Consistency
Why is it so important in life and physical health?
Answer:
I will draw your attention to two pictures. One is a picture of a mathematical equation, but for our purposes it only need be a line that repeats the pattern of an upward directed flow, followed by regression to a downward directed line. The second picture is the that of a staircase. This picture represent consistent striving toward an upward direction. Always giving effort, followed by an increase in elevation or progress.
There is something we have all seen, but maybe not understood in its true simplicity. The body likes the path of least resistance and will go towards that all costs. It will send pain, fatigue, and general discomfort when it is placed in a difficult situation. In other words, it says to your brain, “This is bad for you!”. Your body is very smart, but not smart enough, or we could say that it simply doesn’t see the big picture. Your butt, legs, arms, and back simply don’t see the big picture. They say, “This seems like we are going to hurt ourselves and we wont have any leftovers if we potentially have to run away from an animal in an hour or two.” It is protecting you from the forced workout you would get if you lived in the jungle. Well, NEWS FLASH, there is most likely not going to be an animal that you wouldn’t be able to just kick and move on with your day. You will most likely not run flat out for 10 to 20minutes today to avoid a most excruciating death.
Now that we have made that point, lets look at benefit of our body not being able to see the big picture. If our bodies know the difference between running from a bear and running around the block with your ipod, it might not make improvements. BUT your body doesn’t know the difference. THIS IS WHERE CONSISTENCY COMES IN! à If you are running and lifting heavy objects several times a week your body will think it is going to get so worn out it wont be able to run away anymore. So your body will change.
Your body wants to stay alive by natural instinct. It has the capability to make improvements, tone up, drop fat, increase muscle stamina, and muscle strength if it feels it needs too. This makes since logically if we think about it a little together.
If our muscles can run longer, push harder, and carry less weight while doing it by lowering stored fat, then you can bet your bottom dollar that your body will want to make those changes. Now we want it to do those things correct?! YES!!!
HERE IS A TRAINING SECRET! If you exercise consistently you body will adapt to the level of exercise and exertion that you experience on a regular basis. The body does this so that your “daily escaping from the local bear” becomes drastically easier, “just in case you might need to run away from it or a different animal later on in the day.” It wants you to be prepared for that! I want you to be prepared for that!
Now lets say you exercise consistently for a week and then take a week off, what would happen?
Your body will begin to make improvements to help you, but once you quit exercising or “running away from the bear,” it will think to itself that the danger is gone and it is best to start storing fat, decreasing muscle size, and eating more so that just in case we start starving our metabolisms will be slow, our bellies full and fat storage at its all time best. Don’t get me wrong. If I lived in an impoverished country, I would be most grateful that my body does this, but most of those who are reading this website don’t live in impoverished countries.
Now to finish up the previously started explanation of the two pictures. If you are inconsistent, you will make progress and then go backward much in the same way that the swivel line comes up and goes down. The other negative factor in this inconsistent pattern is that after some time of inconsistency, you will say to yourself, “I am making no progress with this whole ‘working out thing’” and you will quit and resign yourself to your natural tendencies. This is wrong.
Now if you are consistent you will enjoy several different benefits. One, you will feel great every day. You may experience some occasional minor soreness, but you will have conquered something. You will have done something difficult. You will experience a daily victory even if everything else goes wrong. I know this to be true. I don’t always have a good day, but at least I can say to myself that I have mustered the energy to stay disciplined, consistent. Second, the small changes initiated by your effort and carried to completion by your bodily systems will begin to add up. You will add all of those little changes together without having to fall backwards, and you will see and feel a difference. 1+1+1+1+1 can continue! Third, and maybe the most important, you will gain the faith in yourself and realize the simple fact that
YOU CAN MAKE PROGRESS AND DESIGN THROUGH YOUR OWN HARD WORK THE TYPE OF BODY YOU WANT TO LIVE IN!!!
The natural tendencies are within us all, this path of least resistance. You are smarter than your butt, legs, and arms. Lets live with our brains and be consistent.