How to stay consistent with your fitness

“Consistency, more so than anything else, leads to change” – Ryan Flaherty, Nike Senior Director of Performance

There’s no golden ticket to achieving success, but to even enter the raffle you need to be consistent with what you do. When you prioritise consistency in your fitness training, it builds a habit of movement. You may not be able to show up to every single training session with excitement, energy or even focus, but just by stepping through the door you're bringing yourself one step closer to your goal.

When you repeat an activity over and over again, it becomes a more natural and enjoyable habit. For example, if you come home from work every night and take a nap on the sofa, then that becomes your norm. But if you fit your training into that time instead then looking after your health and fitness will start to become second nature.

Here's a few tips to help you become more consistent with your fitness.

Avoid all-or-nothing thinking

Deciding that you can't stay on top of your fitness because you don't have the right pair of dumbbells or because it feels like there's no time in the evening to get the treadmill out aren't thoughts that are conducive to consistency.

Remember, doing something is better than doing nothing, so instead of writing a workout off see if you can modify your plans to make it happen regardless. Reduce the time you would have spent training or do some quick bodyweight exercises. There's no such thing as a bad gym session; if you've showed up and put in the work in then you've done a good thing.

Don’t overthink it

Spending 20 minutes to find the perfect workout routine or searching for a gym outfit can be a barrier to consistency. They have their place, absolutely, but avoid the trap of receiving dopamine from thinking about your fitness plans rather than taking the action to see them through.

Come up with a workout plan, have a few set outfits you can throw on and get training. Try not to get caught up on the small details. 

Applaud yourself

Celebrate the small wins. There's no such thing as a bad workout in our eyes. You turned up even if you might not have been feeling your best, which is going to do wonders for instilling consistency in you. 

Rewards method

Set yourself a target with a reward at the end of it to keep you motivated. You might set a goal of training three days a week for the next month, at the end of which you can treat yourself to that hoodie or bag you’ve been eyeing up.

On the flipside, you could also use the “punishment” method whereby if you don't meet your fitness goals for the month then you can't have that takeaway you've been craving. Different reward methodologies work for different people, but as long as you're honest with yourself then it can be a great way to stay consistent.

Find an accountability partner

As a fitness company we do our best to stay active and healthy ourselves. One way we do this is through a "MuscleSquad Wall of Gains” chart that we have in the office where everyone marks the workouts they've done each week.

It acts as a good way for the team to motivate each other and be held accountable if any of us have been slacking a bit. Maybe you have a friend or partner that also wants to improve their fitness. By staying in contact and pushing each other on those days where you don't feel your sunniest, you can help bring out the best of yourselves.

One step at a time

Falling into a consistent routine isn't going to happen overnight, and that's fine. So long as you're taking steps in the right direction then the results will come over time.

The more self-control and discipline that you practice the more natural it will become. Give it a few months and you won't be able to imagine life without your fitness regime. Start laying the building blocks now and there's no reason why that can't be you.

Happy training — you've got this! 💪