How to Stay Consistent With Fitness and Be Successful
Are you struggling to stay consistent with fitness?
Do you feel like you know you should be doing something, but time and time again struggle to stick to it?
Whether that’s…
Trying to stick to a particular diet but you always end up elbow deep in a bag of potato chips along with 3 pints of Ben and Jerry’s licked clean and telling yourself “I’ll get back on track next week” or…
Telling yourself that you’ll hit the gym 6x a week, but as soon as you’re finished with work, you’re “too tired” and drive straight home to your comfy couch.
If there’s anything that I’ve learned after having coached many people, it’s that consistency is the MOST important predictor of success.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s building muscle, losing fat, building a business, or simply trying to be a better human being.
If you want to be successful at life, nothing will replace the power of good ol’ fashioned brutal, consistent effort.
Truth be told, consistency isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. It requires you do the same thing again and again. Seriously, ask the most successful people in the world. They put in the work day in and day out, and eventually, the results speak for themselves.
However, let’s face it. This all boils down to psychology and getting us to actually do the things we know we should do.
If you asked the average person what to do to get healthier, they know exactly what to do. They’ll say things like “eat more veggies, drink less soda, cook more meals, eat out less, exercise regularly, etc.”
Yet, why do so many still struggle with this? Why are obesity rates on the rise and at the highest they have ever been? Why do people still make the choices they know are “bad” for them?
In this article, we are going to cover:
- Are you actually ready to make a change?
- Why people suck at making the good decisions
- The “hacks” to making the better decisions
Now, with all that being said, let’s dive in and take a little trip through the inner mechanisms of your mind.
Are You Actually Ready to Make a Change To Stay Consistent With Fitness?
If you’re familiar with psychology to any capacity, you will likely have seen this diagram called the “Trans Theoretical Model of Behavior Change”.
This basic model represents the different stages we, as humans, go through when deciding whether or not to make a change. And after having to learn this the hard way, through working with people, some people are simply not ready to make a change.
Ultimately, this is something that the individual has to decide for themselves.
No matter how much someone might say they’re ready to make a change, if they aren’t truly committed to making that change, then they aren’t ready.
And don’t get me wrong. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This doesn’t mean that you’re never going to make a change, but it’s just something you have to personally wrestle with and work through within yourself in order to become fully committed.
In my experience, I find that many people who are ready to make a change will say things like:
“I’m tired to losing the weight and gaining it all back. I just want results that will stick”
“I’m done with hopping from diet to diet and not seeing long-lasting results. I’m ready for a different approach that I can sustain for the rest of my life.”
I also find that, more often than not, when people decide to make these life changing decisions, it’s normally out of fear.
Whether it’s the fear of living with poor health, the fear of not being there for their family, the fear of chronic diseases, or the fear of not looking the best they can in front of friends and family.
And again, fear is not necessarily a bad thing, because for many people, this one instance of fear can trigger one decision that can literally change the rest of their lives!
With all that being said, I want to be true to yourself, are you really ready to make a change or not?
Because you can do all of the research you want on the best tips and tricks for the best diet, the best workout program, hire the best coach, and follow everything in this article word for word, but if you aren’t truly ready to make a change, then the results won’t happen.
Ultimately, only YOU hold the key to the answer to that question.
Why People Suck at Making the Good Decisions To Stay Consistent With Fitness
Like I said earlier, most people know exactly what to do. You probably know it’s not in your best interest to be always ordering takeout, having 4 glasses of wine every night, treating yourself with dessert every night, and of course letting yourself off easy when you skip workouts because “you were too tired.”
Yet, why do so many people do it anyway??
Why are obesity rates the highest they’ve ever been for decades?
Why are chronic diseases (high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc.) becoming the most prevalent than ever in the entirety of history?
However, the answer will be quite simple and obvious when I say it.
People choose to react with their immediate, emotional response rather than their thought out, logical response.
Let me pose to you a scenario:
You just got home from a long day of work.
