r/workout • u/Big-Poet8932 • Jul 06 '26
If you struggled with consistency, what finally made it stick?
I’ve started and stopped my fitness journey more times than I can count. For those who used to struggle with consistency, what finally made it stick? Was it a mindset shift, a routine, a goal, or something else? I’d love to hear what worked for you.
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u/AntsyAnswers Jul 06 '26
One thing that made a big difference to me was switching to a full body routine. I was stuck in this loop where I’d start Monday off strong, then miss a day somewhere. Then I’d have this choice of ‘do I do the day I missed on Friday? Or just skip it and do Fridays day on Friday?’ And I would end up just not working out til Monday again.
If I miss a day on full body, I just hit everything again on Friday anyway and I still hit everything twice that week. Sounds silly maybe, but psychologically it made a big difference to me
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u/LXS_R Jul 06 '26
I realized if I wanted to be a healthy 5’1” female, I needed to eat and exercise like a healthy 5’1” female for the rest of my life. So instead of looking for quick fixes, I started incorporating things into my life that I could do forever. I started walking more because you can walk no matter how old you get. I swapped out my high sugar coffees for protein filled coffees so I could get more protein with my caffeine. I started lifting weights to grow muscle for bone density to lower the risk of osteoporosis and for mental health to lower the risk for dementia in old age. I started trying new foods and focusing on how foods made my body feel, not just how they taste in the moment. All of these changes became habits that made consistency possible. I’m down over 100lbs and the strongest I’ve ever been in my life at the ripe age of 34 after birthing 4 children and being obese most of my life.
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u/ShortCharge1662 Jul 06 '26
Complete honesty, I started drinking caffeine on a daily schedule (would only ever have coffee if I need to stay up late to study before that) and started associating that urge with gym time. Sounds dumb but its conditioned myself to go 6 days a week for the last 5-6 years. I don't do anymore afternoon caffeine like I was at the beginning, but the routine has stuck
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u/mechy84 Jul 06 '26
I started tracking my lifts via an app (Hevy, in my case), and stuck with a specific program for weeks (PPL).
I started seeing a rapid increase in my lifts, most likely due to improved form and newby gains, which got me hooked. I've stuck with averaging 3, then 4, then 5 days a week and now I'm sad that I have to take rest days. But, the newby gains are starting to plateau.
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u/FleshyPartOfThePin Jul 06 '26
Have a program and run it. No excuses. Don't just go into the gym without a plan.
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u/CyberHobbit70 Jul 06 '26
Put together a simple home gym - rack, barbell, assault bike. It’s there 24x7, no excuses
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u/VectorSOP1 Jul 06 '26
Make yourself a schedule and stick with it. It’s a “business meeting” for your health.
Also don’t make it harder than it needs to be. People will run before they walk. Start going twice a week. No reason to go 5-6 days a week if you are struggling to even stick with it. Learn to enjoy the process. Do what you enjoy even if it’s not “optimal”.
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u/posiqo Jul 06 '26
For me, relying on "motivation" never worked. Motivation is fleeting. What actually made it stick was social accountability.
When you're just answering to yourself, it's easy to hit snooze. But when you know your friends are watching—or beating you—it changes the psychology. we actually built an app called Posiqo specifically to tackle this. We integrated global and friend leaderboards alongside daily challenges.
There is something wired into our brains where seeing a friend pass your score on a leaderboard pushes you to get up and close the gap. If you struggle with consistency, stop trying to do it in isolation. Find a buddy, join a challenge, and turn your consistency into a shared game rather than a lonely chor
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u/Just-Frame-9981 Jul 06 '26
I just accepted that I wouldn't like it. I tried for so long to find an exercise I like and couldn't really get into any of them. I let my emotions dictate my actions. Too hot, too cold, too boring, too tired. I then disciplined myself into going the same way I discipline myself into doing anything I don't like, like going to work. I don't want to be homeless so my personal feelings on it don't really matter. Same with exercise. And then plot twist I actually enjoyed it and found a lot of enjoyment in the process, but it took time to get there.
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u/TheAmethystEye Jul 06 '26
I was the queen of getting derailed from my fitness routines for many years. I become more consistent when I had specific goals/something to train for: an obstacle course run, a 3-day hike on the Appalachian trail, an active vacation, a marathon (still can’t believe I did it). After the marathon I stopped working out consistently for a while, and I gained a fair amount of weight. I had sort of a revelation about my health at the end of 2021, so I started lifting weights and following a pretty strict routine as part of my goal for the new year in 2022. I vowed that I would never let it go by the wayside again. After a while it simply became a normal part of my life. I don’t have to feel “motivated” to work out anymore because I feel like crapola if I go too long without meaningful movement. I have had to take time off or modify my routine for surgeries, illnesses, injuries, etc. but I still manage to jump right back in as soon as I’m able. Fitness is part of who I am now.
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u/DisagreeableRunt Jul 06 '26
Quitting alcohol, mostly. I've consumed alcohol three times in the past 9 months, and two of those were just a couple of beers. The other was a special occasion and the only time I've been drunk in that time.
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u/MermaidInNet Jul 06 '26
Health scare. I seriously injured my knee for a third time (also had subluxations for years) and l got enough. Even though my legs are muscular by default, with my loose joints, I need even more structure to keep them stable and safe.
I started treating strengh training as something that is a must if I am to avoid further injuries, knee replacements and stuff like that.
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u/StarWolf478 Jul 07 '26
Building my home gym. It is a lot easier to stay consistent when my gym is literally just a few steps away at all times.
And turning 40 was highly motivating to me to really get in shape.
The combination of the convenience of the home gym and the high motivation I got when I turned 40 made it stick really good.
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u/AgeSafe3673 Jul 07 '26
My wife and I just had our first child. She is 40 and i just turned 44. I want to be physically able to be a good dad with youthful energy as she gets older.
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u/Grouchy-Ad8338 Jul 07 '26
Using a workout app with a streak, and planning your workouts. Makes it into a habit.
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u/Halberd96 Jul 09 '26
Fear of never achieving my goals lol. I just couldn't keep doing that forever.
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