Consistency is by far the number one important thing when trying to stay motivated to workout and eat healthy.
It’s your secret super power.
Whether that’s:
- Losing weight
- Building muscle
- Getting strong at x lift
- Improving your sex life
- Getting better at talking to people
If you’re not consistent then you’re not going to see results.
Because every rep matters.
The more reps you put in, the better you’re going to get at x thing.
Now…
Consistency comes in many different forms.
It can be daily, weekly, monthly, etc…
And consistency can mean different things at different times.
Let’s start with more of a longer term goal:
- Maybes that’s building muscle for a whole year.
- Then losing fat for 3 months.
- Then staying at maintenance and chilling for 3 months.
- Then working on powerlifting for 3 months.
- Then getting your first pistol squat for 3 months.
Once you have your longer term goals, you can break down those yearly goals into monthly goals, monthly goals into weekly goals, and weekly goals into daily goals.
Basically, you’re reverse engineering the whole process by deciding where you want to go and breaking it down to how you’re going to get there.
Something else to note – there’s going to be a different level of consistency required for each goal.
And the quicker you want to achieve a goal, the more consistent you’re going to have to be.
Which leads me into the next topic about discipline, which is the prerequisite of being consistent.
Discipline is the Prerequisite of Being Consistent
And it’s also where most of us struggle.
You may have felt motivated to get started. That’s probably when and why you signed up for a gym, coaching, or challenge before.
And then there’s probably been times where you haven’t felt motivated with your workouts, nutrition, etc…
(Like right now. I’m not motivated to make this post but I still did)
Which, if you’re being honest, is probably where you end up giving up.
Listen…
If you only took action when you’re motivated, you’d barely take action… can ya feel me?
So while motivation can be beneficial to get you started…
You’re already failing if you’re relying on that because when you need it most, it’s not going to be there for you.
Just like that shitty friend you thinks there when you need to talk and then it goes straight to voicemail and they never return your call lol.
I can already see you nodding your head because I’m guilty of this too!
So what you need to do instead is work on your discipline muscle.
The muscle that helps you get shit done every single day, especially when you don’t want to get shit done.
Because that right there is how the most successful people in the world become successful at whatever they do.
They get shit done on a consistent basis even when they don’t want to.
And trust me… it’s really that simple.
Because the work you put in, compounds over time.
It’s like planting seeds.
You plant the seeds.
Water them everyday.
And eventually if you continue to do that, they’ll sprout into some beautiful ass shit.
So, if you want to get to where you want to be and further, it all comes down to disciple and consistency.
And showing up everyday, even on the days you don’t want to.
Here’s a few ways to help you stay motivated and eat healthy:
1. Create a Power List
Actually write down what you want to accomplish for that day.
That means taking out a notebook and physically write it down.
This is the key and will be the groundwork to your results.
Because again, it’s the day to day actions over time that compound into results.
Just like investing money.
You don’t just invest one time and all of a sudden become rich.
You invest time after time after time and eventually, you have more $.
So write down your top 3-5 tasks based on the goal that you have.
Let’s say I wanted to lose 20 lbs in 6 months… Here’s what my tasks my look like:
- Hit my calorie goal
- Hit my protein goal
- Hit my step goal
- Get my workout in
- Prep my meals for tomorrow
See how simple that is?
Work to complete those daily.
If you complete every task that day, you win the day.
If you don’t, it’s an incomplete day and you figure out how to win the next day.
2. Hold Yourself Accountable
Hmmm… where do you have a great opportunity to do that?
Oh, in the gym, with coaching, with a community of like minded people who are trying to improve themselves.
These are the perfect people and places to help you stay motivated to workout and eat healthy.
Hold yourself accountable there.
Post whatever you want to accomplish.
Reach out to other people or family/friends and have them hold you accountable.
Maybe you partner up with someone and can hold each other accountable.
And maybe that’s even giving yourself a little gift after each milestone you hit like a new pair of shoes or clothes.
Sometimes that’s spending money on a coach, program, or gym because if you’re paying your hard earned money, you’re going to definitely get done what you need to get done.
