Work Smarter, Not Harder: Building Consistency & Reaching your Goals

I want to get jacked. I mean it, I’m going to be able to rip phone books in half, my shirt sleeves are going to explode when I flex, I want to crush walnuts with my traps! I know it’s not just about picking things up and putting them down - this buff dude on Instagram said “abs are made in the kitchen.” So, no more fast food. Hell, no more eating anything remotely unhealthy. Am I ready to give up drinking for this? Absolutely - just seltzers for me! I need a plan.

Starting tomorrow, I’m going to get to the gym at 6 in the morning. I’m going to lift chest and tris, finish strong with some ab workouts. Breakfast is going to be a protein shake, half a cup of oatmeal, and black coffee. Salad for lunch, chicken and brown rice for dinner - easy! I’m going to throw in some cardio too! My new life starts tomorrow!

How many times have our plans looked like this? We map it out in our heads and get ready to kick-start a brand new routine. How many times has it actually worked though? Don’t get me wrong - I’m sure 99% of the time we start off strong, but how often are we consistent? The reality is, not all that often. We know it too - I mean, this is the business models for gyms, right? Charge a membership, attract customers, and make bank on automatic payments from people who haven’t walked through the door in months (don’t quote me on this, I’m not a business guy or a gym owner.)

All too often we lose consistency over this thought that more work = faster progress. If I put in 100% effort tomorrow, I’ll get to where I want to go faster. Don’t get me wrong, if you work out everyday you’ll probably see some progress, but if we don’t ease into it then it’s less likely we will work out everyday. When we set the bar too high for ourselves, we’re likely to give up when we realize we can’t always reach it. So even though we think more work = faster progress, the reality is starting big, giving up, then trying again months later = slower progress.

Realistic work = faster progress (and with the gym example less risk of blown out knees and hernias). Don’t be afraid to set goals that are realistic and attainable. With all my clients, I work with a 75% rule with goals. If we’re not hitting our goal 75% of the time, then it’s time to switch up our approach. A part of being realistic is clearly defining our goals too. “I’m going to workout all the time and always eat healthy” sounds a lot harder than “I’m going to start going to the gym 3 times a week and try to limit my fast food to twice a week.” Making a realistic schedule for yourself that supports your goals and makes it likely to hit them more times than not is the real secret to success.

Don’t be afraid to know yourself and what’s realistic for you! Schedule a free consultation call today to help start off strong and stay consistently strong in working towards your goals.