It’s All About Consistency

When it comes to doing something new, something out of your ordinary and often just something healthier than your every day norm it’s all about creating habits. It’s hard to do something consistently without setting a habit, but it’s hard to make something a habit without actually doing it consistently — the old chicken before the egg or egg before chicken debate. In my humble opinion the only way to make something a habit is to just jump in and start doing it consistently from the get go.

For me and yoga it’s pretty much all about consistency, I practice constantly and I try my darndest to keep it like that and for good reason. Even though I truly love my practice, if I let up on the consistency a little it totally screws me and my habits right up. For instance, last week I had a really difficult time getting to the studio (kids, life, blah blah excuses) — I only practiced twice all week, which sounds really great because it’s better than nothing, I know. But since I missed so many days in between, it started to actually get easier to talk myself out of waking up before everyone else to get to that 6:30 am class and my habits were quickly switching to sedentary relaxing over yoga practicing — which just didn’t feel good at all.

The relaxing, living more sedentary comes pretty naturally ( you don’t need to try to do “nothing” and crave a whole box of Oreos) which is why for me I need to make something a habit to keep me from that natural tendency of couch potatoing (it’s an action). I don’t actually know if it’s like this for everyone, is consistency super important for you to keep up with healthy goals and routine?

I often get asked why I practice yoga everyday (also how, but part of the how is mixed with this why). And my answer usually is “because I love it“, which is true I really really do. But I also practice everyday because I require the consistency to keep at it, to keep it a habit. I know that yoga makes me a better human being, that I literally need it in my life, that it resets my days and all those reasons are enough to keep up with my practice but some days it would be a struggle to get going if it wasn’t a habit and it would probably be much more sporadic of a practice. So basically, the key to success (a huge part of the key) is consistency.

Do you find you’ve fallen off the wagon a bit during the summer? Or maybe a vacation got in the way of your healthy routine? Yes? Guess what, me too. And I can honestly say the best way to fix that, because beating yourself up about it surely won’t help even a tiny bit. Is to jump back in, cold turkey (does cold turkey work as well when you are starting something?) and do it (do it) today, tomorrow and every other day this week (more specifically, for getting back into yoga).
Do it till it feels normal again and the couch potatoing/relaxing in the sun feels more abnormal. Still relax and couch potato, just save that for after you did your consistent workout/practice. What do you guys think?