The pressure to be ‘consistent’

For Strong Women Training Club trainer Dottie Fildes, there are huge benefits to being consistent with any form of training. “Consistency completely eradicates the on/off mindset. In the same way, if you stay on track, whatever that looks like, you don’t have the feeling of ‘starting again’.”

But these benefits don’t end when we reduce or take a pause in our current routine, she says: “It isn’t inconsistent if you have to change your routine. These things are a byproduct of life – injury, holiday, work. Exercise has to ebb and flow with the rest of your world.”

The problem both of these trainers note is that we so often get frustrated with our inability to keep up a routine we once had, we end up not bothering at all. “What if the knowledge that you can no longer feasibly complete four sessions per week stops you from doing those two sessions?” asks Vincent. “We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform on all fronts at the highest level. That sort of internal pressure isn’t helpful. We exercise because it’s good for our health. That doesn’t mean you HAVE to do four to five sessions per week. The human body has no idea what a week is.”

How to be consistent with exercise (and what ‘consistency’ really means)