Commitment + Consistency = Results

It’s a simple equation, but I know that doesn’t make it easy to apply. 

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I always remind my clients that we have only 1-2 hours together a week. It’s my job to make those hours highly effective - to commit my expertise and energy to equipping you with strength, knowledge, and tools to push you towards your goals. However, there are still 166 other hours left in the week when I’m not with my clients. 

Those 166 hours have a much larger impact on their ability to reach their goals than my 1-2 hours do. What goes on during those 166 hours? Are they still committing to their goals, and making decisions in alignment with their goals? 

What you do consistently is far more impactful than what you do every once in a while. In fact, the biggest driver of results is consistency. Let’s say I have two clients who both want to build strength in the gym, and one of them lifts for 10 minutes everyday, while the other lifts for 45 minutes once a week. The first client will most likely build strength faster and sustain it for a longer period of time. 

Let’s say I have two clients who want to improve their nutrition. Client 1 eats a serving of vegetables and a serving of fruit everyday, while client 2 eats a couple servings of vegetables and a couple servings of fruit here and there throughout the week. Client 1 will improve their nutrition faster and sustain it for a longer period of time. 

It’s not just the numbers here that determine success and fitness and nutrition, but also the behaviors. Yes, the frequency of training for a muscle group helps stimulate muscle development, and the frequency of consuming fruits and vegetables boosts gut health and energy production, among other things. But there is so much value in positive behaviors done consistently. A small, positive behavior done consistently almost always outperforms a large positive behavior done every now and then. This requires commitment to the goal and to the behavior changes required to reach that goal. We have to commit to creating an environment that supports our goal, surrounding ourselves with people who will keep us accountable and support the changes we make, and most importantly, staying disciplined and driven towards our goal even when no one is watching, even when push comes to shove.

So what does consistency mean? Consistency means implementing small, sustainable daily, weekly, monthly practices that progress towards your goal. Some examples of what this could look like:

• aiming to consume 120 ounces of water everyday

• committing to 5 workouts a week, and hiring a personal trainer to help keep you accountable

• prepping 4 nutritious recipes each week so that you don’t need to worry about cooking or ordering takeout

• walking for 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week

• ordering the healthier option at a restaurant, as much as possible

I emphasize small, sustainable goals with my clients because these are more likely to help us build consistency quicker, and to maintain it for a longer period of time. On top of that, these successes add up over time and boost confidence in my client’s ability to continue practicing, and to challenge themself further in the future. Small consistent successes will outrun a large once-in-a-while success any day.

Commit to that goal, and to these consistent practices, and I promise you, you’ll get there. And once you get there, you will have established invaluable discipline and commitment to yourself and your overall health that will benefit you for many years and goals to come.

Want to read more?

4 Simple Keys to Consistency

How to Stay Consistent With Your Diet

Healthy Travel Tips

How to Stay Consistent With Your Diet

And by “diet”, I mean “way of eating” - not necessarily paleo, or low-carb, or high-protein. However your eating habits are structured according to your goals - that’s your diet. 

Consistency trumps all. I could put a client on the most “perfect” workout program - again, according to their goals - but if they can’t stay consistent with the program for whatever reason, we will not reach our goals. The same thing goes for nutrition - I could give a client the most “perfect” macros or nutrition plan, but if the consistency is not there, it’s useless. 

An “okay” plan carried out consistently will always outperform a “perfect” plan carried out inconsistently. This emphasizes the importance of setting small, attainable goals supported by realistic, sustainable habits. Consistency is the foundation of success. 

If creating consistency has been difficult for you, you’ll find these tips helpful! 

Create a plan that works with your lifestyle. 

Your plan is your roadmap to reaching your goals. Without this, how will you know the directions to your destination? How will you know if you’re on or off track? 

This plan should include details for every area of your life, and this is where a coach provides so much value. A coach is educated and experienced in creating plans - it’s what we do. We have experience in what is realistic and sustainable for certain types of people and certain lifestyles, and of course we have the education to provide this nutrition plan. 

Your plan should cover things like:
- Macro and micronutrient intake 
- Meal planning 
- Meal composition 
- Eating out 
- Pre and post workout nutrition 
- Any allergies or intolerances
- Healthy eating behaviors (and behavior strategies)
- And more! 

Most importantly, your plan should include an “after”. What happens after the 8 weeks, 6 months, 1 year or whatever the timeline is of reaching your goals? Plan for that.

Understand the WHY of the diet, and how this aligns with your goals. 

Whether or not you’re into the science of nutrition and metabolism, understanding the strategy behind your diet can be extremely beneficial. This helps paint the bigger picture and put achieving your goals into perspective. When motivation feels low at times, which is almost guaranteed to happen no matter how driven you are towards your goals, keeping this deeper understanding of WHY and the bigger picture of achieving your goals in the front of your mind can help boost motivation and strengthen discipline. 

