Success Factor #2 - Consistency

With success factor #1, I discussed tracking and how important it can be in reaching your health and fitness goals, today we will focus on factor #2; Consistency

To review, here are the 3 success factors that I feel are the most important to ensure success and get those eye popping results you are after!

Tracking
Consistency
Why Power

I’ve mentioned this in the past, but the consistency with how you treat your own health and fitness is always at work. The more consistent you are about showing up for each and every workout and staying within your nutritional goals for the day, the more likely you are going to reach whatever goals you have set for yourself!

“Motivation Gets You Going – Discipline Keeps You Going” – John Maxwell

This quote from John Maxwell rings true with more than just your journey towards reaching your health and fitness goals, it can be applied to home improvement projects, work related tasks, etc…

So many times I see people get amped up about getting started and then after the first couple of workouts and the soreness sets in, the changes in nutrition aren’t agreeing with your cravings and the early morning alarm isn’t as welcoming, that is when the motivation isn’t quite what it was on day 1 or day 2.

It is your discipline and your commitment to your WHY that will keep you pushing play everyday and sticking to those nutritional goals you set for yourself.

How many workouts have you skipped?

I don’t do it often, but I feel REALLY GUILTY if I ever skip a workout. Do you?

If you don’t have a little self-guilt, you probably aren’t consistent enough with your workouts to notice how it affects your mood or state of mind for the remainder of the day… Even on scheduled rest days, I just feel a bit off, though I do enjoy sleeping in those couple of extra hours.

To put it bluntly, you can’t just pick and choose when you want to show up and workout, you’ve got to show up everyday when it is on the schedule.

The time of day that you plan your workout can often contribute your ability to get it done or use an excuse not to push play. I prefer to workout first thing in the AM. This ensures that I don’t have anything come up over the course of the day that will prevent me from getting my workouts in. If I were to plan to do it in the evening, there are numerous things that can ultimately prevent that from happening. Excuses also are easier to justify when you’ve had a long day and just aren’t in the mood. If possible, get up 30-40 minutes earlier to workout. You’ll actually have more energy throughout your day than you would normally!

How about your nutrition, you are consistent there?

I often find that many people aren’t and that is when their results suffer. Once they start to really focus on this area with consistent efforts, they notice that their previous struggles go away.

If your goal is to lose 30 pounds and you want to do that over the course of 90 days with a fitness program like P90x or in 50 days with Focus T25, your consistency with nutrition is going to get you there. Even if you show up to workout each and everyday, but slack off on your nutrition on the weekends, you aren’t going to be able to reach your full potential for results and you may not hit your weight loss goal.

If you will commit to, at the very least the duration of your fitness program’s schedule, eating healthier, cleaner and with more consistently, I almost guarantee that you will see the results that you are after.

Here is a screen shot of a recent milestone for me with myfitnesspal. As you can see I had logged in and tracked my nutrition for 365 days straight, that’s 1 full year!

You have got to be perfectly honest with yourself here. You are the only one that controls what food you are eating. No one is forcing you to reach for that piece of cake at the birthday party or that donut that is sitting in the break-room. You and your choices control how consistent you will be with your nutrition.

How consistent do you need to be?

Let’s use a 90/10 rule as an example.

If you were consistent 90% of the year (365 days), that would mean you would have 36 days out of the year to “mess up”. That’s an entire month and then some! You can do that right? You don’t have to be 100% perfect, just consistent!

Please understand, that I am not advocating that you should plan to skip a workout or add in some binge weeks with your nutrition. Not at all! I am simply trying to convey that it’s OK to fall down or slip up a little here and there. Having the consistency to get back up and stay on course it what will benefit you in the end!

Want Improve Your Consistency?

A support and accountability group can help keep you consistent.

A small group tends to be a perfect environment where the members of that group will feed off of the energy and positive encouragement given to each other and in turn ensure that they are giving it their best effort. Ultimately this friendly competition is going to delivery better results in the end! What’s more interesting is that being a part of a group will typically lead long lasting friendships because of all of the support that is30 provided and struggles that the group will share.

Do you want to be part of a group a community of support?

Men: Join the Fit Men Movement

Women: Join the Fit Empowered Women

Need a Coach?

If you need to find someone that will hold you accountable, answer your questions, help you, and PUSH YOU for the entire duration of your workout! Luckily for you, that’s what me and my team are here for. If you don’t have a coach yet and want one, I’d love to be your coach and help you through a fitness program. I am available to help you reach your goals!

Join The Team Now!