by Vandon Tricamo, Certified Personal Trainer, Moon Dragon Fitness
If you want change, you must be consistent. There is no other way. If you go to the gym because your soooo motivated and you have a crazy ‘Crush It’ workout but then… you skip the next 5 days – you will fail and always fall short of your goals.
There is no greater law to change other than consistency. Studies show that even mediocre workouts are better than great workouts if they are more consistent. On those days you just do not feel like it you still have to show up. Even if your only putting in half the effort that you normally would.
Creating habit is all about the consistency game. You may think you have a motivation problem, that is likely not true. You may however have a self-discipline problem. Consistency is often not about motivation, it is about discipline. You just have to do it. Motivation is an internally driven state of mind accompanied by chemical stimulants. Motivation is experienced after we muster the self-discipline to Just Do It.
So, how do you develop the discipline? How can you be certain to achieve the goals you want? How do you become an exemplar of this thing called Consistency?
- Your self-wellness needs to be placed at the top of your hierarchy of values. If you schedule appointments, make plans, and often find other things to do when you should be adhering to your wellness plan activity then you are putting it lower in your hierarchy of values. If your wellness goals keep falling out of your value scale you will eventually abandon it.
- Just Do It. Yes, just go do it. Begin. this is discipline. Even as a personal trainer, I have to often just peel myself from a sedentary state begrudgingly and go for the run, lift weights, and train martial arts.
- Keep your goals in mind. Remember that if you want to loose that weight, perform better in your sport, achieve the wellness goals you want – you must put in the effort.
- Chase the high. Anyone who has ever completed a challenging workout knows that sensation of fulfillment. The flow state of enjoying the process. Knowing you stepped up, accepted your own challenge and defeated it is one of the most rewarding sensations of the human experience. It is worth chasing every time.
The value of consistency is across the board too:
Diet: eat good most of the time. This is what permits us ‘cheat meals’ every two weeks. The consistency we create maintains a status quo for our body to ignore the cheat.
Skills: want to learn guitar? 15 minutes a day is better than a 5 hour binge practice on Sundays.
Pass the test: you can’t study once every other week and expect to pass. You have to place it as a consistent habit and put it high in your value scale.
I hope this helps some people reframe their perspective on achieving their goals. At the end of the day: if you want something bad enough, you will begin the journey. That journey must be filled with consistent steps toward your destination. If you give it a meager shuffle and get distracted then the journey is over. But… you can always get back on the path.
Interested in a personal trainer? I create programs specific to each clients interests and goals. Training is provided one on one at the Moon Dragon private gym (lovingly referred to as the dungeon by some 😊). Let us begin creating a schedule of consistency for you today. I also run public group cardio sessions twice a week at Scott Church Studio, Downtown Lebanon. Come join us.
Vandon Tricamo, Certified Personal Trainer, Moon Dragon Fitness
(717) 507-6019
Author: Vandon, Moon Dragon Fitness
