Fitness Friday #31: Be Consistent

My top fitness and wellness tip? Be consistent.

One of the great things about this tip is that it can be different from person to person. Being consistent might include:

1. Drinking 8 cups of water a day
2. Working out at the same time each day (or simply adding “work out” to your daily planner and DOING it)
3. Going to bed at the same time each night
4. Waking up at the same time each day
5. Spending one day each week planning meals

There are so many possibilities! I know that when I’m consistent, my health and appearance reflect that. If I eat something that my body is not used to eating, if I don’t get enough sleep or drink enough water, if my personal workouts aren’t planned in advance, then my attitude, appearance, and outlook reflect that.

How can you develop a consistent plan? Write it down. Keep a written or online planner and write it down. It’s much easier to have a global view of your goals this way. Planning in advance will help you keep consistent daily.

A few things I do:

1. Meal plan every Sunday. I need to know where my sources of fuel are coming from, and then we go shopping on Sundays to make sure we have everything we need for the week. This helps later in the week when we’re not going to the store each day to grab something, or left wondering what’s for dinner at 8:00 p.m.
2. Track workouts. I create a calendar using Google Drive and highlight/write notes when I’ve completed the workout. This has been especially awesome for weightlifting. I created a plan, then I go into that plan and write notes for how heavy I lifted, what felt right, what was too light or heavy, etc.
3. 99% of the time, I practice yoga 5-30 minutes a day. The length of time isn’t important to me, just that I do it each day.

What will you do this week to be consistent in your fitness and wellness plans? Consistency can help you achieve your goals whether you want to lose weight, eat better, get stronger, or become more flexible!