Consistency is about showing up. Everyday. Even if you don’t feel like it.
I used to workout at 4am, consistently. It’s true. I used to hop out of bed before sunrise and get my workout in before my workday began, around 6am, and would last anywhere from 10-14 hours.
I never minded waking up excessively early to workout because I enjoyed it. Exercise first thing in the morning keeps me alert and feeling like I can conquer my day with ease.
For all who don’t know this about me, I used to work for a company that outsources first responders to various TV and film sets to cover their emergency medical needs. Yes, I am trained to save a life if I need to.
But I’m not here sharing this with you to “humble brag” or to encourage 4am workouts. I share this to explain the importance of consistency when it comes to achieving new goals.
Now, let me give you another example on the opposite side of the time spectrum.
This is a picture taken not too long ago. It was 8:25pm. I was lifting almost 300 pounds off the floor and doing chin ups as the starting exercises of my workout. Usually by that time I’m unwinding, about to go to bed. I didn’t necessarily want to be doing this at 8:30 in the evening. However, I knew if I didn’t, I probably would’ve skipped this exercise before the long weekend.
I had no other means of having a barbell with the number of weights I needed or any other equipment that I would require to complete the workout. So, if I didn’t complete my workouts before that Friday afternoon, that was it. I wouldn’t have achieved my process goal of 4 workouts per week, which would have caused me to miss my bigger outcome goal.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic over the thought of missing one workout. However, there will always be times where you don’t feel like doing a workout or sticking with a healthy eating regimen. Always. It’s the tiny wins of following through, especially when you don’t want to, that will make a goal achievable. Small sums of effort each day towards a bigger goal is paramount and effective.
Being consistent with a new goal/habit is not always the easiest thing. We know we want to accomplish a goal for the betterment of our health, relationships, mental wellbeing, and future. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to gain a habit and keep it.
Today, I’m going to give you three tips that will be helpful in keeping you consistent.
3 ways to be more consistent:
- Understand your “why”
If you haven’t figured out this part yet, go back and figure this piece out first! Knowing why you want to do the thing that’s hard will make this process so much easier.
It’s valid that you want to “get healthier” or “lose weight”, but why do you want to achieve those things? Is it for a big event coming up; and if so, why is looking good for it important to you? Do you want to have a better quality of life for your kids? Are you trying to prevent yourself from getting health conditions that you’re predisposed to? Only you know.
This will give you reason and a purpose for wanting to achieve what you want, making accomplishment of a goal or milestone more enjoyable, rewarding, and fulfilling. Not only that, but it will keep you adherent to the process. That’s super important.
If you know what your “why” is, it’s a lot easier to follow through.
- Have good systems in place
Having a solid goal to work towards is a great way to motivating factor. However, there are a lot of individuals who don’t achieve their goals. Usually, the goal is not the problem.
It’s the systems that people utilize to accomplish goals that are the problem. The way people try to get things done is just plain ineffective and unproductive.
This is really no fault of their own. That’s why setting up good process goals, mini goals with little resistance to complete during the day, can help with achieving the bigger outcome goal.
Example: I want to be able to lose 20 pounds of body fat in 6 months
To achieve this, your process goals might look something like this:
- Go to the gym 4 times per week right after your workday ends
- Do 30 minutes of walking on your lunch break everyday
- Drink a glass of water every hour, on the hour for 6 months
These are just very basic examples of how to accomplish a goal like this. Eventually, you will end up losing those 20 pounds you were hoping to lose, even when we are not fixated on the outcome.
Be good with following a system rather than a goal. It will help you reach your goals and develop beneficial lifelong habits.
- Be SMART with your goals
Goals are great. Goals will be the B point from your A point. More often than not though, the goals people set are usually too general.
When goals are too general, there is no clear objective you are trying to achieve. General goals that I’m talking about include “lose weight” or “gain muscle” or “be healthier”. These goals are valid, but there is no way to track progress or value to aim for. This will reduce your adherence to the process of accomplishing your goals, which will make you less consistent.
This is where SMART goals come in. SMART stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based
An example of a SMART goal might be:
I want to lose 20 pounds of body fat in 6 months by going to the gym 4 times a week, walking for 30 minutes on my lunch break everyday, and drinking a glass of water every hour on the hour everyday for 6 months.
Whew, that was a lot, right? But this is what smart goals are all about. It’s a specific goal, there’s a numerical value attached to the goal, it’s attainable, relevant, and we have a clear timeline for when we want this accomplished.
If you forget all else that I’ve written today, at least remember this: It’s the small sums of tiny, consistent steps forward that allows people to complete the goal. Never the grandiose mega effort of one day’s work. Rome was not built in a day; it was built in 1229 years.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this post today. If you have any questions for me about consistency or any other health-related topics, be sure to contact me via email or through any of my social media platforms linked below. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have pertaining to Athletic Therapy, Personal Training, and related topics.
Facebook: @jv.exercises
Instagram: @jv.therapy
LinkedIn: Justin Vautour
Email: justinvautour@oakvillesandbox.com
References:
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/smart-goal/
Atomic Habits by James Clear
https://jamesclear.com/goals-systems
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/if-rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day-how-long-did-it-take
