Do you have consistency and stable habits when it comes to your health and fitness? Or are you someone that struggles to maintain desired changes? For example, do you have a routine for 3-4 weeks, and then suddenly you ‘fall off the wagon’ and don’t do much for several weeks? Or are you someone that has a healthy diet during the week, then every weekend ‘falls off the rails?’

Often when we try to take on positive lifestyle changes we try to overhaul everything only to find that the changes made do not last long. Or we end up yo-yo-ing with our habits. We get so focused on the ‘ideal’ lifestyle that we take on too many changes at once.

Get a clear picture of your current habits

The first thing when trying to make positive health changes is to get a clear picture of what your normal habits are and understand your starting point. (Side note: if you find it hard to describe your normal habits then that can be an indicator that you currently do not have much consistency in them).

If you identify for yourself that you lack stability then this is where it is worth focusing on. Consider how you can get some stability before you look to progress or change too much. It is of course tempting to try to tackle everything at once - nutrition, hydration, sleep, movement. Or go from not exercising to saying you will start going to the gym four times a week. But the first crucial step is to get to a stable place with your habits. It’s hard to grow and thrive in an unstable scenario.

Don’t worry about being ‘perfect’ or what the ‘right’ type or amount of exercise or nutrition is to get the results you are after. At this point that doesn’t matter. What counts is getting some stability and consistency. This then points you in the right direction and gives you a foundation to build from.

If you are someone who has trouble maintaining consistency, here are some questions you can ask yourself to aid self-reflection and awareness of what’s holding you back:

• What is the very minimum you would be able to do, even in a difficult week? Establish this as a baseline first whether it is exercising for 10 minutes a few times a week or three times for 45 minutes - start at your minimum.
• Are you trying to build from the top down? I.e. are you starting with attempting a massive lifestyle overhaul and trying to do now what you ultimately hope to be doing?
• If you fall off the wagon, consider what stops you from getting back to the habits you are trying to build. It is this that causes greater disruption to consistency. What would have to change for you to respond more positively to perceived setbacks?
• Do you treat the changes you are trying to make with enough importance? Or do you easily put other things first because they are more important to you? It is challenging to gain long-term sustainability in an area you don’t attribute importance to.
• Are you trying to operate at your limit? Many people go to their limits. For example, exercising as much or as hard as they can or sacrificing as much as they can in their diet. The challenge is that when you try to operate constantly at your limit, it takes very little to create instability. Just one small ‘barrier’ derails your well meaning intentions. Instead, think about how you can structure your daily goals so that you could always potentially do a bit more. That way you are operating within your means which gives you a buffer and a better chance of being consistent.