A lot of people talk about how they want to get in shape. They prepare diet plans in excruciating detail. They make New Year’s resolutions and start exercising for a couple of hours every day.
And yet, despite all this planning, they fail at improving their fitness levels…or in other words, to get in better shape. Time and time again I have noticed people I know go through exactly this. Maybe you yourself have gone through this.
Why does this happen? Is it because they didn’t plan things out in more detail? Is it because they picked yoga over weight lifting? More than likely, it’s not because of any of the reasons above or any other reason you may be compelled to think of.
Making Success a Habit
The trick to success is consistency. It’s not about how perfect your plan is or whether you do yoga, strength training, etc. Half the work to getting in shape is to just show up each and every day. Whether it is for five minutes or an hour, just set aside the time each day and BE there.
The idea is to make exercising a habit that you just can’t not do. Habits are powerful and humans are creatures of habit, good or bad. And building a habit is not hard, all you have to do is show up, every day.
Success Thrives on Momentum
Start small in the beginning. People who start too intensely in the beginning also run out of gas quickly. And this is no good, because like I said before, the trick to getting in shape is consistency. Think of it as a one-year marathon—that’s usually how long it takes to get long-lasting, healthy results.
Just showing up each day is like a small victory. Even if you spent just five minutes because you had to go somewhere else after, it still counts since you put in the effort just to show up.
These small victories count in the end because success breeds success. You may have noticed this yourself. Success tends to have a snowball effect. Small victories give you the momentum and the confidence needed to get that big victory.
So stop making plans to get in shape and just start showing up!