Discover the value of food.

Sure, food tastes good, but that’s not the only - and definitely not the most important - value food holds. 

• Nutrition. 

  Food is fuel! I know some might disagree with that statement, but try to hear me out. Scientifically, food is fuel. Carbohydrates, protein, and fats provide the energy we need to function, perform, and thrive everyday, and these can be in the form of macronutrients in food, or as stored energy in the body. Food is fuel, and just like taste is not the only or most important value food holds, neither is fuel. These are simply pieces of a bigger picture. 

  Understanding the nutritional value of food means understanding how the food and its nutrient profile will serve you and help you progress toward your goals. Look at the nutrition label to get started, and then analyze. Is it a high-protein food? Great for maintaining and building muscle, increasing satiation, and many other things. Is it a high-carb food? It’ll provide quick and sustainable energy - try to schedule consumption close to your highest activity point of the day. Is it a high-fat food? This will help promote satiation and satisfaction, as well as provide long-lasting stores of energy to tap into at any time. 

• Enjoyment. Taste. Indulgence.

  As you may have guessed, this is the number one driving force behind most of our food decisions. That makes sense, though, right? Many foods that taste good actually enhance positive emotions (ahem, comfort foods). Eating is fun, and food brings us joy. Simple as that. 

  Unfortunately, most of the foods that taste really good aren’t the greatest for us, nutritionally. These highly palatable foods don’t contribute much protein or fiber, and are usually high in refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. 

  Valuing the taste of food above the nutrition of the food can lead us to select less nutritious foods more often than nutritious foods, and even overeating too often, both of which will slow progress towards our goals. Don’t worry - there’s no need to eat bland foods all the time for the sake of nutrition. It’s about finding a balance between the highly palatable foods (restriction is not sustainable) and the highly nutritious foods, as well as seeking out ways to make the highly nutritious taste GOOD! 

• Social Connections.

  Food is present at almost every social activity, whether that’s a company holiday party, a family get-together, or a night out with friends. Food helps create social connections and relationships. Appreciate the way food brings us together to maintain these connections and relationships that support our overall health and wellbeing. 

  Strategize and learn to implement healthy behaviors at these social occasions to help you stay on track. Again, it’s all about creating a balance for your lifestyle!  

Ask for accountability. 

Second to creating a well-rounded plan, providing accountability is the second most valuable area for working with a coach. We are here to hold you accountable through weekly check-ins and regular communication outside of those check-ins. 

Aside from your coach, you can seek accountability elsewhere, as well - lean on trustworthy friends and family to share your goals with, and ask them to help support you in various ways. Maybe that means cooking healthier meals at home or choosing healthier restaurants when dining out. Maybe it means being your gym buddy a couple times a week or going for a walk together everyday. At the very least, sharing your goals with someone you trust can greatly improve your discipline and desire to stick to your plan. Never underestimate the power of accountability! 

Consistency is the most important factor in success. Start with small goals supported by realistic and sustainable habits to build the foundation of consistency. 

4 Simple Keys to Consistency

Whether you’re working towards fitness, nutrition, work, or general life goals, it’s important to maintain consistency during the process as well as after you achieve the goals. “Just keep doing what you’re doing” sounds great, but it isn’t all that easy. Here are four simple and practical keys to maintaining consistency in your everyday life. 

Build upon small goals. 

Starting with small, attainable goals builds confidence, and over time, this confidence is key to challenging yourself and achieving larger and larger goals. These small goals also help to create useful habits that accelerate your achievements and expand your capabilities. Think about setting daily and weekly goals to broaden your healthy habits. 

Set up your environment for success. 

So much of what we do everyday is based on our environment. Common examples of this are eating mindlessly, constantly checking our phone or social media, and forgetting to drink water throughout the day. By creating a healthy, goal-oriented environment, we can set ourselves up to more easily achieve our goals, small and large. 

Create an accountability system (or community). 

Just like our physical environment influences our behaviors, our social environment can do the same. Call on close friends and family members for accountability simply by sharing your goals with them. Take it one step further and ask them to join you in the process! Never underestimate the power of unity. Over time, this accountability support system works to keep you inspired and focused on your goals. 

Fall in love with the process, not the product. 

Last but not least, learn to fall in love with the process of achieving your goals. Cultivate confidence as you achieve your small goals and set up your environment for success. Find joy in challenging yourself alongside family and friends. 

Falling in love with the process, not just the product or your ultimate goal, helps to solidify your new healthy habits, and to continue cultivating confidence in your ability to challenge yourself, set new goals, and achieve them.