Consistency: The Cornerstone to Wellness and Living

Are you struggling to reach your full potential due to habitual behaviour? Some of life's little routines come naturally to us: we brush our teeth in the morning, we close the front door when we leave home, we enjoy a morning coffee or two (or three…). But other things in life may seem more difficult to implement as part of our daily lives. Anyone who has ever attempted a health kick, trialled an exercise regime or planned a self-improvement month will understand that these things just don't seem to come naturally. We start strong, waver a few days in, and then decide it's all just a bit too hard.

But when it comes to improved wellness and living, consistency is the absolute key. No one ever developed healthier eating habits, improved their fitness or reached their personal life goals with a stop/start approach. If we can just stick to something new long enough for it to become a habit, so it is as natural to us as brushing our teeth, then we will be able to reach our goals. The length of time this will take will vary for each individual, but experts believe it takes around 2 months for a new behaviour to transform into a habit. But how can we go about reaching that crucial milestone?

There is no doubt that hard work and perseverance will be required, but there are also little things we can do to make this transition easier. Are you trying to eat healthier lunches? Do you find your will power wavering when you compare limp looking salads with a delicious burger? If so, don't rely on what your local takeaway shops offer, prepare something delicious and healthy to bring from home. What about if you are trying to be more organised? Do you find that there just aren't enough hours in a day to get stuff done? Look for ways to make life less complicated. If you're currently running around trying to do everything yourself, could you instead hire experts to take care of your responsibilities? DIY in many areas of life is time consuming and costs you more in the long run!

Another key to achieving consistency is to let go of all the hype surrounding fad diet, exercise and self-help routines. Plenty of programs declare that all you need is an "8-day detox!" or a "6-week challenge!" in order to achieve the life you've always dreamed of. But is this realistic? What are you going to do once the specified time period is over? This kind of mentality can lead to a dangerous pattern where you punish yourself mercilessly in order to reach a short-term goal, then reward yourself by doing absolutely nothing for the next 6 months. A slow and consistent approach is far more likely to lead you towards a way of life that is healthy and balanced, where you view healthy eating, regular exercise and personal development as a part of your day-to-day routine.

Building better habits will become a lot easier if we start small and gradually add new behaviours. Developing a workable schedule will also help us in achieving new goals, as we will have time set aside for planned activities, such as attending a weekly boxing class, spending quality time with a family member or preparing wholesome meals.

The benefits of being consistent cannot be overstated. A person who is consistent will be better equipped to reach their lifestyle goals. This, in turn, will lead to improved overall wellness, not just for a set period of time, but also for life. A reputation for consistency will also benefit both our professional and personal life, as others will trust us to stick to our word and accomplish whatever it is we have agreed to.