Go follow a few fit-fluencers on Instagram and you might find yourself thinking things such as:
“Look at his sweet jump rope tricks”.
“That’s an amazing aerial handstand”.
“What an amazing flying jump kick he has”.
“I am going to try the inverted flying triangle in my next match”.
“His hook shot is spot on every time”.
“She threw that 10-punch combo lightning fast”.
“His scratch healthy cooking looks absolutely delicious”.
Of course, the above all apply to different sports and genres of fitness. But do you know what the one thing that all of these fit-fluential people have in common is? They are really freaking good at the basics. Allow me to explain.
That flying backflip into an aerial handstand is not the reason that person has washboard abs and ripped arms. In fact, that neat trick has virtually nothing to do with the reason they look the way they look and feel the way they feel. That trick is the by-product of years of working day in and day out at the basics. It is the result of being so ruthlessly consistent with their training and good habits that an earthquake couldn’t shake their foundation in their sport of choice.
I know it’s not sexy and you may have even heard it before… but consistency over time gets results (in anything that you do). This phrase sums up one of the largest disservices that the health and wellness industry enacts on the body of people trying to figure out the recipe for a healthy life. Every new fad diet that comes out, or new state of the art workout program, or new bio-hack is like a dog-whistle to the people who really just need one thing… to pick something and stick to it consistently enough to get results.
Here is my guide to becoming ruthlessly consistent in anything at life you want to excel at.
Break Goals Down into Desired Behaviors
What is a goal? Ultimately it is a desired outcome from a series of planned behaviors. But many folks set the goal without thinking about the behaviors necessary to achieve that goal. The next time you have a goal, whatever it may be, take a moment and ask yourself, “what behaviors do I need to learn or perform regularly to achieve this goal?”
Here’s an example: The goal is to lose weight. The behaviors to achieve this might be to exercise more often, eat fewer calories, eat more nutrient dense foods, drink less alcohol, or sleep more often. Once the behaviors are identified, then you can start formulating a plan to incorporate those behaviors into your lifestyle.
Start Small
Once the behaviors are identified, you are on the right track but many still choose to bite off more than they should. For instance, a brand-new diet or a commitment to workout 5 days a week starting Monday is fine in theory but really is a recipe for failure if you’re starting from zero. I recommend that you break whatever the behavior is into bite sized pieces that you are positive you can do with 90% consistency from day one.
Here’s an example: Not a reader and want to be one? You could say that starting tomorrow you’re going to read for 60 minutes a day. But is that truly realistic if your normal routine during your free time includes no reading of any sort? Instead, try asking yourself if you think you can read 5 minutes per day with 90% consistency. If that feels too easy, GREAT! Take the victory and build from there… next thing you know you might be reading an hour a day and actually enjoying it.
The crucial thing here is that if you aren’t positive that you can achieve your desired behavior with 90% consistency, then you’re biting off too much and should shrink it down.
Act and Measure
Goals without action are a wish list. You’ve identified the necessary behaviors and you have broken it down into its smallest digestible component. Now it’s time to act. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What am I going to do?
2. When am I going to do this behavior?
3. How am I going to do it?
4. How am I going to measure my success at it?
In the example of eating fewer calories the answers might be something like:
1. What: Eat lower calorie/more nutrient dense food.
2. When: Dinner (I am starting with my focus being just on one meal).
3. How: Make sure a vegetable is served with dinner.
4. Measurement: I will take a photo of my plate and review them each week.
Do you see how there is a logical set of steps in the action plan? This isn’t arbitrary but rather offers a clear series of steps and measurement to help you follow up on your own consistency.
Adjust
There’s a phrase in the fitness world that I love: “outcome-based decision making”. The gist of it is essentially that you should make decisions about your next actions based on the outcomes you are getting from your current actions. If the outcomes are favorable, then continue on or perhaps turn the dial up on the behavior just a bit. If the outcomes are not favorable, then perhaps the selected behavior was a bigger bite than you were prepared to chew and should be scaled back. This is a non-judgmental way to look at where you are and make decisions about how to move forward.
If the outcome is not what you desire, then it’s time to identify the limiting factors preventing you from being consistent in the behavior and adjust it. A great way to do this is to look back at the four questions from the ‘Act’ section and find where any gaps might be.
Remember as you make adjustments that there’s no judgement or shame in scaling back the behavior. It’s better to be ruthlessly consistent at an achievable behavior than inconsistent at something that looks cool on paper but you’re not quite ready for yet.
Conclusion
What do the fastest boxer, the most eloquent writer, the most educated scholar, the most graceful gymnast, or the strongest powerlifter all have in common? They were willing to be ruthlessly consistent at the basics. The boxer threw jabs, the writer wrote, the scholar read, the gymnast stretched, and the powerlifter did the basic lifts until it was so automatic that they didn’t have to think about it. With each passing repetition, they got just a little bit better, a little bit more skillful, and a little bit nimbler in their given activity.
The next time you see that fit-fluencer on Instagram doing backwards handstands, I want you to remember one thing. Look for the person who is ruthlessly focused on the basics. That is the person who will be unrecognizably skillful at their chosen activity years from now.
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Previously Published on Medium
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