You had to wake up at 5 am, prepare breakfast, clean, shower, change and get dressed, and then make sure that you made your commute on time to get to work by 7 am.
Deal with the normal stress you have at work.
You finally get off, have to make the same commute back home.
You get home, you’re tired and just ready to chill and relax.
At this point, the last thing you want to do is pack your stuff, head to the gym, and workout.
So at that moment, where you were feeling tired and not in the mood to workout, you chose to listen to your immediate, emotional response of “screw it, I’m tired and not in the mood. I’ll go tomorrow.”
And then of course, now you have to think about what to eat for dinner. After working all day, barely getting a chance to eat, having to sit through traffic on the way back home, you’re starving.
Now, you’re tired AND hungry. You think “mmm, pizza sounds good.” This leads to a frivolous night of ordering a massive takeout meal enough to feed a family of 4 just for yourself.
Next thing you know, you’re feeling stuffed, bloat, and even more tired as the food coma hits. You probably have a bit of guilt mixed in there too because you just ate a bunch of pizza (which isn’t known as the healthiest food option out there) and skipped your workout you told yourself you were going to do for sure today.
And then, of course, you want to finish off the night with a few glasses of wine which chucks you even farther down the rabbit hole.
As you can see, this is how the night turns out all because you chose the immediate, emotional response rather than the thought-out, logical response.
So how do we combat this?
Using the power of psychology, we’ll go through some “hacks” that won’t just temporarily trick your brain into making better decisions, but help you build habits that will help you make better decisions throughout all other aspects of your life for the rest of your life.
The “Hacks” to Making the Better Decisions To Stay Consistent With Fitness
1) The 10 Second Rule
What would have happened when we take a few minutes, process our next decisions, weigh out the immediate and long-term consequences before actual committing to the decision?
This is where we can insert that railroad switch before the train runs on the less desirable track.
“When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.” -Thomas Jefferson
The third president of the United States really had a good point.
Think about the last time you angry. No, like really angry. Did you end up saying something you would later regret? Or did take this 10 second rule to heart and didn’t end up saying something that could change your relationship with someone forever?
We can take this same concept and apply to our whole range of emotions.
More often than not, reacting to situations according our what our emotions tell us is not the best course of action. Think about every single thing you have achieved in your life.
Would you have gotten to point at where you are today if you had given into every single emotional response you had?
Would you have finished school if you listened to your reaction of “this is too hard, I don’t want to study”?
Would you have gotten your current job if you listened to your reaction of “I’m really nervous for this interview. I think I’ll pass.”
Would you be able to afford that new car or house if you spent every single pay check on everything you’ve wanted to impulsively buy?
Simply put, just like everything else in life, if you want success, you have to be consistent. And in order to be consistent, you have to make the hard decisions with the thought-out, logical, and rational side of your mind.
And also, let’s be honest, if all of us reacted with our first emotional response, the world would be a lot deadlier, lawless, and dangerous.
And of course, this applies just as much to fitness (with a few adjustments of course).
As we’ve seen, this one emotional decision doesn’t just result in one outcome. It can result in a cascade of less than desirable outcomes.
The one decision of skipping the gym led to many more poor decisions of the “f*ck it” mentality you had. So what’s the solution?
Stop and think. Give yourself 10 minutes before you act. Rather than making the decision that will satisfy you in the moment, make the decision will make you the most PROUD TOMORROW.
(Sidenote: I discuss emotion vs logic in further detail in one of my podcast episodes here.)
And when we zoom in closer, this is really where the magic happens.
Let’s replay that scenario, but with a few tweaks:
You just got home from a long day of work.
You had to wake up at 5 am, prepare breakfast, clean, shower, change and get dressed, and then make sure that you made your commute on time to get to work by 7 am.
Deal with the normal stress you have at work.
You finally get off, have to make the same commute back home.
You get home, you’re tired and just ready to chill and relax.
At this point, the last thing you want to do is pack your stuff, head to the gym, and workout.
