Little Known Ways To Rid Yourself of Inconsistency

3 Ways To Help You Start And Finish Your Training Session.

Write Down Goals You Actually Want

You hear it all the time in fitness and in life, have a goal, a purpose for why you’re doing what you’re doing. If your goal is weak then it will not get you out of bed in the morning, off the couch or out of the house.

We always try and make things as complicated as possible so it can be hard to believe that just writing down your goals will help you be more consistent, but it really is that simple! It will also help you accomplish your goals.

A Harvard Business Study found that the 3% of graduates from their MBA who had their goals written down, ended up earning ten times as much as the other 97% put together, just ten years after graduation.

Me personally I feel like people struggle with writing down goals because they don’t know what they want. We are so exposed to other peoples life’s and success that we feel like that’s what we should be striving for even though, you don’t really want it.

Some may even feel that once they write it down they can’t change it, you can!

Or if they write it down and it doesn’t happen then they are a failure, that’s not true, you fail by not trying.

I used to be very inconsistent with my training. I was young and heavily influenced into thinking that big muscles and 6 pack abs was what I wanted, it wasn’t.

I did reach my goals but I remember looking into the mirror and I was no happier because deep down I knew I had done all that work for other people and not for myself. That’s why you need to make sure that your goals are for you and that you really want them.

After reaching my goals training became so difficult. I started missing so many days, days turned to weeks, weeks to months, then eventually I found myself year without training and I was pretty much back where I started. You can notice this with people who lose weight only to pick it up again. It could be they were doing it for peoples opinions (that can only take you so far) or it could be that they didn’t set new goal. You always have to keep setting new goal because your previous goals will no longer be useful.

Don’t set generic goals that don’t mean anything “I want to be fit, I want to be healthy”. The goals you set have to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound).

When I finally started setting smart goals, being consistent with my training became a natural thing. I knew what I wanted. I switched my training style from bodybuilding to calisthenics. Doing amazing skills with my body was now the fuel that was driving me forward and these days I have to force myself to take a rest day.

We’re exposed to all the same things in the fitness world, big muscles, rock hard abs and being slim even though there’s so much more. That’s fine if thats what you want but if it’s not, then pick a different goal and a different way to train. There’s so many things you can do in the world of fitness and there’s room for all different body types.

You might not like weights or running so do something else, calisthenics, sports, hiking or find ways to be highly active throughout the day. Pick a goal you enjoy that will push you on those dark days.

Scheduled Time To Train

I used to train at random times throughout the day and that’s when I was least consistent. Morning, afternoon, evening it all depended on how I was feeling that day.

Then I started to schedule my training (in my phone) the same time everyday. After a few weeks I woke up one day with no motivation at all, I decide to skip training and do nothing the whole day.

Then it clocked 10am (my usual training time) and all of a sudden I had this sudden urge to train. I finished my training and I was productive the rest of the day. Now I always train at the same time and it helps me stay consistent.

If you decide to schedule in a designated time to train remember you can still be flexible. If work your commitments change then feel free to choose another time slot you can be consistent with. After about 3–4 weeks your body will get accustomed to that time and it will feel a lot easier to get those sessions in.

Just Do The Warm Up

When all else fails, my goal isn’t getting me off the couch or my body clock isn’t giving me that boost, I tell myself

“Just do the warm up”

This simple phrase eliminates the pressure of having to complete that 1 hour long workout. I can stop thinking about the amount of energy it’s gonna take for me to do it.

I do a 5 minute warm up then I can stop, but what normally happens is I actually end up doing the whole workout.

My warm up is pretty much the same every time, hitting all the muscle groups and joints. By the time I’m finished my warm up which my body is so accustomed to doing, it knows what generally comes next.

Final Thoughts

Does this mean you will never miss a training session, no but you will miss far less. I have been training consistently for the past 4 years because I always have several goals that drive me and the tools to get me through those lazy days.

If you do miss a training session don’t feel guilt about, accept it and trust that you will get back on track.

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