Consistency is King

At work I often get asked: "What is the quickest way to… get fitter…  lose weight… get hench, etc?  A lot of the time, my response isn't the golden ticket that was hoped for in the first place. This is because my answer to all of the above - and often more - is always - consistency. There are no magic workouts, no magic diets and no magic pills to do all the work for you. Obviously each of the above have their own different workouts and strategies to get to the desired goal. But when it comes down to it you have to be prepared to put the effort in to get to the gym or head out the door for your session and get it done.

Some days this will feel like the easiest thing in the world to do and you'll fly through your session feeling like you could go pro tomorrow. Other days you'll spend more time than the session itself would've actually taken you, thinking up reasons why you shouldn't do it. Then your brain wins and tricks you into just sitting back on the sofa (and then dealing with the associated guilt that comes with it!). Quite often the hardest part of the workout is that first step out the door or that first set. Then you remember why you're training, why you started in the first place. The joy of movement kicks in and it all makes sense again.

Keep on chasing yourself

Personally I find that consistency is the hardest part of training. We all know how hard that interval is or how tough it can be to turn around and sprint back up the hill. But to do it day after day, that’s where the true effort comes in. In the lead up to my wedding I found it particularly hard as I was very aware of this big event looming round the corner for which I couldn’t train for. My soon to be wife, family and friends put in a massive shift though and the day was amazing. As were my coaches, who eased off the pressure and let me train when it worked for me. I could see my performance levels had taken a hit but it was needed and meant I could focus on what really mattered. After the big day it was a struggle to get back into the routine of it all. Then there was the mild panic – which led me to question myself about whether those levels were ever going to come back? Again, the coaches stepped in and reassured me that it would return, or gave me the occasional kick up the arse if I was being a bit soft! But by plugging away and doing what I could consistently, the good feelings have returned and it’s all starting to make sense again. Now I am thankfully in a place where I am looking forward to each session.

If it all seems a bit daunting and you feel that urge to suddenly go and sit down on the sofa again, why not break the session down? See how you go for the first 10-20 minutes and if it really is a bad as your brain told you it would be and you're not recovered/hating it/dying, then you can stop and re-evaluate. If, however, the more than likely second option occurs, you actually start enjoying the session, kick on and get the rest done. Either way you'll feel a hell of a lot better than your other self, sitting on the sofa, watching Sons of Anarchy for the third time and eating your body weight in chocolate.

This is where your consistency streak begins. If you can keep completing your sessions on a consistent basis, then fitness, weight loss or even getting hench will come. But not before the hard work

So get out there, enjoy the process and the fitness that follows