The Power of Consistency
Building off of last week: you're going to have days you don't want to. You're going to have weeks that life gets in the way. We need to expect and even embrace these periods where life pushes us in another direction. Building a foundation and enjoyment for exercise is done small step by small step. Establishing a routine you enjoy and look forward to now, sets you up to come back from those setbacks more quickly and in a more sustainable way. Forcing yourself into an exercise regimen you don't enjoy won't make you look forward to coming back after time away from the gym, in fact, quite the opposite.
Training hard every few days feels great. Our endorphins spike, our sense of accomplishment is through the roof. We feel like we can concur the world. This feeling has value, no question, but it's a high that eventually: you will build a tolerance to. Eventually we get to the point where in order to feel accomplished, we need a workout that puts demand on tissue that it isn't ready for. Ligaments, tendons and other soft tissue take longer to adapt to exercise and recover than muscles do. Not only is the all-or-nothing approach unsustainable, it will lead to reduced returns or even negative outcomes. Build a belief in the long game, trust in the slow and steady approach. Learn to enjoy consistency and develop an appreciation for improving the way we move. Rather than beat ourselves up a few times a week, come in, practice a movement, pay attention to how your body feels and adapts week after week. This is how we build long term, sustainable habits that eventually (quicker than you think) deliver far superior results.
Not only is the return on lower effort & exertion higher in the consistent approach, this doesn't account for: the extra weeks-months off due to the increased occurrence of injury, burnout, and motivation loss that associated with the All-or-Nothing. Consistency is KING. Overtime, consistency compounds to deliver even better results than the ones we think we'll get beating ourselves up.
