January 13 

One of the most powerful of all tools in forging a collection of new habits, (which is defined as ‘creating a new lifestyle’), is consistency.  The opposite of consistency, is of course, complacency.  Because developing a fitness lifestyle is not easy, the human mind will attempt to take the easy way out and try to talk you out of your fitness and nutritional regime, one small decision at a time - all the time.  Eventually, the habit that you were trying to develop turns into a disaster and a failure, one small seemingly insignificant decision at a time.  Therefore consistency is vitally important in any lifestyle change and in any fitness and nutrition program.  While it is very true that “life happens”, and that our habits are sometimes interrupted by everyday events, those interruptions must be exceptions and not become the rule.  One of the best tools that I have used to enforce consistency is a calendar.  I mark major activities, weight goals, nutrition goals and other data points each day on my fitness calendar.  This allows me to see at a glance my record of consistency.  And when I go back to that calendar and I look at those days when my consistency lagged I am also able to see that the results of my program lagged right along with it.  Without that tool it is easy to lose track of what you’re doing and slip right back into the old lifestyle that you are diligently trying to escape.  You can purchase a ready-made calendar, print a custom calendar from the Internet or just make your own out of a plain sheet of paper.  But that piece of paper is a powerful tool that will help you develop and maintain the consistency that you need to develop a new lifestyle with full success!