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Are You Tired of Quitting On Your Exercise Program? Fix It: Part 1

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The most important measurements that will determine success in a fitness and nutrition program are CONSISTENCY and PERSISTENCE.
  • Consistency: Are you doing it on most days without big lapses in your routine?
  • Persistence: Are you doing it for a long time…even when things are plateauing and aren’t going as planned?
If you are a starter and stopper…like many of us are…these are the two things you need to attack FIRST.
When goal setting, it is best to start with the end in mind and work our way backwards. If we know our goals ultimately end with consistency and persistence, we need to address these first.
How can you be more consistent? How can you be more persistent?
In Part 1 we are going to focus on CONSISTENCY:
What is best for you may not be best for YOU.
What?
Most of the research out there backs the idea that the most efficient, long-term, sustainable fitness program consists of 3 things:
  •  2-3 days per week of lifting weights at a moderate intensity for 35-45 minutes.
  • 2-3 days per week of low-moderate intensity aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes.
  • Increased NEAT (Non-exercise movement. Aiming for 10,000 steps a day is a good example).
This is an “ideal world” scenario. This type of program works. It is simple, effective, and sustainable for a long period of time. But is it for you?
1. Do you enjoy this type of exercise?
If YES, keep reading. If no, skip to Number 2.
If your answer is yes, great!
JUST GET STARTED. This is the hardest part, because you may not feel great at first. Don’t worry about that yet. Trust the process:
  • Start with basic movements like squats, pushups, deadlifts, and rows.
  • Focus on technique.
  • Track progress. Each week, look to either increase number of reps, number of sets, or make small increases in weights.
  • Do little things to hold you accountable to showing up.
  • Little things like putting your workout clothes and sneakers by the door the night before can make a big difference.
  • We made up little workout cards last month to hold our members accountable to a certain number of workouts in the month and marked them off every time a workout was completed. You would be shocked at the difference this card made for people to hold themselves accountable!
If you enjoy this type of training, getting started will be the hardest part. The good news: You WILL make progress. Since you enjoy it, you shouldn’t take too long to turn your routine into a habit and maintain consistency.
2. Do enjoy this type of exercise?
If the answer is NO, then we need to make a change.
As an arrogant young coach, I had this belief in my head that I knew the right way, and this was the only way.
I was wrong.
Just because something looks good on paper does not mean it is right for YOU. At least not right now.
How many times have you fallen into this trap:
New Years comes along and you set a New Years Resolution. You join a gym. You hit the elliptical for 30 minutes and rotate through a few machines. This is either what you have been told to do, or all you know how to do.
It’s boring, monotonous, and you dread every minute of it.
But you are motivated and inspired…for now. You have made a commitment…a resolution… and want to stick with it, no matter how brutal it is.
But that motivation and inspiration will, without a doubt, wear off. Without motivation and inspiration…why would you do something that you absolutely despise every single day?
You won’t. That’s why gyms all over the country, today on January 9th, are slammed with new clients that will not be there on March 1st.
Especially when starting out, you need to find something that you at least KIND OF enjoy (this doesn’t mean you will enjoy it every day, but at least the positives outweigh the negatives).
Even if you are someone who inherently does not like to exercise, I PROMISE there is still something out there for you.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
So what if your friends are doing something else?
So what if the blog you read on the internet said something else is better for you?
Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. If you don’t want to do it, eventually you won’t. You will not be consistent. If you cannot be consistent, nothing else ultimately matters.
The question you need to answer as you start your new years resolution routine:
Is this something you can see yourself doing 3-4 days per week for the next 10 years?
If yes, give it a shot. I cannot guarantee your results…but I CAN tell you it is better than stopping and starting over, and over again.
Once you get into the habit of doing SOMETHING, then we can look to fine-tune some of the details.
Many of our members were in your position last year. They found a program, an environment, and people that made exercise enjoyable for them. They stuck with it…and so can you.
We don’t have it all figured out, but I am very confident in the program that we have put together at BOLT.
It’s a pretty darn good combination of doing things “the right way” and having fun while doing it.
If you can’t enjoy it, consistency will be a challenge.
In Part 2, we will discuss persistence. Things will not always go as planned. How do we prevent ourselves from falling totally out of our routine and break the good habits we have worked so hard to form? We will talk about that later this week.

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