One of the biggest learnings I’ve made over the last 15 years is that for most people, staying consistent over months and years is hard. Especially those who are alone on their fitness journey.
When I started working out at the age of 13, I bought books and read almost every article on the internet that would help me get stronger. I woke up at 4 am to work out before school started and then spent the evenings on the basketball court. Looking back, it was a tough schedule, but that didn’t matter: Working out was my thing. I was truly passionate about it. That made me stay consistent.
Whenever possible, I invited friends to train with me in my little home gym. For a few years, I could get my best friend to train with me 3 to 4 times per week. Another two classmates joined us every Wednesday and Friday during lunch break for a year or so. We had fun working out together, pushing, and challenging each other. And obviously, the results showed.
We truly enjoyed working out together, so we all showed up. However, my friends didn’t develop the same drive as me. So when our school timetable changed and they couldn’t come over anymore, they didn’t continue training on their own. From one day to another they stopped. A few weeks later they were back to zero.
Unlike me, they hadn’t trained that regularly because they were so passionate about strength training. It was mostly the accountability that held them consistent. The experience of walking the fitness journey together, sharing small and big wins. And bugging those who skipped a workout, so they wouldn’t skip the next one.
So to all those who’re still alone with their fitness and struggle to stay consistent over longer periods: find an accountability partner or group. Someone who also has fitness goals. That someone can live on the other side of the world and their goals don’t even have to match yours.
Here’s what you should do then:
Step 1: Schedule a meeting or a call to discuss your goals and how you want to get there (which training plan, how many workouts per week, on which days).
Step 2: Hold each other accountable. Open a WhatsApp group chat (even if it’s just the two of you) and send regular workout photos as proof. Or make a shared Excel sheet to tick off your completed workouts. You could also work with reward and punishment: Transfer 5$ for every missed workout. Whatever. Be creative.
Step 3: If you don’t find the right people to team up with, or feel like you need professional support, that’s what Joe and I created NomadStrong for. Feel free to shoot us an email or book a call with us and we show you how we hold our community accountable over here.
Whatever you do, reach out for accountability. Once you find the right people, working out regularly is easy.
