How To Stay Consistent With Workouts When Life Gets Busy

Have you ever felt like everything in your life is finally just clicking? Deadlines get met at work, you have a fridge full of healthy prepped meals, you're on track with your monthly budget, and you're hitting the gym five days a week. And then...life happens. You get a cold and suddenly your couch becomes more familiar than the gym. That oil change you took your car in for turns into needing hundreds of dollars of work. You go on vacation and indulge in more mojitos and all-you-can-eat buffets than you'd like to admit. We've all been there, and if you're anything like me, these setbacks often feel like major failures in the progress towards your goals.

What if I told you it's not about failure?

It's actually about a lack of flexibility. These road bumps in life feel so devastating because your routine is too rigid. I'm personally guilty of the all-or-nothing mindset. If I miss one too many days in my workout plan then everything is thrown off and I might as well stop going all together. It sounds ridiculous when I put it that way, doesn't it? It's something we often do without even realizing it. We set lofty goals that make us feel good when everything is running smoothly, but the same goals feel like a punch to the gut when anything in the careful balance shifts.

This is where the Warrior Mindset comes in.

Instead of chasing perfection, focus on consistency. If you can commit to baby steps and keep showing up for yourself and your goals, those road bumps of life become more manageable. It can feel hard to build a workout routine when your schedule gets busy, but consistency isn't built in the perfect seasons of life, it's forged in the chaotic ones.

The Warrior Minded Consistency Framework

So how do you actually build that consistency?

1. Start Small

Gauge where you are at right now. What feels manageable to you? Maybe it's:

• A 15-min stretching session during your lunch break

• Showing up for that Monday night Zumba class at your local gym

• Walking around the block every night after dinner

Whatever feels right for you, start there.

2. Determine Your Non-Negotiables

What keeps you grounded?

• A quiet start to the morning with a hot drink

• Seven to eight hours of sleep a night

• Dedicated time spent with loved ones or doing a hobby

Whatever it is that keeps you sane, block out time for it in your schedule. If nothing else

gets done in a day except for your non-negotiables, consider the day a success.

3. Add More When You're Ready

Once you figure out your non-negotiables and work those baby steps into your

week, you'll be off to a great start. From there you can ramp things up as needed.

• Add a short run before workouts

• Go to the gym three days a week instead of two

• Take up swimming to balance out that Zumba class

Just make sure you increase things gradually to avoid injury or burnout.

So I know how to build consistency, what's next?

Get started today. Set a timer for 15 minutes and get your body moving. Do jumping jacks, have a living room dance party, see how many burpees you can do - just move. Too often we get stuck in our heads and caught up in a desire for perfection. We wait for motivation to strike or think we need an over-complicated solution. Thankfully it's much simpler than that. Just get moving, follow the steps above, and the rest will fall into place.

If you’re navigating a busy season and want help building a routine that actually fits your life, reach out through the connect page, I’d love to help.