5 Tips to Finding More Consistency in Your Fitness Routine

It's Sunday afternoon, you feel a burst of motivation to finally get back on track with your fitness routine. You start day dreaming about how amazing you'll feel and how great you'll look once you finally find that consistency with getting active and working out.

Before you know it though, the week is almost over and you haven't made a single step in the direction of that goal. You find yourself defeated (again) and wonder how the heck you're ACTUALLY going to do this? How are you going to make this happen? How are you going to FINALLY find consistency with getting active?

I have been there more than once, and still have moments where I struggle with this, and it is a terrible feeling to constantly come up short week after week, not actually sticking to your goals, not actually following through.

Here's what's helped me to not only get back on track, but to truly find consistency in my fitness routine. I hope you find some tips that you can incorporate into your life TODAY and start seeing some progress toward your fitness goals. 

Find Activities You Actually ENJOY!

What lights you up? Where do you feel energized? What do you LOVE to do? For me, I love taking dance classes. A dance class has a TON of fitness and health benefits; cardio, coordination, strength building, balance, the list goes on.

The thing is though, even though I know a dance class has so many benefits, I probably wouldn’t actually make the time for dance classes if I didn’t LOVE them.

We can understand the benefits of exercise and know down to our core how good it is for us, but we struggle to follow through with something unless we truly enjoy it and have fun with it.

If you want to stick with your fitness routine and reach your goals, choose activities you actually enjoy doing!

Book Into a Class! 

I always find that when I book into a class ahead of time rather than deciding to do a workout at some point in the day or week, I’m more likely to follow through.

Rather than feeling a lack of accountability and motivation, I know there’s a teacher who’s now seen I’ve committed to attending their class, I’ve paid money to go, AND it’s scheduled in! This is a recipe for sticking to your goals and staying on track.

Choose a class you love, an instructor that uplifts you, and enjoy the process of booking in, prepping to go (if it’s in-studio) or setting up your space (if it’s online).

I love getting to know the community around the classes I attend as well, and working out with others. Not to mention, having an instructor encouraging you through the whole workout is a game changer!

Change Your State

Do you struggle to actually follow through with the plans you make? You know, those workouts you scheduled, classes you booked, walk-around-the-block dates you were so excited about the week before when you planned them and scheduled them into your calendar?

Maybe you felt motivated when you made those plans, but now the moment is here, the alarm has gone off, the class starts in a few minutes, the text just came through from your friend, and well, you have the motivation of a flea. Now to mention, you’re exhausted and have about a million other things to do that seem more important than a squat or a quad stretch. 

Deep down though, you know this; that workout IS important, that class WILL boost your energy and mood, and that workout date with your friend could very well make your whole week. But how do you go from that tired, overwhelmed, “wow, I don’t feel like it” state to ACTUALLY getting the workout in? 

I recommend to change your state! Put on an upbeat song, get up, and dance. I’m not joking. Even if you really don’t feel like it, in fact, do this ESPECIALLY if you don’t feel like it.

I’m going to warn you, dancing to an upbeat track when you don’t feel like it definitely feels like it won’t work at first, but after a few minutes, you’re likely to feel more up for that workout or that class.

Take yourself out of the scroll hole, the video, the Netflix show, and CHANGE YOUR STATE and see what happens.

Use The 1 Minute Principle 

This is a Japanese technique used to decrease procrastination and feelings of overwhelm, while increasing productivity, self development, and success. 

Have you ever had such a long to do list that you end up doing nothing at all? Have you ever booked yourself into a class to later feel zero motivation to get ready to go? Sometimes when a task feels too big or your to do list feels too overwhelming, we feel paralyzed and find it hard to even get started.  

The concept behind the 1 minute principle is that anyone can do anything for one minute, and by approaching a task with the idea that you only need to put energy and focus into that thing for 1 minute makes it seem more attainable and manageable. 

For example, telling yourself you will do the dishes for 1 minute or starting to clean your room while telling yourself you will do so for just 1 minute helps us to get the ball rolling on the tasks we lack motivation to start.

The really useful part of all this is this is, more often than not, once we get started on a task, we will then muster the motivation and energy to keep going and actually complete the task or at least spend more time on it than we originally thought we would. Motivation and "feeling like it" usually comes after you start, and not before. 

Become Aware of Your Barriers and Plan Ahead to Overcome Them

We all have barriers that stand in our way while we venture through life working toward our goals. It's inevitable that things will come up, the journey will get hard, and some problem solving is going to have to happen. This tip isn't about avoiding the struggle, but instead to recognize it and plan ahead for it so that you can overcome it. 

Take some time and journal about the barriers that come up for you when you start working toward a new goal, such as embarking on a new fitness journey. Then take some time problem solving some solutions to overcome that barrier.

For example, if you've been wanting to start a running journey but when the time comes to go for your run, you feel tired, your phone isn't charged, you lack motivation because you're anticipating feeling bored, or maybe you can never find the headband you like and so you make an excuse you won't be warm enough and don't get out the door.

We can make so many excuses not to do something. The trick is to create a path for ourselves with the least amount of resistance. Take time to plan ahead and overcome those barriers before they even happen. 

Perhaps you could find that headband ahead of time and set it by the door next to your running shoes, maybe get your phone charging the night before, create a playlist or find a podcast ahead of time that you're excited to listen to.

As you can see, many of our barriers have simple solutions, and if we take a bit of time to first reorganize what's standing in our way, and then prepare for it, we can overcome it and get to where we want to be. 

Make Your Workouts ENJOYABLE 

Make the workout, class, walk, whatever it is as enjoyable as possible.

For example, if you’re doing yoga, grab something cozy to wear, throw on your essential oil diffuser. If it’s yin yoga, light some candles and create a really cozy space in just a few minutes. If you’re going for a walk, put on your favourite podcast or song, call a friend, take a route that takes you past a coffee shop and grab a coffee.

Don’t make moving and getting active a slog. Join a class you like, connect with a friend, drink your favourite tea while you flow! Whatever you do, make it as fun and enjoyable as you can. 

I hope you found these tips helpful and integrate at least one actionable step into your life! Let me know how it goes in comment section below.

Sending you all the good vibes and motivation to get those workouts in this week and find consistency in your fitness routine! You got this.