Consistency
“Hey Coach . . . How do I have more consistency?!”
“I keep trying to stick with all the healthy things I know I should be doing! It works for a little while and then I lose motivation or life gets in the way. It’s so frustrating because I really do want to make better choices. Why is this consistency thing SO HARD?”
Let’s break down this elusive goal of Consistency, so you can have MORE of it in your life!
Consistency
It’s not built on simply trying harder and more will power
You don’t need a stricter plan or drill sergeant in your ear
It doesn't’ magically happen when the universe aligns and you have no stressors getting in your way
It DOES require some Skills you don’t have, yet
It DOES rely on Strengths and Resources you DO have
It DOES develop over time with appropriately sized and timed action Steps that create Habits
OK - so let's' dive into points 4, 5,& 6
Skill
If you have an outcome goal with your health (weight, strength, shape, health markers, etc), then you need to focus on the SKILLS required that will lead to the outcome you want.
Most people forget this VERY important part of their plan! They set a goal and then jump right into all the busy work they think is required to reach it. It’s natural to think this way,
But, FIRST, you must define a bigger picture. Think “Skills before Actions”.
Skills are things like:
“I eat food that balances my blood sugar and brings pleasure to my life”
“I move my body daily for strength, endurance and vitality”
“I rest my body, mind and spirit through daily, weekly and monthly rhythms”
You see how they are not super specific, but define your life in a specific area of your health? And, most importantly, if you have this skill dialed in, your GOALS will follow suit. And, your life will ebb and flow with your goals because you’ve created a skill that is and will adapt to the day, week or season. CONSISTENCY takes shape within a dance of flexibility, self àwareness and wisdom! How great is that?!
STRENGTHS and RESOURCES
Your skills are built on STRENGTHS and RESOURCES that you already have or can easily acquire.
Again, people get tripped up here working forever to improve a weakness, fix or control themselves and not have the resources they need for success.
Right now, you have strengths that you can use in your health goals! They might come from work, like knowing how to cast a vision, break it down into smaller bite size chunks and move into action that gets the job done. Or, maybe it’s a time management skill you have with your family, knowing how to prioritize certain tasks and minimize others. Or, perhaps you have a personality “skill” like being super detailed, or very spontaneous. Use those skills too!
You get the idea. Look at your natural and learned strengths and abilities with a creative lens of “How would this strength of mine apply to building the SKILLS I need to reach my health goals?”
To use your strengths well, you need to lean on your resources. Think of the resources you currently have that would make skill-building easier!
These are specific things, like:
People (ie. your friend who also wants the same goals as you)
Places (ie. a gym or park)
Supplies (ie. a food delivery service, home workout gear, a coach, a blood glucose monitor)
Time (ie. shifting some things in your schedule).
Strengths and Resources are the FUEL that build your Skills!! Know what you got!
Action
Lastly, healthy building skills are established over time through small ACTION steps that create HABITS.
Again, people often get pulled into the all-or-nothing shiny plans, like Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, Challenges and Cleanses. These things can have their place. BUT, they are rarely actions that change your behavior in the long run. They might make a good experiment or opportunity to collect some data about yourself.
Small Actionable Steps are your ticket! They must be specific, measurable, and something you are ready, willing and able to do.
But where do you start?? There are SO many actions jockeying for your attention!
The way you decide on a step is to zoom out. Look at the Skill you want to build (remember, that broad lens). Now think of a HABIT that would build that skill.
For Example:
SKILL - “I eat food that balances my blood sugar and brings pleasure to my life.”
HABIT might be - “I use a blood glucose monitor and food journal to know what types of foods work best for my body.”
ACTIONS might be - “I will order the CGM this week. I will wear it for 2 weeks and collect data based on what I’m currently eating. At week 3, I will choose 2-3 shifts in my normal eating routine and track those changes for the next 2 weeks. And those changes in my diet will be new recipes or foods that I’m excited to try.”
Remember:
Put your effort into building Skills so your goals take shape as a byproduct.
Lean on your Strengths and Resources, especially from other areas you feel successful in.
Choose appropriately sized and timed Action steps that will evolve into Habits that build those Skills.
Action -> Habit -> Skill -> Goal
BONUS! - The best actions are experiments in a specific and measurable time table that get re-evaluated for the next time table (like that example above). Build consistency with these timed experiments instead of ongoing demands you make of yourself! You’ll train your “muscle” of consistency before you know it!
At Three Point Balance, we guide our clients through a one year process of: Actions -> Habits -> Skills -> Goals!
It’s a transformation journey of body, mind and heart, with the client at the center. They define their Goals. They define the Skills they want to build to reach those goals. They know what Habits they want, and don’t want. And, they choose the Actions to experiment with, adjust or continue. We bring along side our expertise in behavior change, nutrition, fitness and mind-body tools so they don’t have to figure it all out. They get to drive the car. We make the journey much more efficient, and FUN!!
If this is something you want to explore, let’s see how we might be a great fit for each other! Tell us a bit more about yourself, your goals and those skills you want to build that will bring your vision to life!
Email is best: info@threepointbalance.com
Your consistency can shift from a frustration to a beautiful and life-giving characteristic that nourishes your body, mind and heart!
We are committed to that vision!
AUTHOR
Kim Parker Scheid
Mind-Body Eating Coach,
CEO Three Point Balance
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