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 gym

Routine: workout

Reward: listen to her fave podcast on the way back home from the gym (and take that hot bath after!)