You need a strong ‘WHY’ to stay consistent in your fitness journey

The discipline I received through this fitness journey impacted every area of my life. My fitness journey is my lifeline. Now, it’s not that serious or intense for everyone, you might just really have a desire to change your appearance which is completely valid, because the way you feel about your appearance can be life changing for many, and it was for me too. Invest in yourself, but make sure you know WHY you are doing this. When it gets hard, you need a strong WHY to revisit, to keep you pushing for your goals.

Young Eva was a sad and lonely girl, who thought that she had nothing to offer. I did not see any qualities worth loving in myself, and I hated my lack of discipline. I numbed my pain with food and sugar, and it truly made me feel better, for a few minutes, and then the self loathing would set in. My self worth was completely tied up in how others saw me and treated me. What I sought after, was some one who would tell me that I mattered, and I looked for some evidence that some one could love me. The void inside me was growing and so was the number on the scale. Anxiety drowned out my will to live, and depression set in as a result of that. Food was my addiction; a crutch that helped me numb the pain.

17 and Struggling

All of this to say, I was a struggling 17 year old, and I felt like I was drowning. I had no tools to help me navigate life and the foundation of the Mennonite religion had crumbled beneath me. As I questioned God, and his existence. He answered me after continuously crying out to him, he showed me and allowed me to feel his love for me. I knew with out a doubt, that I was loved. After this my spiritual journey along with my fitness journey changed my life. The disciplines I acquired through this, is what God knew I needed to learn, so I could initiate change in every area of my life.

How to stay consistent

Your health and fitness has to be put in the near top of your priority list. That means often pushing aside other leisurely activities, like declining social invites or sacrificing your alone time, either in the morning or in the evening. Take that time to invest in a better body, better habits and overall better health. Your quality of life will get better, and you will start respecting yourself more for exercising self control and you’re guarantied to be happier. All of this means you will definitely have to make sacrifices in your schedule. The key to succeeding long term is consistency. I can promise you will see change in your life, even outside of your fitness journey.

You will not be able to stay consistent if you don’t choose to prioritize your health and fitness over some less important things. It is impossible to change your life without sacrifice and discomfort. You will not always have motivation to achieve the goals you have and at times you would way rather revert back to old habits that used to bring you comfort, but really add no value to your life. Habits like mindlessly scrolling through your phone or Netflixing, or snacking mindlessly, or even constant social outings. All of which are fine in moderation, but just take some of that time and invest it in a better future for yourself.

Don’t Look Back on Your Life with Regret

I know that I do not want to look back on my life and be filled with regret for wasting my time and energy on useless garbage. I decided that I would not let that happen to me. It is actually incredibly hard to stay consistent especially as a mom. But, even if have to get up at 5:30 am, or go to the gym while the rest of the family is sleeping. It is so worth it.

I will look back on my life and know that I did my best, I did not let the excuse of busy-ness keep me from achieving my goals. That includes the time I set aside to write this blog post. Which is another goal I have wanted to achieve for YEARS. Discipline cannot be limited to one area in your life, it has to be a consistent theme in every area. Otherwise, it is not true discipline.

How to make your fitness journey enjoyable

Your ‘fitness journey’ does not have to look like the typical stories that you see portrayed on social media. Like Insane HIIT workouts or lifting weights in the gym; though strength training is my personal favorite. Any active activity is good for your health. After the age of 30, women start losing muscle mass and around the same time bone density will also start gradually decreasing. Women who are not active can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass every 10 years, after the age of 30. You can prevent this just by staying active and having a relatively balanced diet! Which is incredible to me personally. You can quite literally slow down the aging and disintegration of your muscles and bone. Just by making some lifestyle changes.

Take an activity that you love and just do it more consistently and add intensity over time. Use that to kickstart a change in your lifestyle. Also don’t be afraid to try out new things, you never know what you might enjoy doing if you don’t put yourself out there. There are so many activity’s out there that can keep you healthy, so don’t limit yourself to just one. And once you start feeling like what you’re doing is not working anymore or it’s getting stale, look for new things to try. Change it up!

Keeping yourself accountable in your fitness journey

One of the best ways to keep yourself accountable, is to have a partner who is willing to make similar commitments. This is not always easy to find though, which is why first and foremost you need to have your own solid reasons and goals, and you need to know why you’re doing this. I have had a few people that I was occasionally going to the gym with, but if I had quit every time I lost my gym buddy, I would have given up years ago, In the end it is up to you.

One thing that is incredibly motivating is to document the ups and downs of your journey. Once you start seeing and feeling the changes, it will fuel your drive to continue. You also have to practice honesty with yourself, if your progress is stalling, then chances are that either your nutrition or your physical activity is not where is should be, and you will need to implement changes. Another thing that can help with that is finding some one encouraging in your life that you can trust to be honest with you.

Get rid of excuses that hold you back

Excuses will never serve you in life and they will keep you stuck in your current position as long as you let them. There are many times in life where situations will get in the way, and derail your schedule, but you can’t let that get in the way of trying again the next day. There is nothing wrong with failing some days, the difference is that people who succeed will keep trying.

I understand the thing many people bring up that, ‘I simply don’t have the time’. Well, I don’t accept that answer. You will always have time for the things that are important to you, so set aside some time to focus on the most valuable thing you have, which is your health.

The Go4Life site lists the following as the most common excuses for not exercising. Along with their corresponding solutions for getting moving and improving your health:

• No time? Exercise first thing in the morning or combine physical activity with a task that’s already part of your day.
• Too boring? Do things you enjoy and try new activities to keep exercise interesting and fun.
• Too expensive? Wear a pair of comfortable, non-skid shoes for walking and use soup cans or water bottles to strength train.
• Too tired? Regular, moderate physical activity can help reduce fatigue and even help you manage stress.

The science is clear, says the NIA. Physical activity can help to increase your energy level, improve sleep and empower you to feel more in control. The NIA says not only will regular physical activity improve your ability to do the everyday things you want to do, but it will help you manage and improve diseases like diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.  It can also reduce feelings of depression and stress as well as improve mood and overall well-being; and studies have consistently shown that aerobic exercise can improve a number of aspects of cognition and performance.

Robin Seaton Jefferson