We all know that consistency is the key to getting results. Yet, so many of us struggle to get and stay consistent. So, instead we get on and off of diets and exercise programs. We get results and then they quickly fade away when we can no longer keep up with the demands of the program. It is obvious that we would get much further if we could learn to consistently follow a realistic approach with our food and fitness. However, getting that knowledge to translate into the right action proves to be a challenge.
So what is it about consistency that makes it so seemingly unattainable? Why are we attracted to the complex, and sometimes extreme approaches, that we know we won’t maintain? I have found that there a few key consistency killers that keep us from jumping on the consistency train and riding it right into the station called our goals. Here’s what I have discovered.
Quick Fix Mentality
When we have a quick fix mentality, we are most concerned with how quickly we are getting results. The problem though is that consistency isn’t a silver bullet. It is a long-term solution When we focus on being consistent- not perfect, we may get results at a slightly slower pace in the beginning. All too often that slower pace makes us believe that our consistent approach isn’t working. We abandon the consistency that is sustainable to go right back to the quick fixes that are guaranteed to keep us losing and gaining.
The quickest way to combat quick fix mentality is to project our results into the future and get really honest with ourselves about our past experience with quick fixes. When you notice yourself feeling like your results haven’t come fast enough, calculate what that rate of result will look like six months from now. Sure, losing two pounds in a week may not sound like enough- until you realize that six months later that would be almost 25 pounds lost. If that still sounds like not enough progress, reflect on the past. Ask yourself when was the last time that you lost 25 pounds and how long it stayed gone. When we project our results into the future, it is easier to notice just how significant our progress is- especially when we factor in the sustainability of what we are doing to get them.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is not a badge of honor but rather a trap that keeps us stuck in the All or Nothing Mindset. Most of us aren’t able to execute on everything that it takes to get results 100% of the time. Even those of us who manage that feat tend to do it for short amounts of time. The problem is however that the amount of mental energy, time, and willpower that we use to do this can exhausting. That exhaustion is exactly why we stop executing when life gets busy. Rather than continue following our plan for a very sustainable eighty percent of the time (consistency), we take a break until we can “get back on track”. It is a vicious cycle that guarantees that we don’t ever reach our goals.
Being Too Laid Back
While consistency doesn’t demand perfect follow through, it does still require that we follow through the majority of the times. Being too laid back can trick us into thinking that consistency isn’t enough because we don’t realize that we aren’t REALLY being consistent.
Here’s a super embarrassing story about exactly how this played out in my own transformation. At one point, I was working with a coach to help me lose weight. His approach was a much needed relief from the very rigorous training and eating that I had become used to when I was a figure competitor. In the beginning, I got amazing results. Then, they stopped. I was really looking forward to our coaching call because I expected him to tell me what magic he was going to pull out of his bag to help me get results again. You can only imagine my shock when he only responded with, “I need you to go back to actually DOING the program. That will fix the problem”. Say what? At first, I was highly irritated. After all, I was paying him big bucks to help me achieve my goal. But, the truth was, he had enough experience to know that I had started to take his more relaxed approach too far.
Like many of us do when we aren’t following a super strict program, I had stretched his more flexible framework way too far and my results were showing it. After I got over being mad at him, I realized that he was right. I had started telling myself that this was “good enough” way too often. When this happens, the real fix isn’t finding the next strict program to follow. The solution is following our less strict program more often. After all, if we expect to keep our results for the long haul, we have got to get off the roller coaster of quick fixes and perfectionism but actually follow through often enough to get results.
Ready to get some help with becoming consistent so that you can get lasting results? Claim your spot in the free Consistency Challenge now.
Now you know exactly which traps could be killing your consistency and how to fix them What do you think about all of this? Did you see yourself in any of the consistency killers in this article? Sound off in the comments below and let me know.
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