TAKING CONSISTENT ACTION

Part 4 of 6

OWNING YOUR LIFE

DON’T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING
The power of taking (consistent) action

Do you know what I love most about exercising?  No matter what I feel like before I workout, I always feel better afterward.  And it isn’t just my body that feels better – everything feels better.  I think more positive thoughts, I have more energy, I’m more relaxed. Working out completely changes my physiology and psychology at the same time. But don’t get me wrong –  just because I’m a fitness professional doesn’t mean I love exercising all the time. Many times, I really don’t feel like working out.  Or eating whole, healthy foods. What gets me through is my awareness of the OUTCOME of pushing through my resistance to staying healthy. 

At its most fundamental form, working out means that you’re DOING something.  You’re taking action, you’re physically MOVING in the direction of your goals and identity. This idea of taking action – or JUST SHOWING UP – is one of the most effective ways to change old habits and be who you want to be.  However, taking action isn’t always enough; the real key to success is to take consistent action

CONSISTENT ACTION> CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY

Once you clarify WHAT YOU WANT (CLARIFY) and WHO YOU ARE (IDENTITY), ask  yourself: What do I need to DO to get there? Note the word, DO. What action can you take to move closer to that goal?  This is now about moving OUT of the head and into the BODY. This is about physically doing something… getting off the couch and going for a walk, parking a little further away from the store or taking the stairs.  This is about ordering food off the menu that moves you closer to your goal, not further away from it. Or eating your veggies first or throwing out the junk food in your house so you don’t eat it at a moment of low self-control.  It’s about taking action. 

A little hint here: focus on being consistent over anything else.  It’s not about 20K steps a day if you can’t be consistent –  much better to do 10K a day, every day.  It’s not about the amount, it’s about the integrity of telling yourself you’re going to do something and then actually doing it.  That’s how you reinforce identity and process and ultimately, make it a habit, a part of WHO YOU ARE.

THE STRATEGIES → SCHEDULE IT.  DO IT. CONTINUE IT.

Here are a few strategies for taking consistent action:

1. SCHEDULE IT.  It’s always good to have a plan.  This is how you create clarity around what you want.  So it’s a great idea to schedule your planned actions:  what days are you going to work out? When are you going to clean out your kitchen?  And be specific about it: “I’m going to workout M / W / F this week at 6:30 am at Breakthru Fitness.  I’m committed to those days/times. Anything else is a bonus, but I’m committed to those days.” You should always have a sense of I can do that. Knowing you can follow through is a great place to start.
2. DO IT.  Here comes the fun part:  JUST DO IT. Yep, once you commit to following a routine in your schedule, you follow through with it –  no matter what. Show up and physically take action. Showing up like this reinforces so many things: your process (how), your mindset (identity), and your physiology (integrity).  Think about how good you feel when you can tell yourself, “I said I was going to do something and I did it.” This reinforces the new habit and creates a new pathway in the brain.  
3. CONTINUE [DOING] IT.  Do you ever drive to work and realize you haven’t even thought about HOW you got there? The turns, the roads you took, the speed, the other drivers… you did it almost subconsciously.  That’s because you’ve done it so many times, you’ve developed a strong pathway in the brain. The more you SCHEDULE it and DO it, the more you’ll CONTINUE to do it. And the more you continue to do it, the easier it will get. Living a healthy life will become less of a habit and more of just WHO YOU ARE. Your true LIFESTYLE.

THE CHALLENGE → DECIDE, COMMIT AND DO

This week, think about 3 ACTIONS you can take that will move you closer to one of your goals.  

For example:

1. Workout 3 times this week

2. Eat a salad for lunch every day

3. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier

Put these actions in your schedule on your phone so they come up as alerts.  Try this for just one week, decide what you are 100% committed to doing and just do it!

Here are some ideas:

1. EAT A SALAD for LUNCH comes up as your noon appointment.  

2. 30-MINUTE AFTER DINNER POWER WALK 20 minutes after you eat dinner.

3. TIME FOR BED – set up an alert 30 minutes prior to your new earlier bedtime to remind you to start getting ready

Then follow through… be 100% committed to taking these steps and see what happens.  Can you do it? What gets in the way? Do you talk yourself out of it? Could you do this 2 weeks in a row?  How about for 30 days?

Like all the other OWN YOUR LIFE habits, just show up and see what happens. If you start to get some traction, stick with it.  You may start to see results you’ve always thought were out of reach become much more… reachable.

Start small.  Be realistic. Build your system.    

Yours in Health,  

Phil + Michelle, Owner, Coaches, Fit Humans

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

Questions, reach me at [email protected]