Power Of One - The Law of Consistency

The Law of Consistency

Commit to consistency.

Consistency is a crucial element of success. That’s just a fact.

Research shows that having shorter, more consistent workout sessions will bring you better results than irregular or larger workout sessions. Consistent training in your fitness routine also builds endurance, reduces muscle-based injuries, and improves technique and performance.

It just makes sense. Shorter workouts put less strain on your body, so you’re not exhausting yourself and can work out more frequently.

We know that consistency is essential, but it’s not always easy to get started building a consistent fitness routine. You have to have the strength and willpower to fully commit to creating these new habits and routines.

Today, commit to consistency and watch success materialize before your very eyes.

“Muhammad Ali was a boxing phenomenon born in Louisville Kentucky under the name “Cassius Clay” who famously referred to himself as “The Greatest” with enough consistency and purpose that it really stuck.” – Darrin Wiggins

How to be more consistent:

1. Isolate one goal

Developing consistency is difficult. It takes effort, consistently. Day in and day out you have to put the work in to get the results.

The trick is to pick one goal to focus on at a time. Start there. Work at it. Make it a daily habit to put your 1% towards that goal. Soon your efforts will become second nature. Your body and mind will crave the habit you’ve built.

Once you hit this stage, you can introduce a new goal.

2. Start with the small stuff

Start with a goal that’s simple, make it impossible to fail. It can be as simple as doing a breathing or meditation exercise in the morning or a 15-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session. Once you get into the flow with this one little thing, start to build on top of that. Beginning small is especially helpful when you're lacking motivation. Having that little bit of success under your belt can make you feel more motivated and confident that you can do something bigger.

If you think 15 minutes (1% of your day) won’t make a difference, take this into consideration. Exercise Intensity has a much bigger impact on gains than exercise duration. Research shows that a 15-minute HIIT session is more beneficial for weight loss and increases in strength than an hour-long low intensity run or exercise session.

The HIIT workout also fires up your EPOC, which can burn calories for up to 24 hours after you workout, among other amazing benefits!

Get more results for less work! Say what?!

3. Plan ahead

The excuse we hear most often is, "I just don't have time for it." So… Step 1: make time for it. You are worth the investment.

By scheduling your workouts in advance, you make it a set part of your schedule. Book it in your calendar, so you feel less like you're rushing around or only squeezing it in. Scheduling your workout times also helps you better understand how much you can achieve within your scheduled time, test your limits, and adjust your workout plans as you progress.

Pro Tip – Set an alarm or reminder to stay on track!

4. Focus on incremental improvement

Powerful habits don’t form overnight, our brains don’t work that way.

New research declares that it takes months to permanently change your behaviour, 66 days to be exact and as long as 254 days. That’s a lot of patience and focus, and work.

Allow yourself to celebrate the small wins, the incremental improvements you achieve aren’t small at all. This ties back to our Law of Compound Gains – 1% per day for 365 days will improve your performance by 3,680%. That’s insane!

5. Train your mind to say yes

The brain is a taxing organ. Research shows it uses a lot of energy, up to 20% of the body’s output per day!

This is why we sometimes feel mentally sluggish or lazy, especially when faced with a challenge like consistency. Sometimes we really are tired, but sometimes it’s just a biological trick.

Don’t fall for it. Push yourself. Fight your emotions. These are the most important moments to drag your ass off the couch and go put that work in. Its scientific fact that exercise changes the mind in a positive way. When you start feeling low energy and negative thoughts creep in, a 15-minute HIIT workout will pump you full of enough dopamine and endorphins to make you feel happy for hours. Plus, you’ll think clearer and do better work after you hit it.

When your brain says no, train your mind to say yes.

6. Forgive your failures

We’re all human, even world Champs miss a workout, albeit rarely. But what sets them apart is they get right back at it the next opportunity.

When you miss a gym day, don’t let that discourage you from hitting the next one in your schedule.

“Slipping on your habits doesn’t make you a failure," writes the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear. “It makes you normal. What separates top performers from everyone else is that they get back on track quickly.

7. Give yourself rest days

Rest is the most essential part of your workout routine. If you over-exercise, your body will be too worn out and fatigued to keep going and achieve the level of work you want to achieve. Listening to your body is the key here. If you need more rest or feel like you could be doing more, adjust your schedule as you progress and learn more about your body and your abilities.

“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson