As a coach, I’ll take consistency over intensity most of the time for most people.
When you’re early in your fitness journey or struggling to get back into a routine after a break like many people have taken in 2020, I don’t want you to stress or worry about “going big or going home”. Oftentimes, putting that kind of undue pressure on yourself about what you think your workout needs to feel like can be so overwhelming that you skip the workout altogether.
Showing up and working out at 75% effort is going to be better than skipping your workout multiple days per week simply because you’ve built up the workout in your mind into some sort of arduous task that you can’t overcome. Don’t do that to yourself. Enjoy your workouts! Even worse, if you go too hard too soon or too frequently then you may end up with an injury that derails your progress.
For at least the first 12 weeks of starting a new workout routine or returning to your regular one after time away, I just want you to show up for 60 minutes everyday. I guarantee you that if you show up most or all days of the week, you will begin to see results. Over time, your body will gain strength and conditioning while your mind gains confidence and the drive that will give you both the capacity and the desire for more work and/or more intensity in those 60 minutes. BUT when you are starting out, just focus on showing up.
Showing up will burn calories. Showing up will begin to progressively overload your muscles and bones in a safe way that strengthens your connective tissue, builds lean muscle mass, bone density, balance and coordination. Showing up will build familiarity with your coaches and your fitness friends that will support you and hold you accountable. Showing up builds confidence in yourself and changes your mindset from that of someone that fears exercise into someone that craves exercise as a part of their normal day.
Just show up – over time, everything else will take care of itself, but you’ve got to get your butt in the door for it all to work!
Make 2021 the year that you show up! Heck–why wait? The only day better than today was yesterday. Get started with consistency now! We’re here for you.
See you at the box!
Ryan