Don’t Get in Shape, Stay in Shape

Every person who starts an exercise routine will start out with a goal of getting in better shape. Whether that is through losing body fat, building more muscle, increasing endurance, or all of those, we will often hear “I want to get in better shape”.

The focus though should be learning how to stay in shape instead of learning how to get in shape.

Sometimes when you only focus on getting in shape you will resort to short term tactics that might be good for quick results, but are not good for long term success, like completely cutting out certain food groups even though you enjoy them, or starting a 6 day a week workout routine even though you know it’s too demanding on your schedule to maintain it.

What good is it to get in shape if you are not going to stay there? You will have wasted a lot of time and effort, ending back in old habits and once again out of shape.

You don’t “win” at getting in shape. There is no end. It’s a game that you will always have to play because the goal is to stay in shape. And you only “lose” when you quit.

So, there are no winners and losers at this game, only those that do it and those that don’t.

No matter where you are on your fitness journey right now, just remember that you only “lose” when you stop.

Sometimes you may have to modify your approach, do a little less when life gets busy, just as long as it’s not stopping completely. As we always say, consistency is the key.

To set yourself up for long term success, set an exercise schedule that works for you and you can stay on track with 80% of the time. Same with diet changes. Shoot for 80% consistency. That is something you can realistically stick with long term.

You can even resort to those short-term tactics that get you quick results in the beginning, just as long as you have a plan to get on a more manageable routine to maintain your gains (and keep making more) after that.

Make your plan and set your goals to stay in shape, not to get in shape. Your future self will thank you.