By: Seena Khonsari, MS, CSCS
Consistency is greatly underestimated when individuals begin a fitness routine or regimen. Too much emphasis is placed on the ‘perfect’ quantity of workouts versus the consistency in which that quantity is repeated. If you can learn to harness this aspect of your fitness, you are on your way to discovering the ‘key’ to this whole endeavor.
Each workout is a new opportunity for a stimulus which can lead to an adaptation by the body (so long as the stimulus is something new and not repeated). If you allow repeated gaps between training sessions, you end up unintentionally ‘deconditioning’ your body; and essentially do not find yourself making progression beyond the baseline progression. In other words, you are spinning your wheels.
Just as importantly as the stimulus, each new workout is an opportunity to practice movement patterns. The more consistently you practice, the better you get. We are not just talking about getting stronger; but becoming more accurate in your movement and establishing a better connection with your central nervous system and body. This is just like an athletic ‘skill’, such as shooting a basketball.
Above all, consistency develops habit. If it does not become habit, you will lose sight of the fact that we choose to workout, not because we always want to, but because this is the commitment we made from the beginning. You end up exerting too much energy and effort trying to make it to the gym instead of using that energy towards your actual training sessions. For long-term fitness success, we are intended to have developed the habit.
Consistently working out is conformance to the belief that we would rather dedicate the time and energy we have now so that we can lead a higher quality of life later. As a non-conformist, I can tell you that fitness is the one thing that got me; and for too many good reasons to explain. Try working consistency back into the routine if it’s been a while, and watch what happens!
