3 Workout Consistency Tips to Keep Your Ass in the Gym!

Something I hear from clients frequently is they struggle with consistency. It’s easy to get excited about a workout plan or program, devote to it wholeheartedly for a week or two and then fall off the wagon. Sometimes the hiccup is only a few days or a week at the most and other times it lasts a month or more. We make excuses, life happens and we feel like we’re so far down the rabbit hole that getting back on track will be too hard.
 
Let me start by saying that getting back on track at any point in time is better than never. Would you like all of nothing or part of something? But also, fitness and wellness are long term, just like a relationship, we have to commit time and effort into them to see the results and feel good about our efforts. When you fall off the wagon, remember that it’s a blip in the radar of your life, one week, one month, even one year are all short periods of time when measured to your life. So, it’s okay to have times off the wagon because if you’re committed to a healthy way of life, you’ll get back on track with time.
 
Today I want to share 3 tips to help with your workout consistency, when you are trying to get back on track.

1. Have a workout buddy, even if it’s your trainer, to give you support and accountability. Chances are having someone to workout with will help you get to the gym because you’ll feel a slight obligation to them and their time. Your workout buddy can also teach you new things and give you confidence in the gym. Hopefully you can find someone who won’t be as big a flake as you, or if they are, at least it’s on the opposite days. J Having a workout buddy who always convinces you to skip the gym and get a margarita is, in fact, a drinking buddy and not a workout buddy.
2. Choose a minimum number of workouts to commit to weekly. It doesn’t matter if it’s only two days a week and those two days are always Monday and Tuesday, stick to your weekly commitment. If having a busy schedule is part of your lack of consistency, then don’t commit to a workout plan that’s 5-6 days a week! Do what you can make work week after week and anything else is a bonus workout. Like I said, doesn’t matter if they’re all front loaded or back loaded, just do what works best for your schedule and if you get another workout in, that’s great! But make a commitment and stick to it.
3. Don’t do workouts you hate. Don’t go to the gym when you love to run outside. Don’t go to yoga when you want to play basketball. It’s pointless to force workouts you’ll hate because you’ll never want to workout again. Choose forms of exercise you enjoy because committing to them will be so much easier if you’re excited to workout.

 
It’s okay if you struggle with workout consistency, everyone does at times. I don’t necessarily struggle with getting to the gym, but I do struggle with feeling stuck and doing the same ole thing. Which is why I buy other trainer’s programs. I don’t need the guidance of one-on-one training, but if a great program comes out from someone I trust, I buy it and follow it to help keep things fresh.

Most importantly, try not to feel guilty and beat yourself up for missing workouts. One day or one week isn’t going to make or break you. Sure, if you fall of the wagon for a few months or a year, you might be feeling pretty newbie status the next time you workout, but it’s only temporary. Our bodies have an amazing way of remembering old patterns and building up underused muscles quickly. You’ll be back on that wagon, singing road-trip songs and feeling strong before you know it!