By Kelly McPherson CFT, CPT, CES
I've written lots of articles about many different things. Everything from explanations of fuel sources to sleep, how to get muscle to vacation tips has been the subject of my writing in an effort to educate those around me as to how best to get and keep healthy bodies. This time I am going to write about something that is probably one of the most important keys of it all. Consistency. When it comes to getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, consistency really is the key. It is what will make it all work.
The people who consistently workout and eat healthy, consistently get the results that they want. Most of us want our healthy bodies for a lifetime, not just for the month. In order to get that, we need to be consistent in our habits for a lifetime. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but you are not going to be able to work hard for a while, get the body that you want and then go back to your old lifestyle and expect to be able to keep your new body. Your fitness and nutrition habits need to be something that you can stick to for the long haul. If you cannot be consistent with your plan for more than a couple of months, then you need a new plan.
One thing that can help is having a consistent time of day to exercise. This really increases your chances of getting that workout in every day. If you know that 8AM is when you will go on that run, then you know that you aren't going to schedule other appointments during that time. You won't get to the end of a really busy day and find out that, Oops, you didn't get anything done. If you can, find a time that you can exercise at the same time every day. This will mean that you don't have to make the conscious decision each and every day to exercise. It is part of your routine. It's what you do. If you don't workout, your schedule will feel off.
Now, honestly, not everyone can exercise at the same time every day. Most people have different things happening on different days. Some are busier than others and harder to get things in on. My own schedule is such a schedule. So, here is what I suggest that you do if yours is this way as well. Sit down with your weekly schedule. Find when each day you are going to workout. Most of us have a fairly consistent schedule from week to week if not day to day. If you know that you have PTA on Tuesdays at 3PM, then maybe your run should be at 6PM on Tuesdays instead. As you try to do this, it is important to realize that your schedule isn't going to be perfect right away. Ok, so that meeting went a little long or maybe it takes a little longer to get home from work than you thought. Keep working at it. Keep rescheduling things until you find that schedule that consistently works. Make sure to take a look at your schedule again on a weekly or daily basis to see if you need to make any adjustments to allow for inconsistencies in your life. In other words, don't let changes in life thwart your fitness plan. Modify it. Be flexible. Find a way to make it work.
Your nutrition plan is the same way. It takes planning and persistence to get the consistency that will get your desired results. Plan your menus. Plan for emergencies. Allow for fun. I don't know about you, but life just wouldn't be life without cheesecake. I don't intend to give it up. I will, however, plan to eat healthy the vast majority of the time so that I can eat that carrot cake on my birthday completely guilt free.
Perfection is not necessary. But if you are looking back at your exercise and nutrition logs and realizing that there are a lot of holes or things that you would rather not have in them, then maybe it is time to look at what you can do to make a healthier lifestyle more consistent. Even small changes done consistently, will have huge effects over a lifetime.