What are the causes for my inconsistency? Am I resisting something? Am I not being realistic about my schedule or energy?

I will use myself and a project I am working on as an example.

I chronically underestimate how long and how much energy things take. There is a learning curve for most of the things I am doing, like editing videos and setting up membership areas. I also overestimate how much time and energy I will have on any given day.

These things cause stress and inconsistency in working on my project. Especially with the things I struggle with that have a learning curve.

Then I find myself spending too much time all at once to learn and produce which only burns me out. Once I burn myself out, I have created an experience that isn’t one I want to repeat. Next time it’s on my schedule, I am most likely going to have some negative feelings toward it which sets me up to move it to the next day…and then the next…and the next. You get the picture. By the time I get back to it I have to relearn again because it has been too long in between.

It is no different with working out. Let’s address a few of the barriers that have the most impact on your consistency.

If the workouts you are doing have too big of a learning curve, you feel awkward doing them or you have pain, this sets you up to resist them.

Before we go any further with this topic, I want to debunk a common belief that you may very well have that is holding you back. Continuing to do things that feel off, awkward, or cause pain will not have a good outcome. You will not get better at an exercise that is too challenging for you by pushing through the struggle. You will more than likely get better at compensations and that’s not a good thing. That’s how “sudden” injuries occur that actually aren’t so sudden.

Your workout program should fit where you are today and progressively take you to where you want to go. That may mean that the exercises you are doing need to be regressed so that you can progress. Build the foundation before you put a roof on it.

Even if you are starting out not loving exercise, there should be some things in your workout that make you feel good and keep you coming back.

Assess how your workout feels physically and how you feel mentally about doing it. If that is a barrier to your consistency, it is 100% fixable! This may look like regressing certain exercises or in some cases, maybe you need to challenge yourself more. Find workouts that don’t create such a feeling of resistance.

If you find yourself regularly skipping workouts because you run out of time, dig deeper to find out why you are running out of time.

Is it really time or is it energy?

It is really never time for me, it is mental energy. When I am thinking about how I struggled working on my project the last time I worked on it up until it is time to work on it, I don’t have any creative energy left for a project that doesn’t come easy for me. If you find yourself thinking about your workout negatively or negative thoughts about yourself and your abilities leading up to doing it, that’s a massive energy leak and doesn’t leave you with much when it comes time to get your workout in.

The standard answer in the fitness world is to choose the time of day you have the most energy. I don’t think it is as simple as that.

Give yourself grace to be where you are on this fitness journey. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Find ways to change the way you think about the workouts and your capabilities that set you up for success.

Sometimes it is just a time issue. But, don’t let that get in your way if you have a set schedule with little time to workout. It can be as simple as a a few exercises with no equipment the include pushing, pulling, squatting and lunging. Can’t do those things? There are regressed exercises for them all that will get you there. 20 min 3 times a week can have a profound impact.

Even after doing what I do for over 25 years, I still have a plan for what I am going to do for my workout before I workout. Even if I am not following a proper “program” at the time. Why? Because clarity makes everything go smoother and it has built in inspiration.

When I write a program for a client, it is a very clear road map that begins with workouts for where they are and progresses them to where they want to go. They know that this is the route to get what they want. If you are going into the gym or your living room and randomly hitting different exercises you found online, you won’t have the results your time deserves and if you aren’t sure of what you are doing you don’t have much reason to be consistent.

Have a road map. Know what you are doing for every workout beforehand.

Start with an assessment so that the correct exercises are chosen right at the start. The assessment further inspires because it is measurable and you can see how you are progressing. Progress creates consistency.

If you have any questions set-up a free discovery call with me at this link. Also, if you are interested, I just created a package for anyone who just needs a jump start. It includes an assessment, program design, 2 training sessions to learn the workouts in your program and 1 extra training session for questions or form checks. Sign up at the same link if you are interested in that. There are limited spots available. This will be done on Zoom.