But in this moment, you stop and think. You ask yourself, “what decision would make me most proud tomorrow?”
As much as you didn’t feel like it, you would have packed your stuff, went to the gym, and crushed your workout.
And of course, that pesky cascading effect comes in again, but this time, not in the way you think.
You get home after crushing your workout, endorphins rushing, feeling accomplished and energized. You don’t want these good feelings to stop and undo everything by ordering pizza. You want to keep the good vibes going. You decide to cook yourself a healthy, nutritious, filling dinner.
Now, you ended up crushing your workout AND your nutrition goals for the day.
Rather than the alternative of Netflix on your couch, devouring an entire large pizza, and washing it down with a bottle of wine.
You see, just making this simple switch with stopping and thinking in order to make that one proud decision can cause a cascade of so many other proud decisions.
But it’s obviously easier said than done.
If it were easy, we wouldn’t see obesity rates, chronic diseases, or those related medication prescriptions at an all-time high.
It’s going to be hard. It’s going to take a lot of mental effort. It’s going to take time to practice develop this skill. It won’t happen overnight. It won’t even happen after a week.
It’s extremely hard removing yourself from your emotions in the present moment in order to make the best decision for yourself 24 hours from now, especially when those emotions aren’t allowing your mind to be at its sharpest.
And I’m not telling you this because I want to discourage you, sell you something, or to pitch my coaching services.
I just want to set you up for success by providing you with realistic expectations. I want you to know that when you do try to apply this, it won’t be easy and you will struggle and want to give up at times.
But just like any other skill, the more you practice it, the better you become at it.
And the better you become at this, the more resilient you will become against life’s obstacles. This will allow you to adapt and find ways to remain consistent.
Although yes, this is will great to apply towards your fitness journey, but also realize that this skill can also change your life by trickling into other aspects.
You see, when you’re able to control your emotional reactions, take a brief pause, and think about your next actions, that’s when you’ll truly be able to steer your life however you want and be in full control (not to say that you ever are 100% in control of your life, but it will open up your mind and help you realize that you have much, more direct influence over your decisions than you had previously thought).
However, this is not to say that emotions are necessarily a bad thing. Emotions are good, they allow us to form better and deeper relationships with others, empathize with others’ struggles, and of course, be human.
But as with everything else in life, you can have too much of a good thing, moderation should still be of concern. You don’t want too much emotion driving your life and decision-making. If you want what is best for you (by remaining consistent), then you’ll need to utilize some sound logic as well.
2) “Embrace The Suck”
I was instilled with this mindset since I was a kid thanks to my parents.
Being that they were first-generation immigrants who came to the U.S. for a better life for themselves and (future) me (thanks mom and dad), they didn’t have much.
Everything they have today was earned through their hard efforts. Which meant that the journey was definitely not easy.
They always kept me humbled for everything I had and took for granted growing up.
They also reminded that the journey through life and earning the things I want won’t be easy and won’t be just handed to me. They said, “the journey won’t be simple and it will suck at times, but you have to embrace the suck.” Well, they didn’t actually say exactly that, but rather the Chinese version of the saying.
I later found out, while I am writing this article in fact, that the saying, “Embrace The Suck” is commonly used in the military (you learn something new every day).
I didn’t quite understand it the first few times (obviously as a kid, you want everything handed to you), I was thoroughly confused. I thought, “I should learn to love the sucky moments in life??”
However, as I grew older, I understood and began to embrace the concept.
The more struggles and obstacles I dealt with in life, the more I understood the concept.
Embracing the suck isn’t necessarily about learning to love the sucky moments of life…
It’s about accepting that they are inevitable and continuing to push through and remaining persistent in order to achieve what you want to achieve.
Because let’s be honest, nothing ever worth having in life will ever come easy.
And your journey in life won’t necessarily be defined by your successes (even though that’s what everyone else will see and focus on).
It will be defined by those days where you feel “the suck”, like everything in life is working against you and you just want to give up.
