Five Reasons You Are Struggling With Consistency... And How To Overcome Them

31 Oct

Consistency is not about being perfect, but it is essential for achieving your health and fitness goals. In fact, maintaining an 80% adherence to your routines is a significant achievement. This means that you do not have to nail every workout or meal to succeed. Instead, you should aim to balance yourself when things get off track, maintain your health-promoting behaviors on an average weekly basis, and avoid having "zero percent" weeks. In this blog post, we will explore the five common reasons people struggle with consistency and provide practical solutions to overcome them.

1. Problem #1: Waiting for the Perfect Moment to Start

Many people struggle with consistency because they wait for the perfect time to start their fitness and health journey. The problem with this approach is that it assumes life will always be ideal, which is rarely the case. The key to success is to start with Plan B, C, or even G – not Plan A. Focus on habits that can be maintained even when life gets busy or throws unexpected challenges your way.

Solution: Choose routines that are "life-proof." Opt for habits that are resilient to changes in schedule, stress, or family life. For example, exercising in the morning can be more consistent, and shorter workouts are easier to fit into a hectic schedule. Identify 1-2 small behaviours that you can easily maintain, even during busy or stressful times.

2. Problem #2: Not Planning Exercise in Advance

Planning your exercise sessions in advance is crucial for maintaining consistency. Many people procrastinate evening workouts, and as the day progresses, competing priorities can derail your plans. To avoid this, schedule your workouts or walks in advance, making your commitment more specific and realistic.

Solution: Literally put your workouts in your calendar. While consistent timing is ideal, you can still maintain consistency by strategically planning ahead, especially if your schedule is irregular.

3. Problem #3: Quitting Routines When Things Change

If your routines are constantly interrupted by life changes or exceptional circumstances, it can be challenging to form good habits. While exceptions are normal, constantly living in an unpredictable pattern can hinder your ability to maintain consistency.

Solution: Assess your life's "up and down" quality. Determine if you are over-committing or if there are factors within your control causing these disruptions. Be proactive in rearranging your schedule to accommodate changes in life.

4. Problem #4: Focusing on What to Avoid

Many individuals struggle with consistency because they focus on what they should avoid in their diet, which can create an environment of restriction and make it difficult to stick to their plan.

Solution: Instead of building your diet around what you should avoid, base your new eating habits on what you should emphasize. Set clear eating goals, guidelines, and skills, such as incorporating a protein and a fruit/vegetable in every meal, drinking enough water, and practicing mindful eating. These positive habits are easier to achieve and don't lead to feelings of shame.

5. Problem #5: Not Making It Fun Enough

Workout programs and diets that drain your motivation or restrict your enjoyment can lead to a lack of consistency. It is crucial to find exercise and food habits that you genuinely enjoy and that make you feel accomplished.

Solution: Focus on exercise that brings a sense of accomplishment and joy. Tailor your fitness routine to your preferences, whether it is strength training, yoga, or any other form of movement. Similarly, design food habits that do not make you feel like you are missing out on life. Remember, the best exercise plan is the one you will stick with, and the best diet is the one you will enjoy.

Lizzie’s coaching tips:

Here’s some ways in which I coach my clients and personally use to take action when I am feeling stuck and in a rut.

The 5 Second Rule - I learnt this from the legend that is Mel Robbins and a great tool to apply to your life. Whenever you’re overthinking and about to get yourself out of taking action. Instead you count down 5,4,3,2,1 and then go do the very task you’re avoiding or the smallest step to you need to take like packing your bag for the gym, putting your trainers on to go for a walk, call that friend.

Fed up of just snacking all the time for no real reason or understanding? Then apply the Beyond Strong Methods Stop - Pause - Drink - Think rule. Stop what you’re doing, pause for a couple of minutes (no distractions or anything), drink some water, and think. Think is this something I need? Am I hungry? Am I bored? Then make the decision that best suits you

When it comes to letting go of who you have been, the idea of who you think you’re supposed to be. You create room for the truest and most authentic you.

Great ways to help you in this area of your life include:

Reading and consuming new material, thought patterns, raising your vibration, knowledge and awareness. This helps you to decide what you are consuming at a higher level to help you grow
The same applies for podcasts, tv and the people you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with people who are on the same page as you and if not doing more than you then are able to create new pathways with yourself.
Spend time with yourself, listening to your thoughts, journaling and being still with you.

Nourish your mind and body with the fundamentals of what it is to be a human. If you’re sleep deprived and not doing anything about it then it will only have a knock on effect with everything else going on in your life. Focus on these keys areas first before you want to grow your glutes, get “toned,” be at peak performance if you aren’t hitting these basics:

Hydrating 2.5-3.5l water+ depending on body size, climate to maintain.
Food - fuelling your body with a balanced diet of carbs, fats, protein, veggies and fibre
Stress levels - if your stress levels are always through the roof and you’re not managing it you will find it hard to have a level grounding
Walking and daily movement
Strength training to maintain muscle mass as we age
Sleeping 7-9 hours

Building a better relationship with yourself takes time… especially if you have had years of being taught by society that you shouldn’t like certain areas of your body. Overtime it’s what you believe when in actual fact you get to decide what that looks and feels like.

Start with getting to know you:

Your values
What your boundaries are
Who and what you prioritise
What makes you feel great
How you like exercise from the way it makes you feel

Alternatively if you’re feeling stuck and need the support and accountability then please reach out to us and Head Coach Lizzie to have a chat about it - we’re ready to rock your world! You can enquire through filling out the form here.

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