For me, staying consistent with my wellness routine (eating healthy, working out, taking care of my mindset and emotional wellness) comes down to one little truth. The truth is, no one is an overnight success. Learning how to stay consistent and find a routine that worked for me and my family has been years in the making. I did not just arrive here the day I decided to be consistent. I went through lots of trial and error and hard work to figure it out. I am writing this today because I want you to know that if you’re struggling to find consistency, you are not alone, everyone who is ‘successful’ goes through that same struggle, I promise you that! The key to pivoting is all in your mindset. Keep reading to learn more.
This all starts with my story on how I got here today. A story about how I got started and how I kept my commitment strong through all these years. I share because I want you to know that we all start somewhere, oftentimes at our lowest. It doesn’t matter where you are now, what matters is that you are READY. Ready to get serious and make some much-needed changes in your life to feel your best. Not just for you, but for your kids and your family.
It Starts with my Story…
Growing up, I was always an athlete so staying active and in shape wasn’t something I even thought twice about. I could eat anything and developed some pretty strong emotional connections to food. After a game, we’d head to Dairy Queen for a blizzard.
On pool days, we’d load up our bag with Doritos, Oreos and M&Ms before heading to soak up some vitamin D. When we’d get together to play cards, we’d throw our favorite goodie mix in a bowl to munch on the entire night – nibs, milk duds, sour patch kids, nuts, chocolate covered raisins, junior mints……. you get the point.
And by the end of the night, my belly would be sore from all the laughs (YAY!) and sick from all the candy!(NAY!)
So it became ingrained in me that fun times and good memories were built around food – and most times it was the foods that didn’t make me feel very good!
Once I was done playing volleyball in college, I still had those same eating habits and emotional ties to unhealthy foods but I wasn’t moving my body and I was really starting to feel like crud.
After I had my first baby, I was determined to lose the baby weight and feel confident again! I grabbed a workout DVD I could do from home off an infomercial and started making changes with my nutrition and I felt amazing!
I stayed on track for a few months and then life just kinda ‘happened’! You know how it always does! So workouts stopped happening and I reverted back to my old ways in the kitchen – grabbing foods that were convenient and eating my emotions.
Fast forward a couple years and I had my 2nd baby – felt like total crap and knew something needed to change…again.
My husband was just starting Vet School and I was running my own business as a wedding photographer so time was not something we had much of.
But my patience was wearing thin and mom life was kicking my booty! I turned to what I knew had worked before. I dusted off those DVDs, started working out again and started making simple swaps in the kitchen that helped me lose the baby weight a 2nd time and create new habits that were actually sustainable.
I didn’t go from 0-60 overnight when it came to creating a healthier lifestyle. We made little changes gradually and ended up falling in love with the process of it all and surrounding ourselves with people who had a similar way of life!
THAT’S THE SECRET RIGHT THERE ??Success is not fast and furious, it is slow, steady and consistent!!
Pretty soon, the changes become your new normal and that is such a beautiful thing! It’s no longer an internal battle every time you open the fridge or think about working out – fueling your body right becomes a habit just like moving your body does!
Here is my BEST list for ways to make your journey to finding consistency easier for you! Take what resonates, leave the rest!
- Surround yourself with people who are on the same journey as you. If you are surrounded by unhealthy people, it will not be easy for you to stay on track with your goals to make healthy decisions.
- Plan ahead each week before your week starts. Meal planning, meal prepping, reviewing your calendar, writing out your goals. Whatever it takes to prep yourself for the week ahead is one of the cornerstones to consistency.
- Shift your mindset and TRUST that your small actions, over time, do make THE difference!
- Anchor new habits to what you already do everyday. For example, you wake up and get out of bed everyday, anchor a new habit to happen IMMEDIATELY after that every single day! Like wake up – throw your AirPods in and listen to your affirmations or vision for your life.
- Give yourself grace!!! I believe the biggest dream killer is YOU – that mean girl inside of you that has no forgiveness, no grace and no love for yourself. This is a journey and every time you ‘do it wrong’ is an opportunity to learn, not beat yourself up!
I know you WANT success NOW, but that fear of missing out on success will make you anxious. And when we are anxious, we do not make sound decisions.
We are risky and sometimes put it all on the line instead of trusting in our day-to-day actions and the process we know works…. CONSISTENCY.
By shifting our mindset into trust that consistency does work instead of being anxious that it’s not working fast enough, you settle into a routine and just like that, you have a LIFESTYLE.
I hope by learning a little more about my story, you’ll see that this is completely possible for you and gives you hope that you and your family can really do this!
Living your journey out loud and inspiring your family to come along may become one of the greatest joys in your life!
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
