Consistency Beats Perfection (Every Single Time)

If there’s one thing I wish more people understood about health and fitness, it’s this: consistency is the real secret. Not motivation. Not willpower. And definitely not doing everything “perfectly”.

Most people don’t fail because they don’t know what to do. They fail because they think it has to be all or nothing. Five sessions a week or what’s the point. Clean eating Monday to Sunday or they’ve “fallen off the wagon”. Miss a workout and suddenly the whole week’s written off.

Sound familiar?

What I see time and time again is that the people who get results aren’t the ones chasing perfection. They’re the ones who just keep showing up, even when life gets busy, messy, or unpredictable.

In my last article, Make Decisions Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For, I talked about how small choices made now can have a big impact down the line. This is exactly where consistency comes in. Those small, often unglamorous decisions — getting a session done when you don’t feel like it, choosing to move rather than skip altogether — are the ones your future self benefits from most.

Let me give you a few real examples.

One client came to me convinced she needed to train five times a week to make progress. With work, kids, and general life chaos, that lasted about two weeks. Instead, we stripped it back to three short, focused sessions. Some weeks she only managed two. But she did something most weeks, month after month. A year later she’s stronger, leaner, and feels better than she has in years — not because she was perfect, but because she was consistent.

Another client used to disappear completely whenever work got stressful. One late night would turn into a missed week, then a missed month. We worked on removing the pressure. On busy weeks, his goal became one workout and a couple of walks. That was it. No guilt. No trying to “make up for it” the following week. Fast forward and he’s now training regularly, sleeping better, and no longer feels like fitness is something he’s constantly failing at.

I’ve also had clients who didn’t change much at all on paper. Same exercises. Similar weights. Nothing flashy. But they just kept turning up. Week after week. They didn’t panic if progress felt slow. They trusted the process. And quietly, almost without noticing, their strength crept up, their clothes fitted better, and their confidence followed.

That’s the boring truth people don’t like hearing: progress is built in the unsexy, repetitive middle.

Consistency doesn’t mean never missing a session. It doesn’t mean eating perfectly on holiday or training when you’re exhausted. It means getting back to it without drama. It means understanding that one workout doesn’t change your body — but hundreds over time do.

And this is where it all ties together. Every time you choose consistency over perfection, you’re making a decision your future self will thank you for. Not in one big, life-changing moment — but in how you feel months and years down the line.

This is also where most people struggle on their own. They either push too hard, burn out, and quit… or they do nothing because it doesn’t feel worth it unless it’s perfect.

Coaching changes that.

When you’re coached by me, the focus isn’t on extremes. It’s on building something you can actually sustain around your real life. We adjust when work gets busy. We simplify when motivation dips. We keep momentum going rather than letting one wobble turn into months off.

You don’t need another “all or nothing” plan. You need a steady approach that works even when life doesn’t.

Because perfection is fragile. Consistency is powerful. And over time, it always wins.