Consistency Is Key: The Foundation of Lasting Change
We've all heard that humans are creatures of habit. But have you ever stopped to consider what this really means for you? What does that mean for your fitness? or your health? A habit isn't just something you do occasionally, it's an action so deeply ingrained in your routine that it becomes part of your subconscious. When it comes to transforming your life and fitness level, understanding the power of consistency might be the most important lesson you'll learn.
Consistency is not measured in days but rather months, years and decades. The long-term benefits of a motivated month are easily erased, even if you do two workouts per day and lift harder than you ever have before, all your work will be reversed after two weeks of lazyness and gluteny. But a decade of consistently working out can stay with you for the remainder of your life. even if you stop working out for a few months, after ten years of dedicated exercise your body composition will change.
Good Habits vs. Bad Habits
Let's be honest, waking up late feels good. Your bed is comfortable, dreams are pleasant, and that extra hour of sleep seems like a wonderful thing. But waking up late comes at a cost. if you've decided to reclaim your fintess as a busy person the early hours are the best time to do it. For me they are literally the only hours to do it. If i miss my morning workout I don't have time durring the day to ever do it. If you are in the same boat continuing to sleep in is standing between you and your goals.
The challenging truth about habits is their persistence. Once formed, they don't simply disappear when you decide to change. And that is for good habits along with bad ones. That habit of hitting snooze will continue to whisper temptations in you ear for months as you're trying to establish your early morning fitness routine. There's no military drill sergeant standing over your bed at 5:45 AM. it's just you versus your pre-defined habbits.
This is where the real battle begins, and why consistency becomes your most powerful weapon, or your worst enemy.
The Power of Showing Up: Motivation vs. Consistency
Consider this example of two hypothetical individuals, each with a different approach to regaining their fitness:
Person One: The Motivated One
- Intensely motivated, the idea of accomplishing their goal drives them
- Works out daily for two months, they have never worked out this hard in their life!
- They do not see the results after two months of working out every day, they are angry and motivation ends. So does their workouts.
- Total yearly workouts: 60
Person Two: The Consistent One
- Motivation is not high but they are using consistency and following a plan.
- ONLY works out twice weekly, but they continue for a year for an entire year
- Never stops the consistent workouts for the entire year
- Total yearly workouts: 104
The math doesn't lie. By the end of the year, the consistent person has nearly doubled the workout count of the highly motivated individual. But the benefits extend far beyond these numbers. Person Two has established a sustainable pattern that can grow over time, Evolving into three workouts weekly the following year, then four, and so on. The momentum builds, and the habit becomes a part of their identity.
This example illustrates a crucial concept: in fitness, the long game always wins. A "get jacked quick" just doesn't work. Short term gains quickly fade when the routine collapses. Meanwhile, a decade of modest but consistent effort builds a foundation that can support you for life. Even better; if you are motivated and consistent you will be unstoppable!
The Art of Waking Up Early: A Progressive Approach
If you're among those who struggle with early rising you will likely struggle with this method and need to develop a methodical approach to retraining your brain:
Week 1:
When your alarm goes off at 6:00 AM, simply get out of bed. Walk around for five minutes. If you're still exhausted afterward, go back to bed. Do this Monday through Friday.
Week 2:
Extend your morning movement to ten minutes before deciding whether to continue or return to sleep.
Week 3:
Complete a ten-minute walk plus your warm-up routine before making the decision to continue or return to bed.
Week 3:
Do one set of your workout before making the decision to continue or return to bed. At this point it is highly unlikely that you will want to go back to bed.
This gentle progression accomplishes something crucial: it trains your brain to associate the early alarm with movement rather than resistance. Even if you don't complete a full workout initially, each morning you wake up and move is a victory! You're actively building your new habit, retraining your brain and getting closer to your new lifestyle!
By the third or fourth week, you'll likely find yourself completing at least one full workout. From there, the path forward is clear: gradually increase your weekly workout frequency until you reach your target. Remember, this isn't a sprint. Your fitness journey is measured in years, not weeks. Don't burn yourself out by trying to do too much too soon. Instead, focus on the long game. The goal is to create a habit that becomes second nature, one that you can maintain for years to come. If you end up going to hard and hitting a wall you may just let you dreams slip away and become a regret for you future self. Allow yourself to let the habit form.
The Right Kind of Motivation: Dopamine vs. Anxiety
As you build your early morning fitness habit, pay close attention to your emotional state. Healthy motivation generates feelings of accomplishment, pride, and even joy after completing a workout. If you're experiencing primarily relief rather than satisfaction, you might be operating from a place of stress-based motivation.
Motivation founded on anxiety or fear is volatile and unsustainable. When the mere thought of your morning routine creates stress rather than anticipation, it's a signal to ease back. The goal is to create a habit sustained by positive reinforcement. The natural dopamine reward that comes from achievement, rather than the avoidance of negative feelings.
Self Check:
If you find yourself dreading workouts and feeling only relief afterward, you will need to reshape you perspective. Your motivation should be to achieve something, not to avoid something. If you are only doing it to avoid the consequences of not doing it you will likely fail. You need to find a way to make it fun and rewarding. If you are not enjoying the process you will likely quit. You can track you progress and celebrate small victories along the way. This will help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. You can also find a workout partner or join a fitness community to help you stay accountable and motivated.
Embracing Imperfection: The Moving Average Approach
In the early stages of habit formation, perfection is not the goal, consistency is. There will be days when your workout performance falls short of your expectations. Remember that simply showing up and going through the motions strengthens your habit, even if the workout itself wasn't exceptional.
For those with busy, unpredictable lives (especially parents), the concept of a rigid schedule often crumbles in the wake of screaming kids who wake up at 6am one day and 9am the next. Rather than measuring success by daily performance, track your moving average over months. This broader perspective relieves the pressure of day-to-day fluctuations while still keeping you accountable to your long-term goals.
By focusing on consistent effort rather than perfect execution, you create a sustainable approach that accommodates life's inevitable chaos while maintaining steady progress toward your fitness goals.
The 0600 Club: Get going before the world gets going
The journey of fitness isn't about dramatic transformations overnight. It's about the subtle, incremental changes that accumulate over time. the power of showing up consistently, even when motivation dies.
Remember that every morning you rise when your alarm sounds, you're not just working toward fitness goals, you're rewiring your brain's fundamental patterns. You're proving to yourself that you possess the discipline to overcome the gravitational pull of old habits and forge new ones aligned with your aspirations.
The 0600 Club is about persistence. It's about understanding that lasting change doesn't come from bursts of motivation but from the power of showing up day after day, building a foundation so strong that it becomes part of who you are.