Consistency in physical activity is the single most pressing challenge I hear from my health coaching clients. Everyone dreams of being consistent and then... life happens.
So the first thing to take into account when considering consistency is that change is the only constant. So work CHANGE into your routine.
Here's what I mean: I try to hit the yoga mat for my personal practice five days a week. It would be so nice if my schedule would allow those five days to be the same five days every week. But it doesn't, so they aren't. Every week is different. The consistency is the commitment to practice for five days. (Even then flexibility is required; sometimes its six days, sometimes its only four.) Inside each one of those five days is a varying routine. I went a long while doing the same routine day after day. For a while it was very satisfying. It was well-rounded and served to build a solid foundation for my practice. I had built in a certain level of difficulty in a few of the poses so I always felt I was pushing the edges and working toward increasing either balance or flexibility or strength. That kind of consistency got me really far.
But then one day, I added some new poses in-between the older ones. The routine suddenly changed; it got bigger, longer and more challenging. My practice began to really evolve. But sometimes I felt I wasn't being consistent enough because my trusted routine was so altered. Still, five days on the mat; that was the consistency that really mattered even if the content was inconsistent. Some days my practice was really time-limited - I counted even a short day as a full practice just because I showed up.
At each practice I incorporated what I called "free-style" time. I listened to my body and did the poses it felt like doing - not the ones my mind would have said I "should do" but the ones that felt good to my body in that moment. Every day my body called up something new and I just went with it. The discipline to listen to your body and respond with trust and faithfulness is a kind of consistency in itself.
If I had one piece of advice for someone trying to be consistent I'd suggest starting small. I realize there are conflicting opinions on this. Some people say that doing something daily is the best way to build consistency. In a perfect world I would agree. But its not a perfect world and most people have a lot of life to live outside of their exercise routine. I think that committing to 3 days of intentional activity a week is a realistic place to start. Begin with an attitude of flexibility. Studies show that just three days of physical activity is highly beneficial; overkill is not required.
But the most important ingredient in finding consistency is love. If you don't love it at this moment, are you at least friends? If its a duty you have to fulfill, long term consistency is unlikely. It's very much like someone you're just starting to date: Be real about what you like about it and the parts you don't like. Does it really fit with who you are? If not, its going to be hard to practice it with consistency. Does your body like doing this kind of movement? If you are having frequent injuries, it might be your body's way of saying: Find something new. (Done that, been there.)
Truth be told, it took me a while to fall in love with yoga. I found my way through months of consistent practice. We were just friends for about a year - long courtship. Somewhere along the line it turned into love. But it wasn't my head that worked that out; it was body. My body said, I love this. (My head was busy trying to sabotage me at every turn.) People I know who run, LOVE to run. The people I know who lift weights, LOVE to lift. The people I know who climb, LOVE to climb. People I know who play ball, LOVE to play ball. The people I know who swim, LOVE to swim. And most everybody's practice begins with fits and starts. So make your activity your friend. Friendships that matter require attention, some form of consistent attention. And friendships have their ups and downs. If you sometimes come to your practice and wonder: Why am I doing this? Hang in there. Check to see if the moon is new or full (seriously) - the slightest thing can put you off your game. Then come back the next day. Your friend, your love will be there waiting for you.