Whatever you have to do to help hold yourself accountable, DO THAT.
3. Keep Track of Your Consistency
This is going to help you be truly honest and objective with yourself.
Are you not making progress because things need adjusting?
Or, are you not making progress because you’re not putting in the required consistency to achieve your goals?
You put in a D level effort and expect A level results.
Sorry but it doesn’t work like that.
Just like Newtons 3rd Law of Motions states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
Meaning, you get out what you put in.
So, if you want A or B results, you better be willing to put in A or B effort.
Keeping track on a calendar will help give you this answer.
If you complete your daily tasks (remember from above), it’s a W for that day.
If you don’t, it’s an x for that day.
The goal is to get 24/30 W days per month minimum which would be 80% consistency (B effort).
If you want A results, you’d have to bump that up a bit to 27/30 days which would be 90% consistency (A effort).
Keeping track of your consistency is going to lead to better progress, which in turn is going to help you stay motivated to workout and eat healthy.
4.Keep The Promises That You Made to Yourself
This is the key here.
Making sure that you get the shit done that you tell yourself you’re going to do.
If you don’t, what’s that saying?
It’s saying that you’re not worthy of achievement since you never accomplish what you say you’re going to do.
That’s basically like someone coming up to you and telling you that you can’t do this so why even try.
Except that someone is you… and you’re shooting yourself in the foot basically and destroying your self belief and confidence.
The only way to get over that is proving to yourself that you can do this.
And the more you do this, the more confident you’ll be and the more action you’ll take.
So, treat yourself like you would a friend.
If you promised a good friend you’d be there for them, you’d 100% be there.
Treat yourself like you’d treat a friend because YOU are the best friend you’ve got.
So, when you say you’re going to do something, follow through with it.
It doesn’t matter if it’s perfect or awful. What matters is you get it done.
You can have the shittiest workout of all shitty workouts.
But that’s still way better than no workout at all.
5. Learn to Recognize That Little Voice in Your Head
This voice is the worst – the one that tells you, “Everything is Going to Be Ok, what’s one more day off? You Can Start Back on Monday.”
It’s what holds you back.
Luckily, you have another voice in your head that helps you move forward.
You have to learn to switch the roles and recognize when your little bitch voice (as Andy Frisella calls it) is acting up, call it out, and use that as a sign to take action.
Basically, whenever you hear that little voice inside your head telling you not to do something, use that as a sign to pivot and get shit done.
So, the first time I hear “Bob, you can’t deadlift 405 lbs”
I’m using that as my indicator it’s time to go to the gym, throw some weight on the bar, and lift some heavy shit.
Bonus: Stop The Comparison Trap
There’s the famous saying that “comparison is the thief of joy” – Theodore Roosevelt.
That’s true when you use comparison the wrong way by bringing yourself down.
It’s so easy to compare with social media.
You see all of these people showing off their bodies so you think something is wrong with you.
Here’s the problem…
Social media is a big lie.
It’s so easy to edit photos and videos now with AI.
On top of that, a lot of “influencers” will take photos of themselves during their most fit season. What they don’t show you is how they look the rest of the year.
And then there is the people who are actually fit all year around.
But what they don’t show you is the extreme body dysmorphia, poor relationship with food, terrible social life, and awful self esteem.
So, these people you’re comparing yourself too aren’t all they’re made out to be.
The person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself.
Are you taking action to improve everyday and work towards the goals you set out?
Are you better then who you were yesterday, last week, and last month?
Then yes – you should be proud of yourself.
That’s the comparison that will take away all of the anxiety and lead to your own improvement.
So stop beating yourself up and get off social media.
Or at the very least, unfollow those people.
And there you have it!
Your blueprint to building discipline, which leads to consistency, and ultimately to results.
And even though it’s not easy, it’s that simple.
Take some time to really think about this and ask yourself, what are some thoughts/ideas/tips that have worked well for you?
The more you practice this, the stronger that discipline muscle will get, and the more motivated you will be to workout and eat healthy.
Hope this helps!
-Coach Bob