In those moments, you have two choices, you can either listen to all naysayers and your inner critic and give up, or you can embrace the suck, stay consistent, and realize that the journey is more important than the destination.
Because really, the journey is the actual part of the process where you learn, develop, and change.
3) A Side Note on Delayed Gratification…
Similar to “embrace the suck”, the more scientific you may have heard of is “delayed gratification.”
As the name implies, it’s the measure of your ability to delay gratification or put off an immediate reward for a possible bigger reward in the future, but having to undergo more possible stress, patience, or general suckiness in the process to get there.
In fact, there was a famous experiment known as the “Stanford Marshmallow Experiment” which set out to see the effects of delayed gratification and how they relate to later success in life.
In summary, the experiment had children who were offered a small but immediate reward (in the form of marshmallows or pretzel sticks), or a greater reward (of more marshmallows or pretzel sticks) if they were willing to wait an extra 15 minutes. While the initial experiment may seem like simply feeding children snacks, the real results lie in the later studies done in connection to the initial one.
Researchers in follow-up studies found that the children who were willing to wait an extra 15 minutes for a greater reward would actually have better life outcomes such as higher SAT scores, educational achievements, health markers, and other relevant life measures.
While I’m not saying this experiment is definitive in proving a point with someone’s ability to succeed with their abilities to wait for marshmallows, it certainly is an insightful experiment showing how delayed gratification can have real effects on success.
Now, you might be thinking…how does this relate to my fitness journey and me?
If there’s anything you’ve learned about your fitness journey, it’s that it takes a brutal amount of delayed gratification to see your goals through!
Sound familiar yet? No? How about now?
Let’s repeat the scenario from above. You’re trying to make a decision between:
a) Not going to gym and not sticking to your diet for an immediate reward of getting stay home and eat whatever your heart desires
OR
b) You go to the gym and stick to your diet and training plan because despite what your emotions say, you’ll know your future you is going to be proud of you because you’ll receive a greater reward of being looking and feeling fitter and healthier by staying consistent.
As you can see, even though this experiment can not prove whether someone will be successful in life, it can still have an enormous effect on your ability to achieve long-term goals right now.
So if you ever find yourself deciding between skipping or going to the gym or not staying on track with your diet because you’re randomly craving pizza, I want you to dig deep, think about marshmallows, and weigh out the pros and cons of your immediate vs delayed reward for your decision(s).
Final Thoughts On How To Stay Consistent With Fitness
Look, I know this is a lot to think about.
But I hope that this was able to help you look inward and to ask yourself the hard questions and be able to stay consistent, see the process through, and invoke change into your life.
Because really, after having gone through this experience myself and with many clients, it sounds simple, but is actually one of the hardest things to do.
Harder than any workout or diet routine you may have to do.
Because these concepts aren’t simply ‘following a plan’. They require you to stop your first instinctive and emotional reaction and possibly coming up with a different logical course of action that will benefit you the most in the long term.
However, I can promise you that if you work hard to develop this skill, this will not only change your approach to fitness, but your approach to LIFE.
And you don’t necessarily have to start with anything crazy like making yourself workout 6 days a week or completely cutting sugar (because you don’t have to do either of those things to get fit).
You can always apply this skill by starting small and building the confidence in yourself make better decisions that will make yourself proud.
Whether that’s having a few extra glasses of water a day, getting in an extra 15-20 minute walk every day, or simply saying no to that snack you know you don’t need.
With enough momentum, that small ripple can eventually become a towering wave.
And again, this won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Try it out, give it an honest shot, and shoot me an email to keep me posted.
Coaching Opportunity
I am currently taking on new clients for online coaching.
A few benefits of this program include:
- Customized nutrition plan tailored to your individual needs and goals
- Customized training plan to help you build muscle, lose fat, and get fit
- Daily accountability and support to ensure that you never feel “alone” or “stuck” on your journey to bettering yourself.
The best part: you can do this from anywhere in the world.
You can apply here for more info.
Talk soon,
-Aus
