Exercise Consistency For Lifetime Fitness

For a broad overview of Tony Horton's "11 Laws for a Lifetime of Fitness ", see Part 1.

Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any of the momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise done consistently provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise five to six days a week guarantees results.

There are certain things that rise to the surface when it comes to staying consistent. One of them is finding ways to stay motivated. How does anyone sustain anything without motivation? You bought Power 90^® or P90X^® because you're committed to making huge changes in your life. Being consistent is critical. But sustaining it and staying motivated can at times seem impossible.

It's easy to create reasons not to exercise. "I feel weak and puny and Tony's jokes aren't funny." We also get sick, tired, we travel, we get discouraged, we are overworked, we under-sleep and we're stressed out. So what do we do about it? Do we let it overwhelm us? What about those people who don't quit? Who are they? Are they super robots from a galaxy far, far away? What the hell makes them so special? Why are these robot people consistent and others not? The answer is that the successful, consistent, and motivated folk have tricks. Ah ha! They have found a way to do it anyway.

Here's my list of tricks that will help you stay motivated and consistent:

1. Stop beating yourself up if you can't sustain your "perfect" plan. It is perfectly okay to miss a workout once in a while. It doesn't mean the whole process has gone to hell in a hand basket. It doesn't mean you have to start over. Life happens. Priorities shift. So what? Big deal. Just start up where you left off. If you're doing Power 90 or P90X, just add the missed days to the back end. I hereby decree the burden lifted! Of course you must recognize the difference between a missed workout or two and a missed week or two. If you skip two weeks of working out it will take that long to get back where you left off. If you miss one work out once in a while you lose nothing. The extra day off can even do the body good.

2. Don't freak out if you don't see results in the first 45 days. "What?! No results in the first month and a half?!" See, I knew you'd freak out. The reality is that we all have different starting points. The 90 in Power 90 and P90X stands for 90 days, not 90 minutes. Some folks will see results the first weekbastards! Others will have to wait a little longer based on age, body weight, how out of shape they are when they start, flexibility, balance, athletic background, etc.this is normal. The variety of workouts in P90X purposefully plays into your strengths and weaknesses. Both programs were created to have a 30 to 50day "adaptive phase." This phase is shorter for some and longer for others. Be patient. Your body will adapt, and you will be amazed at how you look and feel.

3. On your most exhausted, overwhelmed, and lackluster days—Push Play anyway. Except if you're sick or hurt, be fully committed to having a lousy workout, and let that be perfectly okay. A lousy workout is always better than no workout at all. Movement is good. Even when you're feeling weak and puny, get off the couch and MOVE! The truth is, and I know you'll agree, if you get up and do somethingeven if it's not your bestit's impossible to feel bad when you're done. Sometimes you have to FORGET THE BEST AND DO THE REST.

Tony Horton has been one of the most popular fitness trainers in L.A. for the last 20 years. He's designed numerous home fitness programs, including Power 90^®, Power Half Hour™, and P90X^®.