The Thing About Consistency

This past October, I made a decision to get fit. I’ve never been fit in my entire life ya’ll. So the decision to do so was a little daunting at first. Simply put I kind of got tired of running out breath when I covered short distances. So I figured exercise would improve this. Some other things I thought that it would improve is my overall physique, boost my confidence, and make me feel better and stronger.  To get the ball rolling, I joined my local Y.  I hadn’t been a member since I left Michigan. Because I decided to make this more of a lifestyle change rather then some hit it and quit it goal, I went all in. I signed up and paid my money. I then did what every excited new member does, plan my workout schedule. I went over the class schedules at 3 of the Y’s closest to me. I saw Zumba (Yay!), Cardio Step (Double Yay!) and started to make a schedule for myself and then I took it a step further. I needed to add some strength training to the mix and on the schedule of classes the only thing that worked with my schedule was the 5:45 am Body Pump class. Yikes! I must admit, that is way too early in the morning. I just yawned typing that sentence as Wednesday mornings is one of my days to go to Body Pump. Anyway, when I saw that was my only option, I made a decision. I am going to get up two days a week and go to this class. I made a commitment. I’m glad I did it to too, because I feel great, I feel stronger, and a little shocked at my capabilities. And yes, I am starting to see a difference too. I’ve been going consistently since the end of October. Well on last week I hit a weird plateau of some sort. I could not get out of bed to attend class. I would wake up but I wouldn’t exit the bed. I even remember pulling the covers off me and then pulling them right back on. LOL. I just wasn’t feeling it. I desired to sleep more. But you know what, I found myself missing being in my class and feeling like I took a step back in the progress I was making. Although, I missed my Body Pump classes that week, I did attend my cardio classes. My cardio classes are in the evenings and happen right after work, so I found those easier to go to. So this feel made me half better. So this week I returned to my class and it kicked my butt. From this I immediately came to the conclusion that it really does pay to be consistent. I struggled way more than I’d like to admit. You see each week I do Body Pump, I give myself a chance to get stronger. So when I stopped being consistent for a week, I started the process of going backwards. Additionally, I missed the new track they started on last week. This caused me to be behind the curve and spend most of the class figuring out the new moves. The lesson here is to be consistent. I had no real legit reason to miss classes that week, so shame on me.  Unless I am on vacation, you will find me on Wednesday and Friday mornings at 5:45 am in my Body Pump class. What goal have you set and have failed to be consistent on? Renew your commitment today and get back to it.