Consistency is probably the one most important parts of reaching whatever goals you set for yourself.

When it comes to fitness, consistency is four fold.

You gotta be consistently moving, consistently eating for your goals, consistently resting and recovering and consistently giving yourself grace because there’s only but so much that we can control.

This can be overwhelming because a lot of times we think we have to master all of these at once! And that’s where the decline comes in…

It’s November and I wanted to help you start your month off with some tips to help you get and/or stay consistent.

1. Choose One Thing To Master This Month
   I know it’s hard but trust me, just one. This will help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed and eventually quitting and really give yourself the chance you need to get it! Maybe it’s getting something green in with every meal, finishing at least one cup of water every day, walking around the neighborhood 2x/wk or just sitting and being still for 1 min every day. Choose one thing and leave the rest alone. Believe me, those other goals aren’t going anywhere and will be there waiting for you to master them as soon as you’ve mastered this first one.
   
2. Only Commit Time That Works For You
   I like to set a timer when I get to the gym and once that timer goes off, I leave. It doesn’t matter if I’m not done my set or if I haven’t done everything I wrote down to complete, I met the time that I set for myself so I met my commitment. For you it may be doing 4 sets of something and then being done. And if you don’t have time, can you compromise somewhere? Maybe half of your lunch break you move and the other half you eat. Or you use your lunch break as a workout time and eat when you get back to your desk. Compromise is key when you don’t have much time on your hands.
   
3. Choose 2-3 Days Minimum
   What are your easiest days? The days where you have a little more wiggle room are gonna be the days you want to prioritize for movement. Remember, out of 7 days, your body only needs 2 or 3 of them; and not even the whole day. Fifteen minutes, 2 or 3 times, and then whatever else you want to do for the rest of those hours and minutes. You’ll feel so much better after you finish and let’s be honest, when have you ever regretted a workout?
   
4. Add It To Something You Already Do
   Saying “just do it” is easier said than done and in my experience, isn’t something you can rely on long term. I’m not big on taking things away when trying to change or develop habits. It’s easier to just add something in to what you’re already doing that way you don’t restrict yourself too much. You can progressively ween yourself off of other things that you may no longer want to indulge in while allowing this new thing to take more time and precedence. For example: you want to start working out but find it hard to move yourself from the tv. On commercial breaks, stretch OR if you’re watching a movie, every 15-20 mins, pause it and (if you can’t) get up and do 20 squats while watching. 
   
   
5. Keep Going (ESPECIALLY When You “Mess Up”)
   So you set a goal to eat something green with every meal but you forgot to do it for lunch….so what! There’s still dinner so decide now what green veggie you’re gonna have and have it. There’s no point in dwelling over a misstep you may have made (I know, easier said than done but it’s true). Take it for what it is and keep it moving. You don’t stop interviewing for your dream job just because the first place said no do you? You say yes to the next interview that comes your way and keep trying until you get it!

Of course there are plenty more ways to help you stay consistent but these are my top 5 and the ones I’ve used for years.

Which tip will you try this month?

Let me know in the comments!