What does it mean to stick with something you actually care about?
Consistency is truly the key to success over time. The time frame can be variable but is generally longer than one month. The desired outcome can be variable. The category of work can vary, but the key piece remains the same: consistency.
I, admittedly, am not the best at consistency. I wouldn’t say it is one of my strengths. I can be good at going hard for a short time and then pulling back, but slow, steady progress over weeks, months, even years is an area in which I need improvement. The shiny things distract me. The dirt roads that veer off the main thoroughfare are attractive to me. And if I’m honest, I usually find myself returning to the very thing I saw reflected in the shiny object. And the dirt roads tend to wind their way back to the main drag after a while.
I share my struggles with consistency because I know what it’s like to be tempted by the seemingly quicker, easier, or more comfortable option. It isn’t easy to stay consistent for long periods of time. But I can also say from experience that when you do stick with things for weeks, months, or years they compound in their effectiveness and perceived ease. When you are consistent with things that are proven to work then they REALLY work.
Regarding health and fitness, here’s a list of practices and tactics that really do work, especially if you are consistent with them:
- Resistance training (dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, bands, bodyweight, machines, calisthenics, isometrics, etc.)
- Maintaining an active lifestyle (ex: getting 8,000-10,000 steps a day or for starters adding 100-200 steps to your weekly average every week)
- Eating whole foods, prioritizing lean protein and fruits and veggies
- Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep
- Being a part of a positive, supportive community
- Progressive overload (aka making things harder as you get better at them)
Most, if not all, of the points above are incredibly beginner-friendly. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t work.
The most effective strategies for accomplishing real, lasting results in health and fitness are not complicated, skill-dependent, or secrets of the “super-fit”. They are simple, easy to keep track of, and able to be done over and over and over again.
If you haven’t gathered yet, the most important part is staying with whatever you choose to do to improve your health and fitness. There are certainly some practices or systems that are not the healthiest approach to attaining results, but, outside of extreme programs or overly restrictive plans, it doesn’t really matter what fitness plan or diet or community you choose to be a part of so long as you stick with it.
I hesitated to write those last couple sentences because I, of course, am biased and believe that the way we train at Prime Fitness is the most effective, efficient, and safe way to go about getting your body moving and checking the resistance training box, but the reality is that there are tons of ways to live a healthy, happy, long life.
If you love CrossFit or powerlifting or doing pull-ups at the park and are able to stay consistent with it, then do the form of resistance training that you enjoy. If eating a banana every day ensures you eat fruit, then eat the banana! If joining a crochet group, book club, pickleball league, or church outreach group is how you will stay plugged in to a positive, supportive community then do it!
The point is, figure out how you can be consistent with the things that matter most and do that.
Now, I do have to address a very important part of that last sentence. The “figure out” part is often the hardest part of all. It takes time, trial and error, failure, and then eventually you’ll land on the place, group of people, activity, habit, or system that is right for you. That’s where the magic of this whole consistency concept lies. When you commit the time and energy to determining what is right for you then you will eventually land on a way of living that you can continue with for the long haul. And you can continue with it, not because you have to or because it’s a means to an end, but because it’s what you want to do. Then, consistency isn’t a goal to be achieved, it’s just a joyous part of a life you love to live.