From the tortoise beating the hare to the ten thousand hours, consistency is a virtue.
There are no short cuts to getting fit, and nor should there be. There is no shortcut to anything worth doing, is there? The journey is always as important as the destination.
Many of us have difficulties being consistent with exercise. Much advice is available on ways to build habits – I’ve talked about them myself, not least that weightlifting with friends is the best habit you’ll ever build.
Today I’ve got two ideas: one big and universal, one small and personal.
The big one first – a different way of thinking about your exercise habits.
Do you fit your exercise in around all the stuff you have to do – or do you fit your stuff to do around your exercise?
Think about your non-negotiables in life – what do you always make sure you do? Feed the family? Get to work on time? Watch your favourite show? The things that all the other stuff has to fit in around.
What if you approached exercise like it was one of the things that everything else had to fit in around?
Secondly, my new motivational tool is my workout journal.
I got fed up of recording my weights and reps on apps – mainly I got fed up of having to be on my phone when I was in the gym. I love Leuchtturm notebooks so I splurged on a personalised A5 bullet journal (TTSP = This Too Shall Pass, my life motto).
In a bullet-journal style, each six week plan has a two-page spread. I’ve found that if I feel like skipping the calf raises, the thought to of leaving a blank space, or having to write ‘couldn’t be arsed’ in the journal, spurs me on to get it done. If you’re a stationery nut like me, it might work for you too.