Do these 3 things to stay consistent with your training
We all know that consistency is key when it comes to building healthy habits and achieving difficult things. It’s really about showing up every day - especially on the days we really don’t feel like it! While this is easier said than done, discipline alone can only take us so far - especially when we are trying to juggle a job, family, social life, hobbies, and a million other things at the same time. So instead of working harder, there’s a few ways we can work smarter - here are our top 3 tips on small tweaks you can make to ensure you never miss a workout!
Schedule in your workouts
As co-founder Sam always says - put your workouts in your diary, the same way you’d schedule in a meeting or an appointment. You can think of it as an appointment you are having with yourself, and that it’s a non-negotiable one - you HAVE to show up to it. The simple act of adding them to your calendar - as opposed to only taking a mental note of ‘I’m working out tonight at 7-ish pm’ - could be the difference between you making it to the gym that day! Extra brownie points if you schedule in your entire week of workouts in advance!
Find a workout bestie
It’s no secret that team workouts are a game-changer. Having someone waiting for you at the gym makes it reallyyyyy difficult to cancel, or be late, or reschedule - they’ve put in time and effort to be there and you don’t want to disappoint them! And once you’re in the gym, working out with a friend will give you an extra challenge and help you push yourself more. There’s a few other reasons why team training could be the missing puzzle to your fitness journey - find out what they are here!
Use the science of habit building to your advantage
Scientists love researching habits and how our brains act when we are trying to create a habit - or break a bad one. One of the most established theories - the habit loop - is a great framework to use as well as a great example of the ‘work smarter not harder’ approach.
Instead of struggling to find motivation or beating ourselves up for ‘not having enough discipline’, we could just come up with a cue and a reward that will get us to train consistently.
Here’s an example of what that could look like:
Busy Brenda finishes work at 5pm. She’d like to train in the evening but struggles to find motivation after a hard day of work when all she wants to do is take a hot bath and listen to her fave podcast.
Here’s how Busy Brenda can use the framework to make sure she never skips a workout:
Cue: She logs off work and closes her laptop; no doom scrolling or sitting around after; automatic action after: put on workout clothes and head to the gymRoutine: workout
Reward: listen to her fave podcast on the way back home from the gym (and take that hot bath after!)