Consistency Is Key To Reaching Your Goals

2019-02-08T11:58:31+00:00February 7th, 2019|

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY TO REAL CHANGE

Fitness boils down to one’s effort and skill. And the only way to develop the two is through consistency. But why do some people insist that maintaining consistency is boring? Why is it that some people even go so far as to say there are “short cuts” around it? I think we all know the truth: clever marketing that dilutes the long, hard-earned efforts one makes to earn their results and changes them into a simple “cure all”. This could be a pill – take this and wake up to a flat stomach without ever changing your diet – or lifting a piece of equipment – all you need is this device to tighten and firm your booty -, and suddenly you’ve replaced months of exercise with just a single product promising instant results. I’m sorry to break it to you, but this isn’t reality.

No fitness trainer ever got their body in 30 days. Even though workouts have programmes that are just as long, and I promise you that improvements – but not genie-in-a-bottle transformations – will be made, I think we can all agree that realistically, no one is going to turn into a Health & Fitness magazine model in such a short amount of time. Maybe if you’re already lean to begin with or have been working out for along time, but for the most part, no, not everyone is going to come out looking shockingly different. Anyone promising miraculous results should be questioned. Don’t believe the hype if someone claims their supplement can give you washboard abs and lean muscles. If that’s all they think it will take, then run the other way. The truth is, you’re going to have to make fitness a part of your lifestyle. A 30-day program is not a “one and done” deal. It’s more of a year-round practice. Sure, do the 30 days, but understand that you’re going to have to exercise sensibly and eat right for the rest of the year in order to really see lasting results.

Even if you do come out looking amazing, what happens once the 30 days is over? Reality Check: it’s not. Back to work. Sure, celebrate; take a day off, have a treat. But don’t expect the results to stick like glue. They’re only there so long as you can maintain them. And that’s another thing about many of these programmes out there. They can’t be sustained. Do you honestly expect yourself to eat a 30-day “detox” and commit to hours of working out everyday? That’s why I also believe in making fitness a way of life, and not a quick fix. Meal plans are great; they can guide you for a short while, helping you to experience the benefits of healthy good foods (if they’re based on them, that is) and realise how eating healthy and exercising sensibly can both help you to achieve your fitness goals. But again, the dark side of them is that if they’re done unsustainably and way too extreme, then you’re not going to be working towards real results. It’s like popping a balloon. It gets bigger and bigger until suddenly it explodes from the pressure. And then it’s gone.

No pill can replace a lifestyle. Meal plans and fitness programs are alright, provided they’re sustainable and teach you how to make eating and exercising in a healthy manner a part of your lifestyle. The hard truth of it all is that nothing beats good old-fashioned hard work, determination; and most importantly consistency which is to me is the number one element of result oriented lifestyle. Fitness develops in the long-run, not the short term. You have to earn your results; cheaters wind up starting over again and again, never getting the picture.