ways to achieve a goal, for it is always moving. Even the smallest movement forward is still movement toward achieving the goal. Writing down a game plan, making a schedule, or even just spending 5 minutes a day towards the goal can help guarantee it will be achieved. Will time frames change with the level of effort? Undoubtedly. And that is on you.
Even the smallest movement forward is still movement toward achieving the goal.
Above all – what is the biggest driver towards establishing good, healthy habits?
TIME
You have to respect time. There is no hard and fast rule that indicates “at this day – you will enjoy the habit of working out”. Sure, there are published studies that give a general timeframe based on a healthy brain/individual, but it does not work like that. In fact, there very well may be healthy habits that you DON’T enjoy, but you do them anyway because they’re a habit. Again, nail-biting isn’t good – yet people still do it. You may recognize it’s bad, too…yet still do it. Same with the teeth brushing scenario. You may not enjoy it, but you still do it anyway because you know the end result is much greater than not.
Take the first step.
Develop a routine.
Make every effort to remain consistent – regardless of opposition.
Develop the habit.
Achieve your goals
Let’s chat!
