How to Workout More Consistently
“Try working out consistently,” is the advice far too many fitness professionals give to clients who commonly struggle with one thing: working out consistently. And it’s advice that always makes me shake my head in the same way it would hearing a plumber say, “Try having unclogged pipes,” or a car mechanic say, “Try not letting your battery die,” or a dentist say, “Try not getting cavities.” Rarely do we hear professionals offer the problem as a solution. But in fitness, it’s rampant.
If working out consistently is something that’s hard for you, you’re not alone. More than half of my clients come to me exhausted after having tried “everything” and yet feeling like “nothing sticks.”
There are a number of reasons routines feel like they just won’t stick despite having the best intentions and efforts, and all of them are addressed in The Grind Before Wine Custom Programs and Holistic Packages. Here’s some of the more common reasons and how to fix them.
Trying to do too much, too fast
Your ultimate goal might be to meal-prep your lunches every weekend, eat wholesome, well-rounded breakfasts and dinners, workout 3-5 days a week, and make time for walking each day. But if you try to do all of that, all at once, you are likely going to struggle and give up. Instead, start with just one thing. I’ll use walking as an example. Block off time in your work calendar and set an alarm to prompt you to walk for 10-15 minutes a day. Once that starts to feel like a habit, tack on another 5-10 minutes. Keep tacking on time each day/week until you reach your ultimate desired walking goal. Then, you’ll continue on with that daily/weekly walking goal and begin to tackle something else using a similar process.
Relying on motivation
There is nothing quite like feeling motivated. When it comes to working out, you might feel so motivated to start that you buy a Peloton and some new workout clothes, and swear you’ll ride every day. Months later, your Peloton is now a laundry rack. The problem? Motivation is so incredibly fleeting. Often, we don’t end a year with the same motivation with which we began. Heck, often we don’t even end a day with the same motivation with which we began.
When we are able to successfully label motivation as unreliable, we need to find something else to rely on. Enter: discipline. We are often not motivated to go to the dentist for teeth cleanings, to go to the mechanic for oil changes, to empty the dishwasher, to do and fold laundry. But we find ourselves doing all of these things anyway. Why? Because we have to. And in order to live a long, healthy life, working out is something we have to do, too. Understanding and fully believing that your workouts are a non-negotiable part of your day and of your life is an imperative part of working out more consistently.
Only focusing on weight loss
Weight loss is the most common reason new clients come to me for workout guidance. Weight loss is also something a lot of people give up on. Why? Because when done sustainably, it’s a really slow, at times completely unrewarding process. There will be seasons where weight loss is easier to tackle. But often, there are also seasons where weight loss can be very difficult. Within those more challenging seasons, there will be less temptation to give up if you’re able to focus on the other things you’re accomplishing: moving throughout the day without pain in your back, hips, or knees, feeling more energized, getting better sleep, feeling less anxious, improving vital health measures, etc. When you step on the scale and don’t see it budge, giving up can seem like an obvious choice. When you wake up and get out of bed with little to no pain for the first time in as long as you can remember, giving up becomes harder to do.
Doing something that’s not meant for you
I often talk about things that the fitness industry lacks, but one thing it certainly never lacks is options. Nearly every trainer and or every business that they work for has a workout option for you. And choosing the wrong option can set you up for failure. Trying to keep up with a workout program that you’re not yet ready for or that doesn’t meet your needs can become frustrating and lead you to burn out, or even worse, injury. Finding a program that meets you where you’re at with your current fitness level, your unique needs, your personal goals, and your schedule immediately sets you up for success.
Click here to learn more about The Grind Before Wine Custom Programs and Holistic Packages, and click here to schedule a no-strings-attached, complimentary consultation today. We’ll chat about all of these things and more to help you to make the most informed decision.
