Everyone struggles with working out consistently. We are all too busy and have too many things interrupting our workout schedule. If you want to get results, you must push through and create consistency.
Improving your fitness requires consistent exercise because you need to place the body under fitness stress consistently for it to respond. If you work a 5-day per week schedule but only consistently make 3 workouts, then you really have a 3-day per week schedule. You will get 3-day per week results even though, in your head, you are working out 5 days per week. You do not remember how many workouts you made a month ago, or two months ago. Often people are not working out as much as they think they are because their workout schedule is not consistent.
If you want real fitness results, you must be consistent.
Are you committed to begin with?
This is the first question to act yourself. If you are not committed, you are going to find excuses not to work out. “There’s always tomorrow.” That attitude is not going to get you results. Work through your commitment to your fitness. Talk about it with a trainer and your friends and family. Get things squared away in your headfirst. If you know you are committed than overcoming adversity is easier.
When do you work out?
It is a simple question, but the answer is especially important. We are all busy. Life has a way of getting in the way of your workouts. You must find days and times to work out that fit with everything else in your life. If you select a workout schedule with inherent conflicts you are going to fail. Grab your calendar. Work through your schedule and find the optimum workout times with the least number of conflicts. Something is going to get in the way of your schedule no matter how hard you try to protect it. Start with the best situation you can.
Have you informed everyone of your workout schedule?
It is important to inform everyone involved in your daily life of your workout schedule. If you work out at 5 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and that is your schedule, you need to let people know it. Tell them you are protecting your schedule and you want to be consistent and dedicated. Make it hard for people to disrupt your schedule. Stick to your schedule and fight to make it consistent.
Are you writing it down?
A simple but effective tool to help keep you consistent is write down when you work out. Keep a simple calendar and record your workout days. Look at it every month. Did you make 100% of your workouts? Or did you only make 70% of your workouts. If you do not write it down, you will not remember. You will not remember but you will think you made more workouts than you really did. Write it down and stay consistent.
photo credit: https://www.womenshealthmag.com