Creating Consistency for a Lasting Lifestyle Change
When you are considering a lifestyle change, whether it be improved nutrition, better health, weight loss, building muscle… one can argue that consistency is of utmost importance in realizing your goals. In fact, I will be bold enough to say that without consistency, you can’t build a lasting habit. Without improved habits to support your goals… you simply will not realize your goals.
Making a lifestyle change can be difficult. I tell my clients all the time, “you won’t always be motivated”, that is simply NOT realistic. You will not be able to rely on motivation, which will wax and wane, in order to change habits. However, if you focus on consistency, starting small, making simple, tiny habit changes, you can begin to build improved habits over time to make lasting changes.
Here are a few ways to create consistency within your days:
Make a Plan
Consider how you can incorporate activity in your day. How many days a week will you commit to focused exercise/activity? What days/times will you commit to going to the gym, going for a run, attending a fitness class, or going for a walk to get your steps in?
Planning out and prepping your meals will help you remain disciplined with nutrition. If your meals are already prepped and ready, you have no excuse (plus you save time/money…BONUS!). Plan out your meals for the week, create your grocery list and get to it!
Plan ahead for other events, or meals out, by looking at the menu ahead of time. Decide what will fit your nutrition plan, or what will be the healthier option… then stick to that plan. If you incorporate free meals into your nutrition plan, look at your social calendar and be sure to schedule your free meals during those times. This will help keep you on track and avoid added calories.
Create a Schedule
Making time for yourself and your health-related goals should be a top priority. If you aren’t healthy, how can you be expected to apply your full self to the responsibilities in your life? If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you can’t put your full self into caring for your kids, working your job, or being your best self for whatever/whomever is important to you. This is where scheduling time for yourself becomes important.
Schedule dedicated time for your weekly grocery shopping and meal prep. Schedule your workouts in your calendar. Make it part of your daily schedule. Schedule your bedtime to ensure you have time to properly rest and recover. Once it’s in your calendar, make sure it remains a priority and you keep to your schedule.
Build a Routine
Creating an environment to support your goals involves creating routines. Routines take thinking out of the equation and help you create, and sustain, behaviors and an environment conducive to reaching your goals and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
A routine can look like any of the following:
Wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. This will help your body get into a rhythm, which can also help you sleep better and recover better.
Ensure your gym bag is packed and ready.. If it’s ready, all you have to do is grab it and go.
Go for a short walk each day before lunch to get those steps in!
Eat your meals at the same time each day. Eventually your body will get into a rhythm, knowing when to expect your next meal. This will help you avoid periods of extreme hunger, reaching out for less than ideal options…especially if you’ve made meal prep part of your weekly routine!
Do some light stretching, light yoga, read a book, or do something calming within an hour before bed. This will help calm your body, quiet your mind and cue your body to prepare for sleep.
Maintain Accountability
You can easily make a plan, create a schedule, and build a routine, but if you don’t have any sort of accountability, you may have trouble sticking to anything. It’s easy to make excuses if no one is keeping you accountable, right? First and foremost, you have to be accountable to yourself. Remember why you created your goals in the first place. Make sure you have a good support system. A family, partner or friend who you trust, and who can be honest with you in helping you stick to your plan. Find a workout partner or trainer to meet at the gym, or someone to walk with to get your steps in. Finally, HIRE A COACH! Having a coach can not only provide knowledge and accountability in reaching your goals, but they can also push you and provide encouragement to keep you going.
Small changes add up to big changes!
I tell my clients all the time, “one percent better everyday”. Consistency isn’t an “all or nothing” approach. It’s something you build over time. Failure is expected, especially when you are trying to change a habit, or create new ones. The key is to keep trying each day to make small, lasting changes. Give yourself a bit of grace, maintain accountability and start making those changes to live a healthier life.