“Move It to Lose It” Participants, we are officially in our last week of the challenge! Can you believe 8 weeks has flown by already?!
We hope that, as time has flown by, you have found a new rhythm and consistency to your exercise routine. Maybe it’s getting up early, staying late after work, spending extra time on your days off, or maybe incorporating more exercise in throughout your day. However you added more exercise to your day, we applaud you! It’s not easy to make changes and create a new routine, but we hope you are well on your way at this point.
So the question now becomes how do I maintain this new consistency and not fall back into old habits? Check out the tips from “wiki how” below for some guidance!
1. Use critical visualization. Visualization, though it may sound silly, can actually aid you a lot if you use it properly. You want to use realistic visualization that considers the obstacles and set-backs that you may face.
a. Daydreaming can also be useful, as long as you limit your time doing it. Give your mind time to range freely each night before you go to bed. This can help you process and assess situations, and help you to keep your consistency and goals, because you'll come up with ways to get past the potential obstacles that might keep you from gaining this skill.
b. Meditation can help control your mind, and you'll need to control your mind (and all its urges) if you want to remain consistent. Try to practice meditating for at least 15 minutes each day. Sit somewhere quietly and breathe deeply. As you breathe focus on your breath. If you find your mind straying, direct your attention back to your breath.
2. Plan for failure. Everyone fails. It doesn't matter how dedicated you are, how intelligent you are, how prepared you are, you aren't always going to succeed. You have to be willing to entertain that possibility and figure out what to do if you don't succeed. How are you going to handle failure?
a. A lot of times the reason people fail to maintain their willpower and their consistency is because they haven't planned for failure. Individual failures mean little to your overall success (for example, getting to the gym and realizing you forgot your workout shoes. Can you work out in the shoes you already have or is there something else you are able to do without your work out shoes?).
b. Plan for your setbacks and failures. From here forward, maybe you plan to keep a spare pair of workout shoes in your car so you always have a pair.
c. Consistency doesn't equal perfection, remember. For example, yes it is important to workout most days of the week. However, life sometimes gets into the way, sometimes you're sick, sometimes you simply don't exercise. If you start beating yourself up for not exercising, you'll make yourself less rather than more likely to be consistent.
3. Increase your motivation. If you don't stay motivated you won't make those changes in your life that allow you to be consistent. You'll fall back into old, less good, patterns of behavior, instead of sticking with the new patterns you're trying to create.
a. Don't tell yourself "I'm not motivated" or even "I'm not feeling motivated today." The more you skip days when you're trying to instill new patterns of thought in yourself, the less likely you are to succeed. Instead, tell yourself "I'm going to practice being motivated today even if I don't feel like it." If you're having a difficult day and you don't want to, for example, do any exercise; do less than you normally do. If you exercise for an hour, cut that down to half an hour. You never know, maybe once you are at the gym, you feel better and end up doing an hour anyway.
b. Don't try to do too many things at one time. This has been mentioned before, but it's worth repeating. Sort your different goals out one or two at a time. If you're trying to get into shape, you're going to burnout quickly if try to make too many changes at once.
c. Remind yourself why consistency is important to you. What is it you're trying to accomplish by being consistent? What happens if you fail to be consistent? Keeping these things in mind when you're trying to accomplish your goals and be consistent.
i. The 5 Why’s
1. Try this exercise out to help you narrow in on your reasoning for doing what you are doing and wanting to stay consistent with it.
2. First, write down your long term goal or reasoning for doing what you are doing.
3. Then, ask yourself “Why?” to this statement. Write down your answer.
4. Then, using your new answer, ask yourself “Why?” to this statement. Write down your new answer.
5. Continue to repeat this process until you have asked yourself the question “Why?” 5 times.
Ultimately, consistency really is key! No matter if you are doing yoga, running, CrossFit, Zumba, or any other form of exercise. What is important is that you find something you enjoy to do and stay consistent with it. Consistency provides results!
If you are struggling, please feel free to reach out to HFA, as we would love to help you, wherever you are at in your journey. Also, keep your eyes peeled on our Quarter 2 challenge, coming soon!
Best wishes from the HFA Team on your consistency journey!
Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
hearley@mvhospital.net
We hope that, as time has flown by, you have found a new rhythm and consistency to your exercise routine. Maybe it’s getting up early, staying late after work, spending extra time on your days off, or maybe incorporating more exercise in throughout your day. However you added more exercise to your day, we applaud you! It’s not easy to make changes and create a new routine, but we hope you are well on your way at this point.
So the question now becomes how do I maintain this new consistency and not fall back into old habits? Check out the tips from “wiki how” below for some guidance!
1. Use critical visualization. Visualization, though it may sound silly, can actually aid you a lot if you use it properly. You want to use realistic visualization that considers the obstacles and set-backs that you may face.
a. Daydreaming can also be useful, as long as you limit your time doing it. Give your mind time to range freely each night before you go to bed. This can help you process and assess situations, and help you to keep your consistency and goals, because you'll come up with ways to get past the potential obstacles that might keep you from gaining this skill.
b. Meditation can help control your mind, and you'll need to control your mind (and all its urges) if you want to remain consistent. Try to practice meditating for at least 15 minutes each day. Sit somewhere quietly and breathe deeply. As you breathe focus on your breath. If you find your mind straying, direct your attention back to your breath.
2. Plan for failure. Everyone fails. It doesn't matter how dedicated you are, how intelligent you are, how prepared you are, you aren't always going to succeed. You have to be willing to entertain that possibility and figure out what to do if you don't succeed. How are you going to handle failure?
a. A lot of times the reason people fail to maintain their willpower and their consistency is because they haven't planned for failure. Individual failures mean little to your overall success (for example, getting to the gym and realizing you forgot your workout shoes. Can you work out in the shoes you already have or is there something else you are able to do without your work out shoes?).
b. Plan for your setbacks and failures. From here forward, maybe you plan to keep a spare pair of workout shoes in your car so you always have a pair.
c. Consistency doesn't equal perfection, remember. For example, yes it is important to workout most days of the week. However, life sometimes gets into the way, sometimes you're sick, sometimes you simply don't exercise. If you start beating yourself up for not exercising, you'll make yourself less rather than more likely to be consistent.
3. Increase your motivation. If you don't stay motivated you won't make those changes in your life that allow you to be consistent. You'll fall back into old, less good, patterns of behavior, instead of sticking with the new patterns you're trying to create.
a. Don't tell yourself "I'm not motivated" or even "I'm not feeling motivated today." The more you skip days when you're trying to instill new patterns of thought in yourself, the less likely you are to succeed. Instead, tell yourself "I'm going to practice being motivated today even if I don't feel like it." If you're having a difficult day and you don't want to, for example, do any exercise; do less than you normally do. If you exercise for an hour, cut that down to half an hour. You never know, maybe once you are at the gym, you feel better and end up doing an hour anyway.
b. Don't try to do too many things at one time. This has been mentioned before, but it's worth repeating. Sort your different goals out one or two at a time. If you're trying to get into shape, you're going to burnout quickly if try to make too many changes at once.
c. Remind yourself why consistency is important to you. What is it you're trying to accomplish by being consistent? What happens if you fail to be consistent? Keeping these things in mind when you're trying to accomplish your goals and be consistent.
i. The 5 Why’s
1. Try this exercise out to help you narrow in on your reasoning for doing what you are doing and wanting to stay consistent with it.
2. First, write down your long term goal or reasoning for doing what you are doing.
3. Then, ask yourself “Why?” to this statement. Write down your answer.
4. Then, using your new answer, ask yourself “Why?” to this statement. Write down your new answer.
5. Continue to repeat this process until you have asked yourself the question “Why?” 5 times.
Ultimately, consistency really is key! No matter if you are doing yoga, running, CrossFit, Zumba, or any other form of exercise. What is important is that you find something you enjoy to do and stay consistent with it. Consistency provides results!
If you are struggling, please feel free to reach out to HFA, as we would love to help you, wherever you are at in your journey. Also, keep your eyes peeled on our Quarter 2 challenge, coming soon!
Best wishes from the HFA Team on your consistency journey!
Until next time,
Hayley Earley, BS, CSCS, Pn1
hearley@mvhospital.net
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