It’s the time of the new year’s resolutions! Many people start to try to go to the gym (again). Here is what you need to know about making big changes in your fitness/diet structures.

In a lot of my previous blog posts, you might have observed that I use the word “consistency“ all the time. It is time to dedicate a whole post to this concept.

Consistency in what?

In anything in life, basically. For fitness, it mostly applies to diets and training programs, and in having a good lifestyle.

Why?

“You don’t have to be much smarter than the average person. You just have to be a little better for a long time.”

This quote initially applies to stock markets in finance. But this refers to the concept of consistency in fitness as well. As long as you train a little bit every time, you will get stronger. As long as you cut a few calories in a diet (think of e.g. a 200 kcal deficit), you will lose weight. Keep doing it for a few months or a few years. And you will get tremendous results. Small changes in a short time become significant changes in the long-run.

Why is consistency better?

To get rapid results, you need to make considerable changes in your lifestyle. The problem with this is best shown after the moment when people have achieved their short-run goals. Most people have trouble sticking to their plan in the long-run. Even though that is the only thing that you should aim for. The problem with heavy diets is that people try it for a month or two, and then they completely cave. They (almost) got to their results, and then they cannot handle their diets anymore. They crave for a pizza or a snack. And as a result, they slack off completely, since they got the taste of it. They miss eating some fast food, and they cannot control themselves well enough, and they gain weight again. When you make small changes, with slower results, but you’re in it for the long run, you will learn to control yourself. You are okay with having a cheat meal or a snack every once in a while. You are okay with having dinner with friends or going out for a drink. You know it slows down the process. But you are enjoying yourself every second of the trip. This makes sure you will be able to maintain these changes in the future.

Conclusion

Consistency treats your body better, as well. Slow changes are generally better handled by your body than abrupt changes.

Stay in it for the long run. It is not worth it to lose weight just to gain is as quickly again after…