Do you find it difficult being consistent in exercising and keeping to your fitness routine? Do you really wish to get on the fit-fam lane but find that, you just cannot keep the tempo up after a few days (or weeks at best)?

You are not alone because ‘consistency’  especially when it comes to working out, is a struggle for many people world over.

Starting a work out or healthy diet regiment is usually something people love to do. But to keep at it for an extended period of time, is a whole different kettle of fish!

Not being able to stick to this set goal has a way of eroding a person’s self-confidence. Many feel like failures, like there is no point to try again because they have failed a million times before. They battle lots of negative emotions like guilt, bitterness and even anger and these feelings may adversely affect their health.

So the question is – “Is there a way to learn to be consistent in achieving this commendable desire to be healthy?”

Yes, there is.

And the answer is in the mind!

Tuning your mind to the frequency of consistency, is the only way you can keep at your goals. And here are 5 tips to help you do this

Tip 1

Shake and mix things up!: Get a collection of different work-out routines to choose from. Create a playlist of interesting exercises that you can mix and match to keep you moving and your energy up. If you love to dance, find routines that include dance. Find work outs where the instructor is cheerful and motivational. You definitely need this. Try to ensure you have various styles and routines so that your work out doesn’t get monotonous and boring.

Tip 2

Figure out your WHY: Why did you choose to start on this journey? You need to have a VERY STRONG emotional reason why you have decided to get healthy and boy are there many reasons for this! For one, you want to stay alive! You want to live a healthy and mentally sound life so you can be there for your loved ones when they need you. That’s a pretty damn strong emotional reason to me! Tie your exercise and healthy eating regiment to this WHY. Visualize how you working out nourishes your heart and lungs and gives them a treat. Visualize your internal organs happy and grateful to you for taking care of them.  If you do this visualization well enough, you would actually be racing out of bed to go give your internal organs a treat. After all, they take care of you too, so a this is just your way of giving back.

Tip 3

Identify all the excuses that could possibly arise & find ways to plan for them BEFORE THEY ARISE: This is pretty easy to do because we usually always have, in droves, these excuses that get in the way of our working out or continuing our healthy eating. “I don’t feel like it”, “I don’t have the time”, “I am tired”, “I don’t have dumbbells for the weight section”, “there is no good gym around me to register” and so on and so forth.
Outline all these excuses then create a an ‘excuse crusher’ plan for when each come up

(Excuse) “I don’t feel like it “—– (Crusher) “I know why I am doing this so I will do it regardless. Even if for just 15mins”

(Excuse) “I don’t have the time” —– (Crusher) “I will wake up 15mins earlier than normal. Or go to bed 15mins later to make time for it”

(Excuse) “I am tired” —— (Crusher) “It is just moving my body. The body is mine and I can move it. So I will move it”

(Excuse) “There is no gym in my area to register”—– (Crusher) “I can work out in my home to work out videos of Youtube”

Stuff like these.

Have the crushers handy to use when needed.

Tip 4

Visualize the consequences of not taking action: Remember how you visualized in Tip 1? This time, visualize the opposite of that as the consequence for not taking action. Visualize your lungs sagging and weakening because you aren’t moving enough. Visualize your heart weakening and arteries clogging. Check out pictures of these concepts online to help you visualize them better. Will you want to do that to your organs? If the answer is NO then you know you have no choice but to move!

Tip 5

Commit to doing something rather than nothing: On those days when you do not feel like lifting a muscle, just tell yourself “I will do this for 5mins only”, then JUST DO IT! When you get to 5 mins, tell yourself “Just an extra minute” and then JUST DO IT. And before you know it, you have done about 15mins of exercise. In my experience, I find that I do a lot more on the days I don’t feel like doing anything. Because I just move robotically, one foot in front of the other, adding one minute to another minute, blanking my mind and before I know it, my energy level shoots up and I do more.

Working out is actually fun. You may need to use the tips above to get through the first few weeks, after which it becomes pretty much easier to stay the course.

We need to love our bodies enough to do this for them. Think about it, if you love someone, and all you need to do to keep that person happy and healthy and alive is to move your body, spike your heart rates up so you could sweat a little, wouldn’t you do it?
You would, right?
That’s EXACTLY what exercising consistently is doing and that loved one you are doing it for is YOU!

Amaka Chibuzo-Obi

(Life & Confidence Coach)

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