Consistency Over Perfection
Here we go again. A “new year, new you” right? Statistically speaking, no. According to Columbia University, only 25% of people stay committed to their resolutions after 30 days, and less than 10% accomplish their goals. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the goals or the people trying to achieve said goals. To be honest, the cards are stacked against you. With an ocean of information on the internet, most of which could fill the Pacific Garbage Patch 10 fold it’s hard to decipher what is good and what is trash (hint: most of it is trash).
After training others for nearly 15 years and running a gym for a decade plus, I’ve narrowed down some helpful tips that won’t guarantee your success, but will absolutely get you off on the right foot.
Start Small
I cannot tell you how many times I have met someone who was ready to change everything in their life. Usually this was preceded by a breakup, divorce or other life altering event. The issue is we as humans kind of suck at doing too many tasks at once. If you decide one day you’re going to lose 20 lbs, stop drinking soda, run every day and read a book a week you’re inevitably going to fail.
Starting with one task will allow you to focus all of your attention to that singular goal. Let’s say that 20lb weight loss is your goal. “20 lbs of weight loss” is not a goal, it is a result of small incremental habits over a long period of time. By starting small, say, stop eating after 6:30pm, you can hold yourself accountable until that small goal becomes second nature.
Trust the Experts
We all have deficiencies. Some people are poor with money while others make a fortune investing. Some can work on cars while others couldn’t tell you where to fill the oil. The same can be said for any industry, hobby or task, including fitness and nutrition. If you know in your heart of hearts that you’re completely in the dark when starting and sticking to a fitness or nutrition regimen, seek out a professional. Read the reviews, do your research, talk to numerous professionals and pick the one that best suits your goals and personalities.
Yes, this is a more costly route. Playing devils advocate, the average cost of an hour of personal training is $40-$75 an hour, median of around $58 an hour. While the average cost of a heart attack is around $20,000. Which equals out to about 345 hours of personal training. Generally speaking, most clients I trained came in 3x a week, allowing for over two years of professional physical fitness help equal to the same cost of a lift altering health issue.
Abs are Made in the Kitchen
Abs seem to be the defining factor for most people’s ideal view of fitness (they’re not). But the saying is catchy nonetheless. If you want real physically changing results, nutrition should be your number one. It’s my number three because I wanted to make sure you were still reading. On average, if you do an intense 30 min HIIT workout you’re only burning 200-500 calories in that time span. There is no possible way to out train a bad diet. Your body will break well before your abs show through. Referring back to number 1, start with a small goal. Make breakfast every morning for one week, do that until it’s easy, then move on to breakfast and lunch. Referring to number 2, if you struggle with this, hire a nutritionist, download an app or get a friend to go on the journey with you.
Consistency is king
Harking back to the previous tip, you are what you eat. In the same breath, you are what you don’t eat or do as well. If your life is filled with burgers, fries, soda and couches. Your physique and overall health will resemble that of a person whose life is filled with burgers, fries, soda and couches. On the contrary. If your life is filled with proteins, vegetables, nuts, some fruit, while limiting starch and sugar and exercising regularly. Your life will resemble just that. I know this sounds silly and almost too obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people do not correlate their health and wellness to their nutrition and activity level.
Being consistent does not mean working out like a maniac every day all day. It means regularly doing something that will better yourself in the long run. This could mean walking for 30 min more days than not during the week. It could mean drinking more water than soda for five out of the seven days of the week. It could be as simple as going to bed to ensure you have enough sleep to be productive the next day. Most people have heard of the 80/20 rule. Doing what’s good for you 80% of the time and letting yourself relax 20% of the time. It’s as simple as that.
Failure is inevitable
Let’s say you haven’t worked out in 15 years. The last 5,475 days of your life aren’t going to disappear after a week, month or year of working out. It will take time and you’re not going to want to continue. There will be days where you skip the gym and take a nap or watch TV instead. THAT’S OKAY! Remember, consistency is king. As long as you get back on the horse, you will succeed. I always was fond of the quote “break once is a mistake, break twice in a row and you’ve formed a new habit”.
If you’re trying to eat better. You will eat a burger, have a glass of wine or extra chips. That is okay. Your body won’t change overnight. Remember it took a lifetime to get where you are today. But it’s important to remember that your goal will not rest and in order to surpass that goal, we need to give it the tools it needs to succeed.
Fitness, health and wellness are topics that have unfathomable depths of detail to go into. I’ve picked up one grain of sand on the beach here. Everyone’s path is different, your journey will look wildly different than anyone you follow in Instagram, your friends or family and yes, your significant other. I hope these tips can help you find the best version of you that you’re searching for, not just in 2025, but in the lifetime that awaits you.