The world of fitness is rife with tips, tricks and secrets that all promise to be the key to success. However, when it comes to making progress in your fitness regime, there is one variable that is often over-looked – CONSISTENCY.
Improvements in fitness are the result of your body’s adaptation to stress. Once a ‘good’ stress like exercise is applied, your body adapts. However, this takes time and repetition and the time between training workouts needs to be spaced out appropriately. Too much, too soon, may lead to overtraining and injury. In contrast, sessions spaced too far apart may result in little to no benefit. The best results always come from long-term consistent applications of physical activity, rather than short-term “bursts”.
Did you know that if you stop training altogether you are likely to lose many of the benefits you worked so hard to achieve? We call this ‘use it or lose it’. Unlike the skill of riding a bike – which you always seem to ‘remember’, exercise benefits can be lost if you take too much time away from riding. Thankfully, once you start cycling again, you will regain those lost benefits quickly. In fact, much faster than it initially took to experience them in the first place, an additional reason to strive for consistency!
Another tip to help you stay consistent is choosing moderation. This means selecting a type, intensity and frequency that suits you and your lifestyle. Don’t try exercising six days per week if you can only realistically manage three. Similarly, don’t try and tackle a marathon if you don’t have the time to devote to the training program. Consider options with less distance that suit what you can sensibly manage. This approach will result in more enjoyment with better results, and less chance of injury.
So that’s it, set your sights on consistency and you will reap the benefits, suffer fewer set-backs, and enjoy all that regular exercise has to offer.
Article: James Orsatti, Fitness and Sports Instructor, PSP CFB Kingston
Editor(s): Tyson Staples, Fitness Coord, and Cheryl McKinnon, CFB Kingston