You start off strong with your new workout program only to have it slowly fade into the background a few weeks later. Sound familiar? You are not alone! This is such a common problem and the biggest thing I hear is, “I just don’t have motivation.” Well friends I’m here to teach you four simple actions you can take to increase your consistency without waiting for motivation!
Motivation is great but it is really just a feeling and our feelings change so often. You can be completely motivated one moment and then not in another. I don’t want you to wait for motivation to strike to continue your workouts which is why I am so excited to share these actions with you and watch you have success!
Find Something You Enjoy
Does the thought of heading to spin class after work fill you with complete dread? Then why are you still going!! If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing it doesn’t matter the amount of motivation you have or the actions I recommend. You aren’t going to consistently do something you hate! So stop forcing yourself to go because all your friends are going and find something you actually like doing!
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Maybe taking classes isn’t your thing, maybe you will enjoy working out from home. It doesn’t actually matter what you are doing, you just need to move your body. Don’t get tripped up in “the next best thing” that is out there. There is no magic program or class. The best exercise out there is the one that works best for you.
Set Smaller Goals
If you are training for a marathon your overall goal is to well run the marathon, but that can take a long time to accomplish. When we set big goals we often start out really excited but that middle part, you know the part from when you start to when you finish, can take a long time and in that time it is really easy to lose steam.
I see this happen all the time and I don’t want you to get stuck here. The best trick for this is to set your big goal and then set smaller ones throughout the way. If we go back to the marathon goal, maybe you set a goal to run 5 miles, then 10, and so on until you reach the incredible 26.2. When we do this we are helping ourselves stay on track by celebrating the small victories along the way!
Just Showing Up… And What That Means
Don’t have time to hit the gym today or just feeling sluggish and want to skip your workout altogether? We’ve all been there. The thing with consistency is that you just have to show up. Showing up might look different each day! When you hear that phrase, “just show up” it doesn’t mean push yourself until you’re miserable or injured, it means just do something. Doing something is better than doing nothing 100% of the time.
You may not have the time for the gym but do you have time to go for a walk?
You may not feel great or are sore so want to skip your lifting workout but can you do some light yoga instead?
You don’t have to have intense workouts every single day to make progress or to be consistent, you just need to really show up!
Scheduling Will Make a Difference
I save the most effective for last! If you want to be consistent with your workouts you need to plan them into your day just like you would any other appointment or event. You don’t schedule a doctor’s appointment into your calendar, wake up in the morning, and just say nah and blow it off right? Well you shouldn’t lol
When you put something into your calendar you are being intentional about it and being intentional is a key to consistency. This is a simple task but probably one of the most effective strategies for showing up for workouts!
After a while of doing this the task of working out becomes a habit and you won’t even have to think about it anymore it will just become part of your routine!
There you have it friends, some of my go to tips for helping improve my consistency with my workouts. Just also remember this is a process and some days are going to be harder than others. Learn to embrace the chaos and go with the flow. One day of a missed workout is not going to derail all of your progress! Just try your best and be consistent!
Habits aren’t always easy to create! To help you out I am giving you my free guide on building healthy habits! We can all use some extra support right! Click the link to grab it!
