Health & Fitness
Why You Will Stay Out Of Shape Until You Stop Being So Insane
Goals are great. Consistency is better.
Hey, you look smart, so let’s see if you can figure out this conundrum…
- If Person A aims to run 3 times a week and lift weights twice a week, and follow an intermittent fasting approach to losing weight…
- And Person B plans to lift weights 4 times a week, do zero cardio and eat a relatively low carb diet to lose some weight…
- And Person C will do bodyweight training at home and some HIIT classes at a local gym, and just try to eat ‘healthily’…
… which person will succeed in losing the stubborn weight they want from their bellies, thighs and lower back and be happy with how their bodies look and feel?
Well, Plot Twist, these are 3 real people who became coaching clients of mine. They were exasperated about why nothing seemed to work. And as I told them, all their plans would work in theory…
But they were unable to stick them consistently enough to get anywhere.
If you’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere, your program is probably OK too. So let’s figure out how you can build the consistency you need to stick with your plan to get back in shape eh?
Why Doing The Thing Consistently Is Priority #1
I recently asked my newsletter subscribers what their main struggle is when it comes to achieving what they want with their weight, fitness and body shapes.
And thankfully a lot of them chose ‘Lack of consistency with habits’.
I say thankfully because at least some people are clear on where the wheels are falling off.
It’s all too common to blame the specific diet or workout program we’re trying to follow, tweaking the plan constantly and getting nowhere.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some fundamentals you need to get right:
- Any effective fat loss diet needs to get you in a calorie deficit, and ideally keep protein intake high enough to avoid muscle loss.
- Any good workout program needs to balance exercise volume, intensity, progression and rest.
But if those are in place… your plan is fine, and you’ve a whole lotta wiggle room to build a program that works for YOU, around what and how YOU eat and how and how often YOU want to work out.
It’s the consistency of habits, of Doing The Thing, that lets most of us down.
- Two days good: Two days ‘bad’; or even
- On a roll for a fortnight: Wheels fall off for a month.
We simply struggle to get enough of a run together, of nailing the basics, to see and feel any progress with what we’re trying to achieve in all our efforts, whether that’s stubborn fat loss, some body shape changes, getting fitter/stronger in the gym.
And we struggle with consistency because we’re insane.
The Insanity Of Overly Ambitious Plans
You’ll have seen the famous quote on insanity:
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It’s attributed to Einstein, but he didn’t actually say it, and yes I’ve just wasted 5 minutes of my life on all sorts of random websites to confirm that for you, but I digress…
The same can be applied to getting consistency in your habits around healthy eating and working out.
Let’s say you:
- try to follow some Keto-style diet, or a snazzy 5-days-a-week workout program;
- find you can’t stick with it;
- stop, and lick your wounds for a while;
- try again, this time ‘even harder’;
- fail again; and then
- try yet again…
You’re wandering into Insane Territory here, and need to just admit:
Hey this isn’t the right approach for me, regardless of the impressive Before/After pics I see online of people who have followed that approach.
It’s not that you’re not trying hard enough, or need to watch more YouTube videos of Navy Seals telling you how to build cast-iron discipline. No…
One of three things is missing from the approach you’re trying to take, so you’ll fail every time unless you fix them:
Adequate Motivation,
‘Doability’, or…
You’re just terrible at Scheduling.
Don’t Worry, I Also Suck At All This…
For the record, yes I’m a fitness and lifestyle coach for the Over-40s and have nailed the whole working-out and eating-right habits, BUT please don’t think that means I’m a Habits Machine across every facet of my life.
Here are just some of the many many habits I have tried and failed to build in just the last 3 months:
- write 2 articles a week — FAIL
- practice French for an hour a day — FAIL
- do 1 big weekly grocery shop, not 3 mini-ones — FAIL
- post daily on LinkedIn — FAIL
- drink 5 big glasses of water a day — FAIL
- phone Dad every Sunday — FAIL (oh the guilt… 🥲)
Maybe you’re the same? I constantly have big ideas, and grand plans, that I start in a blaze of motivation, and then…
“ooh I forgot” “ugh, not today” “too busy… but definitely next week”.
