Getting into a consistent fitness routine can seem tough—not only do you have to carve out the time, but you have put in some blood, sweat, and tears, right? Well, not so fast. While exercise should challenge us, we shouldn’t dread it because we think we have to be perfect.
When it comes to losing weight and working out, it’s not about perfection at all. It’s about being consistent and showing up and giving it your all every single workout. Perfection doesn’t equal progress, so here’s your invitation to drop the idea that the only way to reach your health goals is to be perfect about your fitness or healthy eating routine.
And, research shows that consistency beats perfection when it comes to your fitness routine and weight loss goals. We’re breaking down why perfection isn’t the answer and some hacks on how to get into the right headspace to get into that consistent workout routine to take your results to the next level.
Here’s Why Perfection Isn’t the Answer
Even the word perfection is enough to send most of us into a total anxious and stressed out tailspin. It puts a ton of unnecessary pressure on us in every aspect of life. And, if you’re striving for perfection in your current fitness routine, you may be doing yourself a disservice.
Why? Because chances are if you’re after that perfect workout schedule, or the perfect number of workout days per week, if you happen to have an off day, you may go down a road of serious self-sabotage by beating yourself up.
And not only that, but perfection often holds people back. We get into this mental state of thinking that if it can’t be perfect, why do it—like if we can’t hit the gym for an hour per day, then it’s not worth exercising at all.
But, when it comes down to it, twenty minutes of movement every single day can move mountains when it comes to your health and fitness goals.
See where we’re coming from?
Use The Power of a Consistent Fitness Routine to Help You Reach Your Goals
Ok, so we know that we really need to do away with the whole idea of perfection. It sets us up for unrealistic expectations that can set the tone for major disappointment that may ultimately set us back.
Consistency, on the other hand, allows us to take realistic steps (daily) towards our goals. Whether it’s being consistent with your healthy eating goals, or consistently showing up and pressing play on your workouts, consistency always wins.
We came across some interesting research to back just how powerful consistency can be when it comes to exercise.
A study published in Discover Magazine found that consistent exercisers:
- Exercised more times per week.
- Worked out for longer.
- Were more likely to meet the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week.
The study also found that those who consistently worked out were mostly exercising in the morning. This makes sense because it’s easy to let the business of the day get in the way of our workout routine. But, if we get our sweat in before we head out the door to work, we can guarantee that consistent effort is put in before an excuse can get in the way.
What we can take away from this study is that being consistent with our fitness routine will ultimately help us reach our goals faster.
Here are some of our go-to hacks to make sure you are getting your sweat sesh in each day.
- Workout first thing in the morning or even on your lunch break if you need to find a time to squeeze it in.
- Set out your workout clothes the night before to set yourself up for success.
- Write out a consistent fitness routine schedule each week so you know what to expect.
- Vary your workouts so that you don’t get bored.
- Use the convenience of working out from home, so you eliminate the excuse of needing to get in the car to drive to the gym.
- Have a workout buddy so you can help keep each other accountable.
Consistency Helps With Healthy Eating Goals Too
Consistency isn’t just important with fitness—it’s also just as important when it comes to your healthy eating goals. Healthy eating is truly a journey, not a final destination. It’s unrealistic to think about radically changing your diet overnight and then being perfect with every food choice.
Allowing yourself to transition into healthy eating takes the pressure off of setting unrealistic expectations. Plus, knowing that you can still have some of your favorite treats every once in a while will eliminate the pressure of needing your diet to be perfect.
At the end of the day, it’s about balance, not perfection.
It’s also about consistency. Here are some of our favorite ways to make healthy eating a habit and something you stick with.
- Start by consistently eating healthy for one meal per day. Try starting with breakfast, then move onto lunch, and then dinner. Before you know it, you’ll be optimizing each meal with nutrient-dense foods.
- Be consistent with healthy snacks too. Make grab and go snack jars on the weekends with things like nuts and seeds, and sliced veggies with hummus to have to snack on when the workweek gets busy.
- Try being more consistent with cooking more at home. Making your meals from scratch gives you the power to decide what ingredients you use, helping you avoid the not so healthy options.
- To help yourself stay consistent with healthy eating, try to keep unhealthy foods out of the house.
- Stop and think about what motivates you and write it down. This will help you stay consistent when things start to feel challenging.
Consistency Trumps Perfection Every Time
Today, challenge yourself to get out of the perfection headspace. Realize that no matter how small of a step you take, showing up and being consistent about reaching your fitness and health goals is doing something.
Making consistent healthy change (even if it’s small) is never a waste of time. So, let’s do away with the idea of perfection and start being realistic and consistent.
Ready, set, go! Get out there and make a commitment to being consistent with either fitness or healthy eating. You’ll be one step closer to conquering those goals!
