How to Stay Consistent With Your Fitness (Even When Life Gets Hectic)

Let’s be real. You’ve carefully set the alarm for sparrow’s fart, hoping this time you’ll nail your fitness goals. Your clothes are ready. Your intentions are strong. But by midweek, motivation’s legged it out the window, work’s been a circus, the kids have melted down over fractions, and that 6am alarm is suddenly just background noise, like the neighbour’s dog barking or your phone buzzing with “urgent” emails. Instead of leaping out of bed, you’re negotiating with yourself like your life depends on it. Do you really need to train today… or can you just become one with the doona and try again tomorrow?

Honestly, nobody’s running on endless willpower or superhero vibes. Consistency’s less about brute force and more about deploying proper backup. Think clever habits, sneaky routines, and brain tricks that even your most motivated self would high five. Nail this, and you’ll find sticking with fitness feels way less like punishment, and a whole lot more like winning at adulthood, even on those wild weeks when “routine” is a loose suggestion at best.

The Real Reason You're Not Consistent

Most adults aren’t exercising regularly. Only about 20% of adults meet the federal recommended guidelines for aerobic and strength training activity, and this percentage decreases with age.​

This is not due to lack of knowledge. You know exercise is good for you. The issue is motivation and self regulation.​

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research shows there are many barriers to doing regular physical exercise, including limited free time, fear of falling, cost, transportation, pain, and lack of enjoyment. Even when adults do adopt exercise regimens, their participation is typically not maintained over time. Just a modest increase in physical activity and reduction in sedentary behaviour can have an impact on health and quality of life.​

The problem isn’t you. It’s that you’re relying entirely on willpower, and willpower is a finite resource. When life gets hectic, willpower is the first thing to go.

But here’s the good news. You don’t need more willpower. You need better strategies.

The Science of Building Exercise Habits

Forget the 21-day myth. That idea comes from a 1960 book, it’s not based on scientific research.​

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: A 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that habit formation actually takes an average of 66 days, with a range of 18 to 254 days depending on the complexity of the behaviour and individual differences. For fitness, simple habits like drinking water after waking up form faster than mastering a daily yoga flow.​

So if you’ve been beating yourself up for not forming a gym habit in three weeks, stop. It takes time. And that’s completely normal.

Here’s what actually works.

Consistency in Timing Changes Everything

The single most powerful strategy for sticking to exercise? Train at the same time every day.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research published in the Journal of the Obesity Society found that most participants (68%) who exercised at a consistent time of day reported higher exercise frequency and duration. These individuals were more likely to achieve the national exercise guideline (at least 150 minutes per week) than those with inconsistent exercise timing. Consistency in exercise timing and other cues helps explain characteristic high physical activity levels among successful maintainers.​

It doesn’t matter whether you train at 6am, lunchtime, or 7pm. What matters is that you train at the same time, in the same place, as often as possible.​

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Establishing a consistent context by maintaining the same time and setting for exercise each day can strongly reinforce habit formation. By exercising within a familiar context at a regular time and in a specific place, you create both mental and physical associations with the activity, gradually reducing resistance. Research shows that consistent contexts help behaviours become automatic, turning physical activity into a habit over time.​

When your alarm goes off at 6am and you know your crew is already on their way to Sydney Park, that’s not willpower. That’s a habit. That’s a cue your brain recognises. And over time, it becomes automatic.

Small Wins Build Momentum

You don’t need to train for an hour. You don’t need to crush yourself every session. You just need to show up.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research from Edith Cowan University found that a small amount of daily activity is more beneficial than sporadic but more intense workouts for building muscle strength. Participants who performed six bicep curls a day for five days a week showed greater improvements in muscle thickness and strength compared to those who did all 30 repetitions in one day.​

Consistency beats intensity. Every single time.

Start small. Commit to three sessions a week. Not seven. Not five. Three. Make them non-negotiable. Treat them like doctor’s appointments. You wouldn’t skip those, right?

Once three sessions a week feels automatic, add a fourth. Then a fifth. But start small. Build momentum. Let the habit strengthen before you pile on more.

Make It Enjoyable or You'll Quit

This may be hard to face but if you hate your workouts, you won’t stick with them.
Its simple as that.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research investigating affective determinants of habit formation found that positive affect (how you feel during and after exercise) significantly enhances automaticity. A one point higher mean positive feeling score was associated with a 0.62 point increase in habit automaticity. The authors concluded that a reward like positive affect increased the likelihood of an individual performing the behaviour again without conscious deliberation.​

Why do some people crave their workouts? The answer lies in dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical. Exercise triggers dopamine release, particularly during aerobic activities. Over time, the brain begins to associate the cue (lacing up sneakers) and routine (hitting the training session) with that feel-good hit, reinforcing the habit.​

Interestingly, even anticipating exercise can spike dopamine, explaining why planning a workout can feel almost as good as doing it.​

This is why group training works so well. It’s enjoyable. There’s music, energy, shared effort, and genuine connection. You’re not grinding through reps alone. You’re part of something. And that makes all the difference.

