Consistency is important for making progress. Many of us have heard the saying “90% of life is showing up.” This applies to your workouts too. If you’re in the habit of skipping your workouts each week, you’re limiting your progress and potential.
Being consistent is not about being perfect. Research shows that missing a single day will have no effect on long term success. However, missing workouts on a regular basis will. The number one reason people cite for not exercising regularly is ‘lack of time.’
One way to make your workouts a priority is to schedule them ahead of time. If you feel you’re struggling to find time for exercise, start to examine where you spend your time. How much time do you spend on Facebook or watching TV every day? If you don’t have time to make it to the gym, look for smaller pockets of time throughout your day to move. 10-20 minutes is more than enough time to exercise.
Scheduling your workouts each week will help you stay more consistent, but what happens when work, family, and life events upset your routine? Research by a Stanford professor, Kelly McGonigal, showed the number one reason people fail to remain consistent with their habits is they don’t have a plan for dealing with setbacks.
Having a plan to get back on track when setbacks occur or life gets busy is also important when maintaining consistency. If you have to be at work early and miss your morning workout, come to an evening class instead. If you’re injured and don’t think you can complete the workout that day, communicate with your coaches, who can modify and adjust the movements for you.
Lastly, learn to be stronger than your excuses. If you feel unmotivated or the workout looks scary, do yourself a favor and show up. Usually, the hardest part of the workout is starting. Once you get going, you will feel better about being there.