(Admin note: This article is written by Elliot Wilson who with his wife Mckenna co-author the blog Take Fit. Elliot and his wife live in New Zealand. They are not fitness professionals but are very well informed individuals. Their goals for physical fitness are much different than my own but their intent is so pure I had to ask Elliott to contribute an article. Perhaps I can get Mckenna to do the same. All the words outside this punctuation are Elliot’s.)

Are your fitness goals being affected by your ever increasing efforts to find the perfect exercise or the perfect piece of fitness equipment?

For many years I have continuously tweaked my workout routines in order to rest assured that I am getting maximum results from my efforts. Looking back to the way I used to workout several years ago, I can definitely say there are huge advantages in doing a little research when deciding what exercises to include in your routines.

Lately however I have become conscious that a good workout done consistently is better than that ‘perfect workout’ that is never actually discovered.

I am constantly in the search for better workouts and better equipment to achieve my goals. When I find something I like, I’m always tempted to include it in my workouts in place of something else. In essence there is nothing wrong with doing this, and in fact mixing things around can be helpful in improving progress, but if we mix things around too much we actually have no idea what works and want doesn’t.

If we want to make progress we should be sticking to a preset workout plan for a fixed period of time. From there, results should be monitored both in terms of how well you have stuck to the workout plan, and on the changes you can see in your body.

You see, if you want to make progress in fitness, you have to get into some sort of routine by which you can measure your progress. Progress is only progress when it can be measured and visibly seen. If there is no clear workout plan then unfortunately, even if you do see results you’ll have no way of determining what has made it work for you. And isn’t that what we’re trying to find out? What diet, workout plan or way of life is going to bring you the results your body needs?

Stick to the plan!

I am not recommending that you don’t try anything new until you’ve finished your current plan. A life without spontaneity is in itself detrimental to your health. What I’m saying is we need to stick to our plans.

If you suddenly have an inkling to try out bike riding, rock climbing or kettlebells, well, that’s great! Go for it - find the time to have a go but don’t replace your current workout plan with spontaneous activity. We are not doing ourselves any favor if, at the end of the month, we look back to see we’ve started multiple workout plans without sticking to one of them.

So, if you are like me, and are constantly thinking up new ideas and ways to do things, don’t stop dreaming, but do learn to stick to your plans.

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