NIFS Healthy Living Blog

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Consistency is Key,” but why? Individuals engaged in fitness pursue their goals by progressing some level of their training. What often gets overlooked is the foundation that makes progress possible: consistency. 

The Way to Long-Term Fitness 

Achieving any fitness goal takes time and steady effort. To reach your dreams, you must stack “wins.” No one transforms overnight, and accepting this truth helps you embrace the value of consistency. Completing a killer workout is great, but it means little without regular effort to keep challenging your body. 

While intense workouts can be beneficial, they’re not always necessary. Long-term fitness is about sustainability. If your routine makes you miserable or leaves you dreading the gym, your ability to stay consistent will suffer. Instead, create a plan that fits your life and brings you joy. When fitness feels rewarding, consistency follows. 

A Key to Mental Health 

Exercise has been shown to boost mental health through various physiological processes. But even beyond that, the structure and routine of exercise itself can be a game-changer. By building workouts into your schedule, you’re more likely to follow through, creating a cycle of consistency that supports both your mind and body. 

Tips for Consistency 

Tip #1: Set realistic goals. 

To stay consistent, start with a plan that’s manageable. Overestimating how often you can work out can lead to burnout. If you’re new to fitness, start with just two sessions per week—enough to create momentum without overwhelming yourself. On low-energy days, tell yourself, “I’ll go for 10 minutes and see how I feel.” Often, showing up is the hardest part. 

Tip #2: Mix things up to avoid plateaus. 

Everyone hits plateaus, but how you respond makes the difference. Switching up your exercises every 3-5 weeks can re-energize your routine and re-sensitize your body to progress. For example, swap regular squats for goblet squats or Bulgarian split squats. Variation keeps things fresh and challenges your muscles in new ways. 

Tip #3: Tap into your purpose, not just motivation. 

Motivation can be powerful, but it’s fleeting. Instead of relying on motivation alone, focus on your purpose—your ‘why.’ Ask yourself what drives you: improved health, confidence, or setting an example for loved ones. Purpose provides a deeper, more lasting source of commitment that keeps you consistent even on tough days. 

Personal Experience 

Playing football for 10 years taught me the value of consistent effort. My coach’s mantra, “Win Right Now, Win the Next,” emphasized focusing on the moment rather than the whole game. Over time, those small wins added up to big results. 

Fitness is similar—it’s not linear. You’ll have highs and lows, but consistency creates an upward trend over time. Believe in your process, celebrate your wins, and keep building momentum. 

Consistency is the secret to achieving your goals. Start with small, manageable steps, stay intentional, and trust the process. Celebrate each win, learn from challenges, and keep showing up. Every step forward is progress toward the life you want to create. 

As winter approaches, don’t let it discourage you from reaching your full potential and goals you’ve set for yourself. Continue to use exercise and strength training to keep your body healthy.

Keep Setting Fitness Goals

Continue to set goals; goal-setting will help you stay the course. Setting goals gives you purpose and meaning, and a reason to come to the gym. Set small goals and watch them turn into big ones. If you feel you’re plateauing, get a personal trainer to help you push past your threshold. They will keep you accountable as well as push you to new heights in your fitness journey.

Focus on Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Use the cold months to really focus on your nutrition. Winter months can lead to more relaxation since outside activities are not as prevalent. Keeping good nutritional habits will help you achieve your goals. If you need help with nutrition, utilize a dietitian to help you find the right foods to eat. Meal prepping and eating real foods will be key during the winter months—not getting set on carryout food and outside dining. Although every once in a while it’s okay to eat restaurant food, you want to focus on eating clean and getting proper nutrients into your body. Especially now during COVID-19, you want to make sure you’re staying as healthy as possible.

Maintain Safe Practices in the Pandemic

Speaking of the pandemic, continue to practice safe distancing while out in public. That way, you’ll keep your family safe and those around you. Try to minimize large gatherings. If you have to be with friends and family, make sure everyone does the proper things to keep everyone healthy and safe, including wearing masks. Use your best judgment while out and in social gatherings. Continue to wash your hands and sanitize equipment and any object that has been touched or will be touched.

Stay Busy and Keep Planning

Find new hobbies. If you’re able to get outdoors, enjoy that time with family and friends. If you’re not fortunate enough to be able to be outdoors due to the cold weather, find indoor activities to pass the time, but keep yourself busy. Don’t let the winter months bring you down. Continue to plan daily to attack the day and stay motivated. Stay busy and stay healthy!

This blog was written by Michael Blume, MS, SCCC; Athletic Performance Coach. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Do you remember what your resolution was almost three months ago when the ball dropped? If you are like millions of other people, you made a New Year’s resolution based around improving your wellness, social, or financial situation. However, if you have been slacking on that goal at this point, take the emergence of the new season, spring, as the time to get back to your plan. Here are some tips on how to do that.

• It is always okay to start again. Just because a cold or flu threw your workouts off track doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising until January 1, 2021. Instead, it’s never too late to start up again and get back to a routine that works for you. Find something you know you can stick to and enjoy. Get a workout buddy to make you more accountable. Try something new! All of these things can help you be successful this time around.
• Change your resolution if you need to. You had a grand plan to make every meal you eat from scratch and do meal prep for the week on Sundays, but after a few weeks you realized that doesn’t work for your schedule. It’s okay to modify that resolution and make one that will work. That might be meal prepping only half the week at a time or cooking extra every evening to have lunch for the next day. Find a new goal that will stick!
• Focus on the positive of what you did achieve with your resolution. Did you start a walking program but just didn’t do the amount of minutes you set for yourself? Focus on the fact that you started walking in the first place. Whatever the resolution was that you were able to begin, focus on that to get back to it.
• Do you need to rewrite your resolution to make it S.M.A.R.T? Set a SPECIFIC goal. Then make sure it is MEASURABLE and ATTAINABLE. Next, put a REWARD in place that gives you incentive to meet your goal. Finally, put a TIME frame on your goal. Instead of setting a goal to work out more, make it S.M.A.R.T.: I am going to walk 3 times per week for 30 minutes for the next 4 weeks, and if I accomplish this I am going to get a pedicure. Write down your resolution and then make it S.M.A.R.T.

Don’t be a resolution dropout! Think back on your wellness goals and walk through these four tips. Hopefully they will help motivate you to keep working toward those goals as the ball drops on 2021!

This blog was written by Angie Mitchell, RD, Wellness Coordinator. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.