WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THE SECRET?

What if I told you there IS a secret to achieving everything you set out to do……and that magic thing is….

CONSISTENCY

Think of that word in any given situation and think about the kind of person you want to be.

Consistency is a skill and just like any other it takes time to learn and years of practice to perfect.

It may not be something that comes naturally to you. You might enjoy being under pressure, knowing that you can just make an ‘all-out’ effort when the time comes to get in shape for a holiday, the summer or a particular event.

So why is consistency so important?

Being consistent means never having to ‘get back in the swing of things’ or start again.

Being consistent means making constant progress, which keeps enthusiasm and motivation high.

Being consistent is usually the difference between failure and success.

Realise that results take time.

But if consistency is the secret to achieving your health goals, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Because it’s boring. Planning, habit and repetition aren’t as exciting as being spontaneous and impulsive.

The media are very skilled at trying to confuse us with the latest superfood or diet, the next miracle cure, so we skip from one thing to the next hoping to have found the Holy Grail of fat loss.

Temptation and your environment. If you don’t have supportive friends and family, or you have a workplace where a Friday cake run is the law, consistency will be an uphill battle.

Life gets in the way. The good and the bad. Weekends away, anniversaries, or when the shit does just hit the fan.

If you make the things you need to be consistent with small and easy, they will still work up against all these factors.

Choose ONE THING and do it consistently for two weeks, three weeks or even a whole month. However long it takes for that stuff to sink in.

It could be swapping calorific drinks for water and herbal tea. Or it could be eating green vegetables with every meal. Make it really easy.

Once you’ve nailed that, add something else in.

HOW DO YOU STAY CONSISTENT?

1. Get clear about your ‘why’ – Before you start, get clear about what you want, and why.

I know this sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people skip this important step or don’t define it enough.

If you don’t have a really good ‘why’, one that you’re emotionally invested in, you don’t have a hope in hell of dragging your arse out of bed for that 6am workout when you could just stay under the duvet.

2. Schedule things in – habits are formed by responding to an external trigger and reinforced by repetition. For example, I manage to consistently have a glass of water (simple) by always doing it after I brush my teeth. So, brushing my teeth is the trigger for drinking water, which is the action. I brush my teeth, every day, at around the same time, which is the repetition part.

3. Focus on the process, not the result –For example, having a goal of losing 10% body fat may seem like a mountain to climb. You can’t control the result. Focus on what you can control, which is making good food choices every day.

4. Don’t confuse being consistent with being perfect – give yourself room to mess up. Life happens. Shit happens. Don’t use one slip-up as an excuse to press the ‘fuck it’ button.

5. Remember feelings or thoughts are temporary. If you feel tired, bored or like you can’t be bothered, remember those feelings will change.

If you don’t continue with your new habits, you’ll also feel regret and self-loathing. We just need to eat those feelings and GET IT DONE.

“But being consistent is STILL really hard!”

Ok, here’s plan B:

* If you’re tired – DO IT ANYWAY

* If you’re stressed – DO IT ANYWAY

* If you’re busy – DO IT ANYWAY

* If you’re bored – DO IT ANYWAY

* If you’re sad – DO IT ANYWAY