There’s this common misconception in our society these days that our lives will be better WHEN we get somewhere. Whether it’s a new something or better something (house, car, job) we’ve been conditioned to believe that these future states are destinations beyond which our happiness lies. 

This is why so many people think they need to ‘fix’ their fitness in 30 days. They turn to challenges, cleanses and supplements in hopes of finding resolution to their fitness problems.

However the reality is that there is no such thing as ‘being done’ when it comes to your health and fitness. The healthiest version of you - the one you close your eyes and imagine when you’re starting off on a new fitness plan - is actually a person who’s been consistent with their goals for a long period of time. 

We tend to conflate effort and sacrifice with what’s really important - consistency.  

Most people who are continually frustrated with their fitness are stuck in a circular ‘fitness fix’ mentality. Something is deemed to be broken. Now they’ve come to terms with investing a certain amount of time and resources to fixing the issue. They decide how much time and resources they’re willing to spend on the fix and they set out to do it. They buy the cleanse, they join the 30 day bootcamp or they start the restrictive diet. At the end of the phase some do stick with it but the majority of people, having exhausted their willpower, return back to normal, feeling accomplished like they gave it their best shot, and feeling better that the ‘fact’ is that it’s just too difficult for them. 

The real story, however, is that the healthy you, the person that you want to be, isn’t missing some insane willpower muscle that others were born with. All you need to do is set yourself on the path to lifelong fitness is make an effort to build consistency in the small choices you make everyday and then do them long enough for the benefits of compounding to reveal themselves. 

Something is better than nothing. If you can’t make it to the gym go for a brisk walk. If you fell off the wagon with your lunch choice make a healthy dinner choice and skip dessert. Have one glass of wine instead of two, or save the wine for the weekend and switch to sparkling water. 

It’s actually not about being at the gym 7 days a week or eating salads for 6 months straight. The real keys are to do something everyday that benefits your fitness. 

Simple achievable goals like going for daily walks or hitting step counts performed consistently over a long period of time are more powerful than we believe.

The healthy person you want to be isn’t on the other side of the next workout fad or cleanse.
You’re already the person you need to be to realize your health and fitness goals, you just need to start being consistent.