It is about consistency

The goal is not to get in shape. The goal is to be in shape for the rest of your life. If that is the mindset, then health and fitness cannot be a program or a diet. It has to be a lifestyle.

A lifestyle requires something more than a program or a diet. It requires you to get your heart on board. It requires you to reshape your life to facilitate the patterns you want to embody. It is about getting your environment, heart, and mind all on the same page.

It goes without saying that a lifestyle is about consistency. As such, I believe that a lifting program should be consistency-oriented rather than intensity-oriented. Intensity is good, but intensity without consistency has little value. It is better to maintain a habit of low-intensity workouts than occasionally manage an intense workout. If there is one thing to focus on with getting healthy, it is consistency.

I believe that human beings have limited willpower. It is why we need a Savior, someone who can transform us from the inside out. Our willpower alone is insufficient to become who we want to be. In the health and fitness journey, I believe that The Holy Spirit provides grace to help us. Self-control is a fruit of The Holy Spirit, after all.

As humans have limited willpower, we must be strategic with what we spend it on. Apply this concept to consistency and intensity. Invest all of your “willpower points” into consistency. When it comes to working out, consistency is non-negotiable, but intensity is always negotiable. If you cannot talk yourself into a hard workout, ask yourself if you have enough motivation and energy for an easy one. The question is not whether or not you will show up, but how hard you will train when you do. I believe that this mindset is one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle.