Are you working hard, yet still left feeling like your workout just isn’t working? There’s a key to fitness that sometimes gets overlooked; consistency. With any fitness plan it is important to realize that consistent workouts maximize results.
Why Consistency is Important
There is a strong mind/body connection with fitness. The benefits of consistent workouts not only benefit you physically, they also promote mental wellbeing. Consistent workouts reduce stress and enhance your mood. Your body produces mood heightening endorphins when you exercise, which also aid in relieving stress. Consistently maintaining your mental health will also help you reach a greater sense of relaxation and support better sleep.
Consistent workouts are also important for your body in the physical sense. By exercising in a consistent pattern, your muscles will develop gradually. Sporadic spurts of intense exercise can strain your body and leave you feeling sore. A gradual, consistent workout plan allows your body to properly recover from the exercises.
Last, but certainly not least, is that a consistent workout regimen can help you build a healthy habit as you strive to become a healthier you. Research suggests that it takes 66 days to formally build a habit, on average. By developing a consistent fitness routine early, you are on your way to achieving one of the healthiest habits for your life.
How To Do It
Committing to a fitness routine means creating a plan of action. Within that plan of action, it’s important to keep your routine realistic. If you’ve planned a routine that overwhelms you and/or isn’t fitting into your other daily responsibilities well, chances are it’s not a realistic plan. If you have a hectic schedule balancing family, work, and fitness, choose to exercise two or three days a week instead of five or six days a week. This may feel like it’s against proper workout principles, but the fact of the matter is that working out consistently two or three times per week will derive better results than hitting it hard for five straight days and then skipping the next two weeks because you’ve fallen behind on other responsibilities or overworked your body in those five days.
Make it easy on yourself and schedule your workouts on your calendar. By planning exercise amidst your family and work commitments, you will be able to find the right time for fitness. When you lay things out on a calendar, you’ll be able to see when you have availability, rather than trying to sneak in a workout here and there. Consistent workout plans are much easier to follow, and deliver better results than workout plans that are randomly thrown together.
Having things on the calendar will also keep you accountable. When last minute schedule conflicts pop up, and you already have fitness scheduled on your calendar, you will be prepared to reserve that time for your workout and find other time to squeeze in the last minute pop ups. With today’s busy lifestyles, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and difficult to stay consistent with anything. By planning your weeks, or even months, ahead of time you are setting yourself up for success by keeping yourself accountable with a consistent workout schedule.
Remember: what you do consistently matters more than what you do every once in awhile.
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1 Comment
Thanks I hope am able to learn the art of consistency without straining!