You know what is the hardest part of being fit – it’s not a good diet or workout. You can have the best of the diets and finest workouts and still struggle with your fitness goals.
The biggest issue, I have found in over two decades of my career is Consistency.
Every year, millions of people take new year resolution to get fit, and join the gym with full vigor and high energy. But 80% of the new year resolutions fail by February, and the gyms see a fall in traffic after the first month.
The problem is not time, everyone has it. The problem is of consistency.
Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, and wasn’t just built on motivation alone. There are days when we are exhausted mentally or physically, or are feeling low emotionally, or aren’t motivated enough. That’s the time when consistency leads the way.
If we are consistent, we will get things done, even if we don’t feel like doing them. Remember, motivation is like a fast-acting drug, it gives you a massive high, but then it falls at the same pace. But consistency goes slow and steady in the long run.
That’s exactly what happens, when you join a gym or try and follow a diet. For most people, the motivational factor behind it, soon dies down, and it becomes harder and harder to stick to your goals. That’s where consistency comes in.
Motivation is great to get you started, but consistency will keep you on the path towards your goal. You won’t miss your workout, if you are consistent. You won’t be cheating in your meals, if you are consistent. You will regularly get a good night sleep and rest, if you are consistent.
That’s what separates successful people from unsuccessful ones. Successful people are consistent in whatever they do in their lives, whether they feel motivated or not. Its consistency which helps you achieve long term goals.
A week or month in the gym, won’t give you results. You have to follow the workouts consistently every day for months and years to come, and make exercise a part of your life. Eating healthy for couple of days, and then gorging on junk, will never lead to results.
The reason consistency beats motivation every time, is because consistency leads to momentum. More consistent you are at a task, more momentum you build. And with momentum, you form habits. So, what was once a struggle, today is a habit.
Also, if you want to test the effectiveness of something, only consistency can tell you. For e.g. you start following a new fitness regime. How effective it is for you, will depend on how consistently you follow it. Most people drop out way before they could see the results. Why? Because their motivation dies down way before they could see the outcome.
Consistent effort can beat the best of the talent in the world, any time, any day. World is full of examples of wasted talents. Thousands of ideas die every day, because the talented person is not ready to put in the consistent hard work needed to turn that idea into a success.
Consistency shows your dedication towards your goals, and the focus towards the activities which will help you achieve your goals.
To be consistent, requires a strong long-term commitment, which involves sustained efforts, despite of all failures and setbacks, during the journey.
Discipline, accountability, and responsibility are all parts of consistency.
A consistent person stays away from instant gratification and focusses on long term goals. They know that, there is nothing called quick results. Sometimes it takes years to see quick results. That’s why consistency requires tremendous focus.
There is nothing called an overnight success. It takes years of consistent effort, before people start calling someone an overnight success.
But it’s not easy. To remain consistent needs a lot of self-control, focus and discipline. At times, when you don’t feel like going for a workout, it’s your discipline and focus which pushes you. It’s your self-control which keeps you away from all the junk, while on a diet.
A lot of people ask me, which is the best workout split for muscle building or fat loss? Is it Bro-split, upper-lower, push-pull, double body part, supersets etc.? But the answer is – the ones you can stick to and follow consistently.
To be consistent, follow these simple steps:
- Start Small & Be Realistic – don’t aim for 6 days/week workout, when you aren’t even going to the gym. Have a realistic & practical goal. Start small, by being consistent in your workouts, for at least 2-3 days/week. Then slowly add a day per week, all this while maintaining consistency.
- Accountability – find someone who can hold you accountable for your actions. Someone who can push you beyond your comfort levels. For e.g. have a coach, who can follow-up constantly on your progress, and hold you accountable if you haven’t performed to the expectations.
- Set a Schedule – and stick to it. It’s much easier to stick to a proper plan or schedule. It’s like a road map, which will lead you to your goals.
