Have you ever set a goal and then fell off course?

Are you training for something now, but it’s not really going as planned?

You’re not alone.  It’s human to have trouble getting a habit to become part of our daily life.

But… I want to share some secrets with you if you’re wondering why it’s hard to create new habits that you really want to change!

First let’s talk about what’s going in inside because that’s where it all starts.

What Happens When We Try to Change

When you try to start something different, or incorporate a change, your body notices.

Resistance kicks in.

You know when you start a new workout and you feel really good about it after the first day?

Then on day 2, you’re a little sore (you felt like you did something yesterday), which might give you a positive mental boost, or it could send you into a spiral of negative thoughts and self-criticism that you’re more out of shape than you realized, and “this is going to be so hard.”

As you continue on with days 3, 4, and 5, your inner critic continues to let you know that you’re not good at making changes, you’ve failed in the past, it’s going to take too long (so why bother?), and all the other negative things it can think of to keep you from the uncomfortable sense that naturally (and always) comes with change.

To add to this, your body is sore because you’ve introduced a new stress. With time it will adapt and get stronger to meet to stress. But for now, it sends a physiological signal to the brain that maybe you’re doing something wrong and should just stop.

On the flip side…

What happens when we stick with a new habit, program, or training workout?

Our cells are used to the flood of neurotransmitters coming from the positive experience we eventually have, and it’s easier to continue towards activities that give you this, because you’re programmed for it. The key here is to stick with the transition period while your body creates the new receptors for this!

In other words, if you can learn to get through that beginning stage, hire your inner coach to take the lead over the inner critic, and keep going – you will be able to stick with your plans more easily.

Here’s some key steps to being successful and staying consistent.

How to Stay Consistent with Your Workout or Training Plan

Clarity

Why do you want to train, workout, or create this new routine or habit?  Ask yourself three things:

1. What does it mean to you?
2. How is it going to make you feel?
3. What is the result you want most?

Be specific and if you think you’ve come up with the answer – ask yourself why – to make sure you’ve uncovered enough layers to know what it’s really about for you.

Knowing why you’re doing something matters when you have a tough day and your inner critic questions you and says, “This is tough. Why are you doing this again? Does it really matter?”

Say Hello to Your Inner Critic

Speaking of the inner critic, the next key step is to just be aware of the voice of your inner critic showing up. Instead of ignoring it, you take the power back when you simply realize this voice is there, but it’s not the real you.

Remember, the inner critic is there trying to protect you from harm, discomfort, pain, and other negative experiences.  Just realize it doesn’t know any better in this case, and say, “thanks for looking out for me, but I really can do this and I’m going to stick with the plan.”

The bottom line is: You have the choice to take direction from the inner critic or move forward despite their input.

The next step is realizing you can’t rely on willpower to maintain consistency.

There will be ebbs and flows in your life and how you feel, so instead of relying on the fact that you’ll feel like sticking with your plan every day do these things to actually make it happen!

Schedule Your Plans

Schedule is key because if you don’t plan to do it, you’re basically planning not to do it. Take a few minutes before the week starts to look at your schedule and plan when you’ll workout each day.

Depending on your schedule and if it’s possible, try scheduling your workout time for the same day and time each week for a month to make it part of a new routine.

Track Your Awesome Progress

The other piece to planning and scheduling your workout time, is tracking what you do. For example, keep a journal for tracking these three things:

• Workout details
• How did you feel (give a + or -)?
• Sleep (time to bed, time you wake up)

Set the journal somewhere you’ll see it at the end of the day so you can take a few minutes to track.

Positive Triggers

Finally, give yourself some positive triggers. These are cues in our everyday life that lead us to take action automatically.

Maybe every day on your way home from work, you have a snack that fuels you for the workout you’re going to do when you get home later. The result?  You’re not hitting the door hungry (or “hangry”) with no willpower to workout.

Maybe every morning after you have breakfast, you commit to 10 minutes of yoga before you get ready for the rest of the day.

I also use essential oils to connect exercise with a positive and energized state and mood.

Think of something that can trigger you for that action you want to take, and do it repeatedly for 30 days.

Go for Small Steps of Progress

If you want to change anything… keep it simple. When it comes to your workout or training program, just start moving.

I do yoga every morning for some length of time.  I started a habit awhile back of doing this and sometimes it even happens while I’m still in bed. I just get the blood flowing through my body to wake up.

The same goes for when I’m feeling sluggish before a run. I just commit to moving slowly for the first 10 minutes or so, and allow myself to build motivation and enjoyment for what I’m doing.

So start slow and simple, let your endorphins kick in, remember why you’re out there, and then keep going.

The thing is, moving your body in ways that bring you joy, a sense of adventure, and a feeling of strength is so important, and you’ll never experience that if you don’t stick with it long enough.

Choose one of the things I talked about and focus on it this week. Then come back and pick another focus until you’re moving forward with new habits and routines you never thought you would actually do!

The little things we do every day that have the most positive impact because they add up – they’re easy to do or easy not to do. Decide and make small, consistent changes in your day to day. Don’t just intend or plan, but do it and keep going.

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