Every single one of my failures is down to one of those 3 factors being missing:
- I lack motivation, or
- I’m aiming too high for what is doable in my life, or
- I’m just disorganized.
Just take a second to think about the areas of your life where you’re KILLING IT (I know there must be a few!).
Success leaves clues. So if you can understand what has led you to nail some habits, you can apply that to helping you start losing weight, and getting in shape.
For example, when I think about how I’ve managed to keep working out and stay a healthy weight over the last 30 years, I know exactly why:
- I am very motivated to stay fit and healthy for my longevity, my family and yes I like looking good for my age for my own ego ;-)
- I have a plan, and most importantly that plan is simple, easy to follow, not over-stretching me regardless of how busy my week is; and
- I have my life and schedule set up so I can easily stick to that plan.
Contrast that with just one of my failed habits, writing 2 articles a week.
- Did I know WHAT I’d write about in advance — NO, so it took bloody ages.
- Did I know WHEN I’d write each article — NO, so I’d forget.
- Was I motivated to write the articles so I didn’t procrastinate — NO, so I’d faff about doing other things instead.
There we go — no real surprise I failed, right?!
Little motivation. No Doable Plan. Nothing Scheduled.
Your 3 Steps To Getting Consistency In Your Healthy Habits
Is it a little clearer now why you probably struggle with consistency around your diet and workouts?
Let’s take each of those 3 vital factors in turn and see how you can start Doing The Thing often enough to make some progress:
1. Find Your Motivation
Nobody really loves working out, most of us enjoy the endorphins afterwards and the effects on our health, fitness and body shapes. So you’re not unique if you’re rarely super-excited at the prospect of all that huffing and puffing. BUT…
- Think about the knock-on effects of neglecting your health and gaining weight over the next 5–10 years. Not just on your own health and body shape, but on those around you.
- Or do you think it’s too late for you to lose the weight you’ve been trying and failing to lose for years?
- Have you lost belief that it’s even possible for you to get in shape?
It is possible to get back in shape in your 40s, 50s and beyond.
But we need to address all those questions so we can find the drive and motivation to WANT to stick to our plans and keep training and eating for health more often than eating for fun.
2. Build A Doable Plan (No Matter How ‘Slow’ It Seems)
Too often we try to go from stationary to 100mph…
- from no exercise to trying to be some Fitness Nut who lifts weights and goes to Spin class 5 times a week.
- from a diet that’s a complete mess, to becoming someone who tracks each calorie and says No to all sugar, junk and booze 24/7.
How do you think that works out for most of us?
Not great, because eventually we reach the point where it’s shaking up our lives so much, taking too much time, discipline and effort that we think:
F-ck It
and go back to doing Zero again.
As if the only options are Stationary or 100mph…
Here’s what’s much more ‘doable’ for you, given how busy your life probably is — moving at the equivalent of 20mph.
It’s OK to go more slowly than others you see showing off online. Remember, you’ll be exercising for decades to come, so you’ve Time.
- How about working out once a week, and going for a long walk at the weekends, can you manage that, and build from there?
- How about keeping your meals as they are, but giving up snacks and post-dinner calories Monday to Friday?
An effort level of 20mph means you’re still moving, even if others are driving faster. You’ll still reach your destination, don’t worry.
You do You.
3. Get Really Specific On Scheduling & Planning
Once you have figured out how much effort is genuinely doable for you, it’s still just an idea in your head if you’re not… doing it.
You need to know the What, When and How.
Identify your weekly ‘Windows’ when you can definitely do some exercise come what may. Even if it’s only an hour a week in total, that’s a start, so get that scheduled in.
Plan what you’re eating each week and shop accordingly. This is the most common downfall when trying to eat more healthily and stick with any diet plan — not having the damn stuff in the house you need!
Find Your Motivation. Make It Doable. Get It Scheduled.
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