Since writing this original post I’ve had more opportunities to experience and understand the importance of being consistent and progressing rather than always striving for perfection. I thought it was important to come back to this to add some tips I’ve found.

How do I become and remain more consistent?

1. Create a schedule. Having a routine is the first step in sticking to a routine. 🙃

2. Plan ahead. You have to be prepared for the unexpected.

3. Start small with realistic goals. Don’t try to suddenly for a major habit overnight.

4. Get support. When you have people encouraging you it’s easy to stick to the plan.

Grab your FREE weekly planner here to help get started!

Are you perfect? Or are you consistent? It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that we have to do every little thing to perfection to see the results we want. It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that IF we do every little thing to perfection those results are guaranteed. When we make a decision to change our motivation is sky high. And then it becomes routine. And then we get bored. That’s when we sort of stray from the path. And before we know it, we’re walking through a completely different forest and you don’t know where you are. When we start to stray from the path we think we’ve already messed up, all progress is ruined, so why continue? Sound familiar? Yeah, I’ve been there. Ok, the diet starts Monday…I’ve used that a time or two.

The difference between being perfect and being consistent is the difference between maintaining long term and short term. When you have the mindset that you must be perfect with every detail, chances are you’re going to crack under the pressure. It’s simply not realistic to believe you can maintain perfection forever. I know, we all like to pretend we can. But no, you cannot. Focusing on perfection leads to disappointment. That’s what creates the feeling of failure. The expectations are not realistic. Consistency is what leads to progress for the long term. Consistency is doing what is necessary over a long period of time. Consistency is the long road to success. I’ll give you a little non-fitness related example. My “side job” is engineering. A few years back I worked at a plant that ran a continuous operation. There were goals on how much product needed to be made. One of the biggest battles between operations and management was pushing the plant harder than it could maintain vs. running lower rates for longer periods. Management wanted to push as hard as they could, even though it led to more frequent failures and more downtime. Operations wanted a slow and steady approach. We tested it. We ran both ways and proved that a consistent operation produced more product. Running to the max was not enough to outweigh the loss of the downtime. This is a true story. And it applies here. You cannot simply work harder to just undo long periods of not working. The 80/20 rule, in the long run will produce the greatest results.

It's a lesson I’m still working on learning; rather working on practicing. I KNOW what I’m supposed to do. As I prepare for the first show of the season I start to worry. Will I fall back into old habits and not maintain what I’ve accomplished. Or will I continue to work for my goals while also enjoying a break on occasion? I’ve proven to myself that staying consistent with my training and diet makes a difference. And I know there’s room for improvement. So if you see me falling back to old habits, you have my permission to throw this right back into my face! We can do this together.