Consistency Trumps All--Part 1
By
November 4, 2019
Hey Crew—
As we wrap up the Friday Night Lights series and move into the frenzied holiday stretch, I’d like to talk to you about a topic that I have been thinking a lot about lately. It’s the topic of consistency; specifically as it applies to exercise and nutrition. Increasingly over the years, I have come to believe that the type of workout you do or even the nutrition plan that you follow is less important than how consistently you do it. Whoa, now that’s controversial! Let me explain.
When people in social settings find out what I do for a living, the most common response is something along the lines of, “I do spin classes” or “I’m a runner” or any number of other exercise protocols. It’s like they need to tell me that they are okay. Most of the time, I think they are expecting a lecture on why I believe CrossFit to be a superior fitness program. What they get instead is a congratulatory affirmation for finding something that they like and that works well for them. You see, I firmly believe that even the worst fitness regimen performed consistently will yield better results than the best designed program performed sporadically. This is not a popular position among gym owners, but it is what I believe.
I also believe that Catacombs offers fantastic programming, top-notch coaching, and an incredibly supportive environment. We are intimately connected with our athletes and work tirelessly to best meet their needs. We do everything we can to make consistency easy through fun, accountability, and accessibility. Still, change only happens when work is accomplished day in and day out. And we can’t do that part for you. If you are more likely to complete a regular routine at the Rec Center than walk through the doors consistently at Catacombs, I’m going to ask a lot of questions, but I’m not going to try to persuade you that our way is better.
I do a lot of reading (and some experimentation) around nutrition. There are compelling arguments, scientific studies, and multitudes of success stories supporting almost any nutrition protocol you can imagine. Many of them are in direct opposition yet many of them also work. How can this be? I believe it is because all of them call for the consistent application of a plan. Typically these plans incorporate either caloric restriction, time restricted eating (intermittent fasting), or elimination of entire food groups (vegetarian, paleo, ketogenic, etc.). Even if I disagree with the nutrition plan, I still would not argue that it is worse than having no plan at all. Keep in mind that the Standard American Diet is a free for all that doesn’t restrict food types, amounts, or feeding intervals. And look where that has gotten us… Again, any plan consistently applied trumps no plan at all.
Now, if you ask us to help you with nutrition, we aren’t going to tell you to pick any plan you want and follow that, but we are going to ask a lot of questions around your eating habits and what works for you. Just as important is what hasn’t worked for you and what you are unwilling to do. There is no one-size-fits-all in nutrition just like with exercise. The best plan is the one that you will actually follow.
So I’ve basically just written a post that says you can exercise any way you want and eat any way you want as long as you follow a plan. That isn’t great marketing for a business that specializes in fitness and nutrition. In Part 2 of this blog series, I hope to show you why getting hooked on Catacombs IS the path to consistency in fitness and nutrition. Stay tuned!
