Most people make this same mistake when they first start trying to look after their health.
They go all in. They start something they can’t possibly sustain. Training 6 days a week, running, weights, ab work, walking, eating “clean” whatever that means. And it quickly becomes too much.
As soon as you miss a workout or have a biscuit, you give up, you start again on Monday. And so the cycle begins again and again. Often stopping and starting for years.
So how do you start building consistency?
You start small, you make it fit your life, you make it realistic.
What works for you isn’t the same as what will work for somebody else.
Do you only have a spare 30 mins twice a week?
Perfect, this is a great place to start. Do two short sessions per week, make it a habit, show up each week and before long it becomes a habit. You don’t have to talk yourself into going to the gym anymore, you just go, it becomes a part of your life. Then you start to feel the benefits, you feel fitter, stronger, more confident and it spurs you on to keep going.
Once you have nailed that, add another habit. Maybe it’s to drink more water. Set yourself a goal and habit stack it. If you currently drink zero water,aiming for 2 litres a day isn’t realistic so start with 1 litre. When you get up, drink a glass of water. After lunch, drink a glass, after brushing your teeth, having a shower, all the things you do on a daily basis, attach your new habit to it. This is called habit stacking. It helps to make it consistent, helps to make it a routine and before you know it, you easily drink 1 litre a day. So we try to increase it to 1.5l.
Once this is nailed you choose something else to work on. And before long you are that person who adopts loads of healthy habits! And no starting over on Mondays.
This may seem a slower process and initially it can be. But ask yourself how many years you have tried to be dedicated to the gym? How many times have you started dieting again? How often do you set a New Year’s Resolution to be healthier? Fitter? Lose weight? How many weeks starting and stopping?
Slow and steady always wins the race.
Sarah
