When it comes to achieving and sustaining a healthier and stronger body, you’ll commonly hear about the significance of having motivation and consistency. However, what exactly do these two words mean, and how are they different? Are they actually that important when it comes to long-term results? If so, then in the grand debate about motivation vs. consistency, which one is actually the more important quality to possess?
What Is Motivation?
To start, let’s break down the concept of motivation. Simply put, motivation is what makes you want to do something. It’s a compelling force that genuinely drives you to take a certain action. Motivation can come in a variety of forms and is behind almost every rational decision we make in our lives, such as choosing to exercise, going to a reputable college, or saving money for a vacation.
When it comes to doing things we like, such as spending time with friends or going to our favorite restaurants, the motivation is quite simple: the pleasure we derive from these actions makes us want to perform them. Doing things we enjoy doesn’t require much convincing, so we don’t really put a lot of thought into finding the necessary motivation.
In contrast, for courses of action we might need to take but are reluctant to, we must be more explicit about finding and acknowledging motivation. A strong enough desire to reach a higher goal or accomplish a greater good is what helps us to make the right choices, even if they aren’t the easiest or most pleasant options.
For many people, starting an exercise routine may fall under this latter category, so discovering that invigorating force can be a helpful jump-start.
What Is Consistency?
By contrast, consistency isn’t about finding the urge to take a specific action, but rather about choosing to regularly engage in an action over an extended period of time. Being consistent means that you’re doing something frequently enough, perhaps even every day, that it becomes a habit. This is important because you can’t progress in anything overnight; it’s something that can only come with sticking to a routine, even when you aren’t necessarily in the best mood or feeling the most energetic.
When you’re first trying to achieve consistency in something, it might require some deliberate effort. There’ll be times when consistency itself must become the sole motivation to do something. Some days, you won’t necessarily be very inclined to go to the gym, and the only thing that’ll make you stick to it is the fact that you’ve committed to integrating it into your regimen.
As tough as it may get at times, once you pull yourself through these rough patches, you’ll notice a point at which you’ve really made something a regular part of your daily life, You’ll know because instead of having to summon the energy and desire to do something, you’ll find yourself simply doing it by default. It’ll be something you automatically incorporate into your schedule every day, and on the days that you don’t get to perform that habitual action, it’ll seem uncomfortable and unsettling.
In my case, I know that working out has become a consistent part of my life because it’s something I look forward to every day. I always try to make room for going to the gym, regardless of inclement weather or conflicting plans. Every now and then, when I can’t go to the gym for more than a day at a time, I feel a sense of urgency, and almost a longing, to get back into it as soon as possible. I only feel a sense of relief when I’m finally able to resume my training.
Which One Is More Important?
Now that we have a clear understanding of what each term means, I want to address the motivation vs. consistency debate. I’ve heard those who say that reaching your fitness goals is all about staying motivated, and I’ve also heard those who say motivation doesn’t matter as long as you commit to being consistent. In my opinion, both arguments are flawed.
First, the problem with relying solely on motivation to persist in an action, such as going to the gym, is that this is very challenging and perhaps even unrealistic to expect of someone.
In reality, motivation can often be quite temporary. You’ll sign up for a new gym membership, or hear about a new workout trend, and become very motivated. However, that initial energy often quickly fades away after a few days or weeks, and that’s why so many people fail to keep up an exercise routine.
Even if your motivation doesn’t completely disappear, it can still be fleeting. It’s pretty unlikely that after your first workout, you’ll wake up eager to go to the gym every day from then on. Some days, you may feel energetic and end up training several times in a week. Other times, you may not be in the best of moods, or you’re preoccupied with other things in your life, and next thing you know the last time you went to the gym was several weeks ago. The end result is that you’re still not working out with regularity, and without that, it’ll be difficult to see any noticeable progress.
On the other hand, I also disagree with the idea that even without motivation, you can achieve success as long as you achieve consistency. This doesn’t make much sense to me, because achieving consistency isn’t a reason in and of itself to take action. People won’t force themselves to do something repetitively simply to make a habit out of it; they’ll only do it if they see themselves deriving some form of benefit from the action.
If someone told me to balance an apple on my head every day so that I’d eventually become very good at it, I still wouldn’t do it. Someone practicing for a talent show may want to try this, but excelling at this doesn’t provide me with any personal upside, and I have no desire to master such a skill. Some people don’t prioritize physical fitness as much, and some think spending an hour every day at the gym isn’t the best use of their time. If exercising doesn’t bring someone closer to their ideal self, then they won’t see value in becoming consistent with it.
Establish a Routine, the Simple Way
The truth is that one needs to be both motivated and consistent in order to derive the benefits of working out. If you’re having trouble staying motivated or achieving consistency, however, try going about it in a different way. Instead of thinking about these as separate concepts, we can try to feed one into the other.
Instead of trying to be motivated and consistent, we can simply focus on being motivated to stay consistent.
Though this may seem a bit nuanced, these are actually pretty different approaches. Rather than needing to find the motivation to get up and exercise each and every day, your motivation should be more of a long-term goal that you hope to accomplish through exercising. It should be something that would require repeated and dedicated effort to attain, rather than just a temporary desire or brief rush of energy.
Having this kind of deeply-rooted motivation will then push you to want to commit to a routine. As a result, even on days when you don’t necessarily feel like going to the gym, the desire to remain consistent is what will push you to still go, because that’s the only way you’ll turn your goal into a reality. You don’t always have to be obsessed with working out; you just have to be obsessed with sticking to the routine of working out. Give this approach a try, and hopefully it’ll break down the seemingly impossible task of turning fitness into a lifestyle.
Of course, being able to stick to a routine requires having one in the first place. Check out my post on how to come up with a tailored workout plan if you’re not sure where to begin.
