Whenever we hear talks of fitness and physical activity, it’s often coupled with discussion of the benefits of consistent exercise.  But more often than not, consistency seems to be where the biggest struggle lies. Theoretically, setting time aside each day to exercise sounds simple.  However, life tends to get in the way.  Children, pets, partners, busy work schedules, and other factors often lead us to having less consistent workout schedules than we hope for.

But is there really a benefit to exercising consistently? Is there any harm in only exercising sporadically? According to research, indeed there are enormous benefits to consistency.

Sporadic Exercise Increases Pain & Soreness

Starting a new workout routine usually leads to muscle tightness and soreness.  This makes muscles more prone to injury. Consistency in workout routine helps prevent tightness in muscles which in turn makes you less prone to injury and improves overall workout performance.

Too Many Rest Days Increases Likelihood of Burnout

Not doing enough exercise to keep your body fit can be a result of undertraining (not doing enough exercise) or taking too many days off in between workouts. Rest days are essential to give your body a rest and your muscles time to repair themselves. However, too many rest days in a row increase the likelihood of burnout and once again injury.

Infrequent Workouts Do Not Reap The Same Benefits As Consistent Workouts

We often hear about exercise benefits including decreased risk of health issues, improved immune function, and happier, longer lives. These benefits don’t come easy. In fact, research shows that these benefits are specifically linked to consistency of exercise. As much as we would like it to, one exercise every few weeks isn’t going to have nearly the same effect that a consistent workout routine will.

How can Allwell help?

One feature on Allwell.io is incredibly useful calendar function to plan and track workouts. Each week, you can plan out exactly which workouts to do on which days. The app will then remind you of what you have planned to give you a little nudge to complete your workout.  

Betsy Ramser Jaime said “We often overestimate how often we do things, but tracking eliminates this weakness.  When we track we just have the facts, not our subjective reflections.” By tracking your progress on the Allwell app, you can obtain your goal of a consistent workout schedule. Utilizing the calendar function will act as an accountability tool and keep you on track to obtain your fitness goals.