Consistency is King!

I've trained a large number of individuals now, and over forums/email probably given advice to hundreds more. Over this time, I think I've worked out the vital component that has meant some people have succeeded in their goals, and some haven't - consistency.

I have yet to meet anyone who has had success training once a week. Of course, as a personal trainer I do take on and work with some clients once a week, but I stress from the start that they will NOT make progress if they only train when I'm there. They need to put in the work in between our sessions. Make no mistake, I can tell who has put the work in over the week, and who hasn't.

Many people say they've been training 'on and off' for years. Well, sorry to break it to you, but if you train for a couple of months, then have a month off, then start again, then take another break - well, you may as well not bother. Exercise isn't for you. You don't have the focus, willpower or desire to make differences to your body. I appreciate that may sound harsh, but it's true. Just give up and find something else you enjoy, because stop-start training and yo-yo healthy eating is pointless. In fact, it probably does you more harm than good, certainly psychologically, because of the constant re-enforcing of the fact you've failed again.

Within reason, ANY half-decent training plan or dietary approach will get you results, if you stick to it. I've seen people get great results from training plans I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole, but the fact is the person stuck to it, put in 100% effort, and didn't give up after 4 weeks.

This may put some people off before even starting, but to make significant changes to your body, that people around you will notice, will take at least six months of hard and consistent work and effort. Not one month of hard work and then two weeks of nothing because 'work was busy' or 'I had a lot on' or 'there were lots of Xmas parties I had to go to'. If that sounds familiar to you, then you need to recognise how much of your time and effort you are wasting.

Unfortunately, the phrase 'use it or lose it' is 100% applicable to strength and fitness. In particular, you can lose your CV fitness almost as quickly as you gain it. In other words, a hard months worth of effort increasing your ability to run for half an hour can be entirely wiped out by a month of making excuses and doing nothing. You'll end up back at square one. What a waste of effort, eh?

Stop-start training and stop-start attention to nutrition does not work. It's as simple as that. If you want success, be consistent in what you do. It's the only way to make a difference.

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." - Vincent T. Lombardi

The Importance of Goal Setting - Rebecca Conlin

Something that I have struggled with the last few months is my diet. I train like an athlete, never missing a session, enjoy feeling like I’ve worked hard and as sad as it sounds I love the feeling you get the day after a hard workout of sore aching muscles. However, I hold myself back with my lack of diet discipline, especially for chocolate flabjack (and yes, I mis-spelt that on purpose!). After tweaking my diet continuously for the last few months to find something I can maintain I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the diet that was the problem… it was me!

The problem is that I have got into ‘okay’ shape and I’m not unhappy enough with my appearance to alter my diet. Although a better diet would fuel my workouts and allow me to train better and harder, I don’t want it enough to change my diet! At this point to move forward I need a goal that I want enough to make these changes.

Not having a goal is like trying to buy a train ticket and not knowing your destination. You have to know where you’re going before you set off. Having a goal allows you to plan the most efficient and direct route to your goal destination. It allows you to plan out different stages of your journey in achievable chunks; in fact you can have short, medium and long term goals running at the same time. So how do you plan goals? I use the SMART acronym:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time Bound


I have now set a SMART goal: to compete in a figure show a year from now. To help me get there I have also set short and medium term goals mostly to improve my diet and nutrition which will fuel my body for the hard workouts I have planned. Guess what? For the last week my diet has been immaculate because I now have a goal in place that I want enough to change my eating habits.

The power of a decent goal should never be underestimated! If you would like to contact Real World Fitness about your own goals and goal setting please do not hesitate to get in contact. We pride ourselves in not only providing quality training, but also creating a the supportive network that is essential to enable people to reach their diet and fitness goals.