Have you ever set out to start something new or accomplish a goal, only to end up putting it off, or never getting started at all? Whether you’re aiming for better fitness results, a new career goal or learning a new language, consistency is the only way to get there.
Consider this scenario that’s all too common in our society these days. John works a corporate job and sits at a desk all day. He’s wildly unhappy and has the energy of a potato. He’s gained a bunch of weight and knows deep down that this isn’t the life he wants. So he keeps setting goals to do something about it.
But every time he attempts to start, the same thought creeps into his head: ‘What difference does it make?’
With his sights set on better fitness results, John knows that anything he would eat today, or do at the gym today, won’t make any difference toward his goal. No amount of squats, deadlifts or burpees are going to get John fit today. And whether he eats a salad — or doesn’t eat at all — he’s not going to magically drop some pounds and regain his energy.
Moving the Dirt.
Technically, John is right that tangible change is not going to happen in one day. But what he’s overlooking is the one incredible thing that happens on the first day: He starts moving the dirt.
You see, your fitness journey is a lot like moving a pile of dirt. Some days, you have a shovel and some days you have a spoon. But every day that you show up, you’re moving the dirt.
So imagine a big-ass pile of dirt sitting in front of you. On that first day, when you show up with your spoon (because that’s all the energy you have if you’re overweight and exhausted), you move a spoonful of dirt.
When you look at the giant pile, you can’t even see where that spoonful of dirt came from. And when you look around on the ground for where you dumped the spoonful, you can barely find it.
So at this point, you have two choices: First, you can launch that stupid spoon, say f*ck it and go back to your normal life. Or you can show up again tomorrow and move another spoonful of dirt. And if you choose the latter, this is where the magic happens.
After about a week, you can start to see a tiny new pile of dirt forming. And after a month, you’ve got a bigger spoon and you’re able to see more progress. Six months later, imagine how much dirt you’ve moved. And a year from now, that first pile of dirt isn’t the mountain that it used to be.
Let’s take a less dirt-y look at your journey to better fitness results. Think about that first week when you have even just a bit more energy than you’ve had in years. After a month, you’ve created a habit and you can feel yourself getting stronger. Six months in, your clothes start to fit better. A year down the road, your friends and family are all wondering what you’ve been doing.
Don’t tell them you’ve been moving dirt. They’ll have questions.
But, We Want Better Fitness Results NOW.
We live in an instant-gratification world. If a video takes more than a couple seconds to load on our phone, we get annoyed. If the light turns green and the car in front of us doesn’t go immediately, we lay on the horn.
If we’re really honest, we all have a little Veruca Salt in us. Some of us have a lot. That is to say, “I don’t care how, I want it now.”
Unfortunately, instant gratification is impossible when it comes to fitness and nutrition. As mentioned above, there’s simply nothing you’re going to do in one day that will instantly produce better fitness results.
But here’s another way to look at it: Delayed gratification is also called dedication. You either want something badly enough to dedicate yourself to achieving it, or you don’t. And that dedication is what changes your mindset from ‘what difference does it make’ today, to ‘this is going to be a process and I’m committed to it.’
Your dedication mentally and emotionally sets you up to know and accept that better fitness results won’t be quick or easy.
Expectations Change Everything.
Further, there’s another layer to it: When we don’t expect it to be easy, we don’t quit when it gets hard. Because we knew it would eventually.
For example, a 10.40.10 Fitness member recently switched jobs, which forced her to change her workout schedule. She used to attend class at 5:30pm, but working late meant that 5:00am was her new most viable option. On day one of her new schedule, she signed up, hit the snooze and missed class.
Day two: Repeat day one.
Day three: Samesies.
Day four: Didn’t bother to sign up. Will try again Monday.
What happened during that first week was the result of mindset and an unrealistic expectation. When she committed to the new schedule, she saw herself popping out of bed when the alarm went off and prancing happily off to class. That in itself was a little far-fetched because unfortunately, no one prances anymore.
But she did see herself managing to wake up on time, get dressed and (perhaps even somewhat groggily) drive to the gym.
You know what she didn’t anticipate? How amazing a warm bed feels at 4:30am, especially when it’s cold outside. Or how easy it is to sleep instead of work out. Or how hard it is to start a new routine (especially when the alternative is a warm bed and sleep).
Instead, she needed to remind herself that it was perfectly normal to want to stay in bed, but that in order to move the dirt, it wasn’t an option.
The “Magic Pill” for Better Fitness Results is Consistency.
When it comes to better fitness results, there truly is no “magic pill” except for simply showing up, time after time. You have to find a workout that you enjoy, and preferably with a community of like-minded people.
There are a ton of great workout options out there. For many people, variety is the key to motivation. If your workouts are different every day, it provides a new challenge and helps to motivate you to keep moving the dirt.
Ultimately, consistency happens in two simple steps:
- Start.
- Stop stopping.
It’s not complicated. Sometimes you just need to turn your brain off so it can’t get in the way of your dedication. Stop talking yourself out of things and start making your actions align with your goals.
Remember, you are strong in so many ways. You are capable of so much more than you think. And capable people move some effing dirt. So grab a spoon and let’s go.