Practical Strategies That Actually Work

Here are research-backed strategies to help you stay consistent, even when life gets chaotic.

Schedule It Like a Meeting

Treat your workouts as non-negotiable appointments. Whether it’s early morning, lunchtime, or evening, find a time that works for you and stick to it.​

Put it in your calendar. Set reminders. Make it visible. When you see it scheduled, your brain processes it differently. It’s not a maybe. It’s a commitment.

Use Implementation Intentions

This is fancy science speak for making a specific plan. Instead of saying, “I’ll exercise this week,” say, “I’ll train at Sydney Park on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30am.”

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: A study of middle-aged adults working full time found that a personalised implementation intention intervention increased daily walking and active time by helping participants develop concrete plans to increase activity for the next day. The use of specific implementation intentions, such as planning when, where, and how to increase daily activity, also increased participants’ confidence that they would engage in physical activity even under perceived time constraints.​

Be specific. When. Where. What. The more concrete your plan, the more likely you are to follow through.

Build Social Accountability

Training solo? You’re relying on willpower. Training with a crew? You’re relying on social accountability. And that’s infinitely more powerful.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research on exercise adherence confirms that social support and past experience with exercise play significant roles in exercise adherence. Utilising behaviour change strategies, including social accountability, can improve adherence and ultimately help people achieve the many benefits of exercise to physical and mental health.​

When you’re part of The Outdoor Squad, you’re not just signing up for training sessions. You’re joining a community. People know your name. They notice when you’re not there. They check in on you. That’s accountability. And it works.

Reframe Exercise as Stress Management

Stop thinking of exercise as punishment for eating pizza. Start thinking of it as the best stress management tool you have.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Reframing exercise as a mood and stress management strategy may increase the perceived benefits of exercise, particularly for those who view exercise simply as a means to burn calories or lose weight. This shift in perspective can improve adherence by highlighting the immediate mental health benefits rather than just physical outcomes.​

When you finish a session at Sydney Park and your mood has lifted, your stress has dissolved, and you feel genuinely alive, that’s the reward. That’s what keeps you coming back.

Set Short Term, Achievable Goals

Forget the big, overwhelming goals. Focus on what you can achieve this week.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Setting up very simple, short-term goals that have a high probability of success may improve self efficacy and produce behavioural momentum for individuals. This approach helps build confidence and creates a positive feedback loop that reinforces consistency.​

Your goal this week? Show up three times. That’s it. Celebrate that win. Then do it again next week.

Flexibility Matters More Than You Think

Research shows that schedule flexibility appears to be a determining factor in the relationship between working hours and exercise.​

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: One study showed that in heterosexual couples, wives who work long hours but have flexible schedules are more likely to exercise than those who work shorter hours without schedule flexibility. Ultimately, flexibility in working hours appears to be extremely important, perhaps because work flexibility results in more flexibility in the time of day one can exercise.​

If your schedule is rigid, find a training time that fits consistently. If your schedule changes weekly, find a training community that offers multiple session times. The Outdoor Squad runs sessions throughout the week in Camperdown and Redfern, giving you flexibility to fit training into your life.

What to Do When You Fall Off Track

You will miss sessions. Life happens. You get sick. Work explodes. Family commitments pile up. That’s normal.

The key is not perfection. It’s getting back on track quickly.

Missing one session is not a big deal, as long as you commit the next one. Miss a whole week? Still fine. Show up the following Monday and keep going. The difference between people who stay consistent long term and those who quit isn’t that they never miss sessions. It’s that they don’t let one missed session turn into two, then three, then quitting entirely.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Research on habit formation emphasises that individuals first need to form an intention when deciding to act, then initiate the action which requires mobilisation of self regulatory resources, and finally repeat the behaviour for the strengthening of cue response associations. Behaviour repetition and positive affective response to exercise are critical for long term maintenance.​

Consistency isn’t about being perfect. It’s about showing up more often than you don’t.

The Outdoor Squad Makes It Easier

These are a few reasons why training with The Outdoor Squad makes consistency easier than going it alone.
Fixed schedule: Sessions run at the same times every week. You know when to show up.

Social accountability: Your crew expects you. That’s powerful motivation.
Enjoyable workouts: Music, energy, variety, and genuine connection make training something you look forward to, not dread.
Flexible options: Multiple sessions per week across Camperdown and Redfern locations mean you can find a time that fits your life.

All fitness levels welcome: You don’t have to be fit to start. Trainers modify every movement. You just have to show up.

When consistency is built into the structure of how you train, it becomes infinitely easier to maintain.

Start Building Your Habit Today

Consistency is a skill and like any skill, it can be learned, practiced and mastered. You don’t need more willpower. You need better systems.

Pick a time. Make it consistent. Find your squad. Make it enjoyable. Start small. Build momentum. And watch what happens when you show up, week after week, without relying on motivation alone.

Book your free trial session with The Outdoor Squad today. Experience the power of consistent training with a community that shows up for you. Train at the same time, in the same place, with the same people, and watch your fitness transform.

Join The Outdoor Squad. Move better. Feel stronger. Stay consistent. Together.