Getting to your fitness goals starts with consistency. That means just showing up to your workouts. Nothing special. The session don't need to be perfect, they just need to be done.

Knowing this, you plan your training week perfectly, 3-4 sessions ready on the calendar. But then, real life happens.

A close friend visits from out of town.
The important work project is due soon and you'd rather get it done ASAP.
That birthday bar hop thing is this Friday?

You miss a day or two, and it feels tough to build momentum. It could be frustrating. But don't worry, there's a gray area between getting all your weekly workouts done, and doing nothing at all. Here are ways to stay consistent with training, especially when life gets in the way.

The Consistency List

Go down this list if you find yourself missing training sessions often. If you feel like you keep getting off track, this is for you. 🧡

Level 1: Stick to the plan

Let's say your training program calls for 3-4 sessions per week. Between each session is a rest day, giving your muscles time to recover for the next workout. Adhering to this schedule is preferred, but if needed, the first thing to do is pivot.

Level 2: Pivot your sessions

When shit happens, pivot by rescheduling a session. If you do this, you technically are still doing 100% of your weekly workouts.

Let’s say your typical training week involves:

Day 1: Monday
Day 2: Tuesday
Day 3: Thursday
Day 4: Friday

(Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are rest days.)

A. Proactive Pivoting:

This is about looking at your schedule and moving your training session because of an event. This takes planning but is ideal because you're in control. You know life is going to happen so you plan for it.

Maybe you have a dinner to attend on Thursday. You’d swap your Thursday to Wednesday.

Pivoting for dinner plans on Thursday:

Day 1: Monday
Day 2: Tuesday
Day 3: Thursday Wednesday
Day 4: Friday

B. Reactive Pivoting:

To sum it up, "shit happened, how can we make the best of it?" This isn't always ideal because you're reacting, and sometimes there isn't enough time left in the week to train. Or you have plans that can't be swapped.

So you're about to train but then your mom calls to say your Cali cousins are in town and want to do dinner. Or you forgot it was your friend’s birthday.

The pivot here would be doing your missed workout on another day. Missed your Friday workout? Just do it on Saturday.

Pivoting for cousins in town:

Day 1: Monday
Day 2: Tuesday
Day 3: Wednesday
Day 4: Friday Saturday

Level 3: Do part of the workout

If you find yourself missing days and not making them up, chances are you aren’t budgeting enough time for your workouts. If you train at the gym, the commute can add 30 min to an hour to your workout time, and if you need to wait for a piece of equipment you need, it’ll take a ton of time.

If you’re pressed for time, simply remove a portion of your workout. Shorten it to make it easier to hit.

Let’s say your training day looks like this:

A: Warmup
B: Squats
C: Accessory Work
D: Conditioning

Simply remove a section of your workout to shorten it. It'll looks something like this.

A: Warmup
B: Squats
C: Accessory Work
D: Conditioning

Level 4: Workout from home

If you can’t make it to the gym, workout from home. You can swap to bodyweight movements for that day. If you have access to dumbbells or kettlebellls, chances are you can still do most of the workout movements!

To Recap:

1. Stick to the plan if possible.
2. When life gets in the way, pivot your sessions. Pivot proactively if you can, pivot reactively if needed.
3. If you can't just pivot, do part of the workout.
4. If needed, do the workout from home.

Consistency is easier when you have a system that adjust life happens. Remember, if all else fails and you miss a session, don't worry about it. It's just a workout. 🌱