consistency is the motivation

Lately, I've been talking to a few GLP members who are frustrated.

They're working hard. They're showing up. They're trying to eat well. They're doing the things that used to work for them and yet, their bodies aren't responding the way they used to.The pounds aren't coming off. Their clothes don't fit quite the way they want. They're not feeling as strong or as comfortable in their bodies as they once did.

I've been there.

And here's what I want to share: stay consistent.

Not because consistency guarantees a particular outcome. And not because there's some magic number of workouts or calories that will suddenly make everything click.

But because consistency gives you something really important: time. Time to figure out what actually works for you.

I've been on this journey too, and it hasn't exactly been a straight line. So, here's a little of my story.

I started working with Kari in May of 2022. I was three years out from having a baby, and honestly, the baby weight had initially flown off. Breastfeeding probably had something to do with it. So did the fact that I was essentially surviving on three-times-reheated coffee and whatever food I could shove into my mouth between taking care of a tiny human and working full time.

Once I stopped breastfeeding, though, the weight slowly started creeping back on. My habits hadn't really changed. But my body had. And one day I looked in the mirror and was genuinely shocked by what was staring back at me.

I was 44 years old and not in the shape I wanted to be, with a young kid to keep up with. I knew I needed to make a change. Not just for me, but for this little human who depended on me and who I wanted to be around for a very, very long time.

As a coach (and a damn good one!), Kari asked the questions I was afraid to ask myself. And the answers shined a pretty bright light on my habits. 

Some of them were good. I was eating relatively well. But I wasn't moving my body enough or in the ways that would actually help me get stronger and feel better. I was also drinking alcohol far more frequently than I wanted to admit. And I wasn’t prioritizing sleep and rest as much as I could.

So we made a plan. I started working out 3x a week. I started tracking my food for the first time. I started looking for small, sustainable ways to make changes. And I remember very clearly setting a goal for myself: lock in for 30 days to see what was possible. I thought that what had worked for me in the past would work again if I just got really focused for a period of time. The 30 days came and went. And nothing happened. Well, that's not entirely true.

I gained weight.

I was frustrated. I was doing the work. Why wasn't my body cooperating?!

But I kept going.

I started going to the gym five or six times a week. Even when I didn’t want to go. Even when I was tired. Somewhere along the way, I stopped making the scale the primary measure of whether I was succeeding and started focusing more on getting stronger.

I signed up for a lifting competition because I needed something to work toward and, honestly, something to make it fun when the whole thing started to feel a bit like a grind. Slowly, things started changing. But it was slow. Much slower than I wanted. And I still wasn't where I wanted to be. But I was somewhere different. And I kept going.

I started moving even more, both for my own fitness and as I began coaching at the GLP. My days became consistently filled with 10,000+ steps, something that had been pretty rare for me for years.

I started paying more attention to the little things, too. I added more fiber to my routine. I noticed that I felt fuller and more satisfied. I realized I had been eating the same portions as my 6-foot, 195-pound husband because, well, that's what he put on my plate. I experimented with creatine. Magnesium glycinate. Probiotics. I paid more attention to sleep and recovery. And I significantly cut back on drinking. That change wasn't just about calories. It helped me sleep better and feel more energized throughout the day.

None of these things was THE answer. That's actually the point. There was no magic bullet. I didn't wake up one morning and discover the one thing I'd been missing. Instead, I slowly added things to my routine. I paid attention. I experimented. I noticed what helped and what didn't.

I kept the things that worked. I let go of the things that didn't. And over time, all of those small things started adding up.

That's consistency. It's not sexy. It's not particularly exciting. It's often boring as hell.

It's doing another workout when you'd rather do something new. It's eating the protein when you want the pasta. It's going for the walk when you want to doom scroll and turn off your brain. It's getting enough sleep. It's showing up when you're not feeling particularly motivated. It's doing something for weeks or months or years even in my case without seeing a dramatic change and deciding to keep going anyway.

But that boring consistency is what gives you the information you need.

If you change things up too often or don’t give yourself time to settle into the rhythm, how do you know what's actually working?

You don't.

Consistency creates a baseline. It lets you pay attention. It gives your body time to respond. And perhaps most importantly, it gives you time to learn.

Maybe something works. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it works for a while and then stops working. Maybe you need to change the approach because your body, your hormones, your schedule or your life has changed.

That's okay.

We live in a world that wants - and honestly expects - results now. Thirty-day challenges. Six-week transformations. Quick fixes. New programs. New supplements. New rules.

And when we don't see the results we want quickly enough, we assume we're doing something wrong. But sometimes the answer isn't another change. Sometimes the answer is KEEP GOING. And that's where I think consistency can actually become its own motivation. We often think we need to feel motivated before we take action. But sometimes it's the other way around.

You show up. You do the thing. You notice that you feel a little better. You get a little stronger. Your energy improves. Your clothes fit differently. You sleep better. You have a good workout and realize you can lift something you couldn't lift six months ago. And suddenly you want to do it again.

You don't always need motivation. Sometimes you just need to keep the appointment you made with yourself.

So if you're frustrated right now, if you're doing all the things and wondering why your body isn't responding the way you think it should, or if the things that worked for you five, ten or twenty years ago aren't working anymore, I see you.

I am you.

I don't have a magic answer for you because your answer isn't necessarily my answer. I'm not sharing my story to say, "Do these things! They worked for me!" Please don't read this and start taking a handful of supplements because Sonia did. 😂

I'm sharing it because I want you to remember that figuring out what works for your body can take time. Our bodies are complex. Meanwhile, we're busy being strong humans, partners, parents, friends, business owners, employees, caregivers and approximately 47 other things.

This is your reminder: just keep showing up. And when you need a little help staying consistent? That's what your GLP community is here for. 🍍