It’s that time of year again when New Year’s resolutions are made and, let’s be honest, not really kept.
One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to start going to the gym consistently to grow a healthier lifestyle in both the body and mind.
Chances are, you have tried to stay consistent with the gym multiple times, and it never sticks. This was exactly the issue I had for around three years.
It has now been five months since I have been working out consistently (my personal record), so here are some tips on how to stay consistent with the gym and meet your 2026 goals.
Discipline over motivation
This one was probably the toughest lesson I had to learn. Before working out consistently, I would only go to the gym if I had someone to go with, or spend countless hours scrolling on TikTok watching gym videos to finally get me motivated and out of my bed.
During this time, when I relied solely on motivation, I only went to the gym maybe six or seven times a month. When I started going back to the gym, I did not put a lot of pressure on myself to follow a hard routine.
The hardest part about going to the gym is, quite literally, putting on your gym clothes and getting in your car and driving. Once you physically show up, it becomes a lot easier to walk through those doors and put your body to work.
Before I developed consistency, I would follow a plan that coordinated a workout to a day of the week. I found that this was extremely hard to manage with my school and work schedule. 
I decided to follow a day split instead. I would say this is the number one thing that helped me stay disciplined and consistent. It led me to develop the actual habit of going to the gym, which takes around 66 days to develop.
Once you start going consistently for a couple of weeks, you will find yourself wanting to go more and more. Not to do it as a chore, but for your mind and body.
It’s also extremely important to have one or two rest days a week. You can still go on walks during these rest days, but it is important to incorporate these days into your split for muscle growth and for preventing burnout.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Before going to the gym consistently, there were times when I was consistent and went, but then if I didn’t go for a couple of days, I fell out of motivation and just stopped going.
I had to tell myself it was okay if I had to miss a couple of days at the gym, if I went on vacation. Once I stopped punishing myself, it made it easier for me to hop back in the gym and continue with my progress.
This is where a day-to- day split works better for me than a day-of-the-week split. I can always resume whenever I want to, instead of picking back up on a random Wednesday and feeling like I am out of order.
Also, start with easier workouts than going straight into the complex ones you see on TikTok. Do what feels right at the start, and as you keep on going, you can experiment with other routines. As long as you’re doing what you like half of the time you’re at the gym, you will be okay.
It is extremely easy to quit if you don’t see results as fast as you’d like. It took a couple of months for me to actually start seeing muscle definition in my arms and back.
Instead of focusing on your appearance as progress, which takes the longest, try focusing on your strength instead. I noticed myself lifting heavier weights more and more, which made me feel more confident in my progress.
Get out of your comfort zone
I think one of the hardest things for me was getting out of my head and comfort zone. I used to think people were constantly watching me and making fun of me. I would be too scared to run into someone I knew.
In order to truly progress, you have to stop caring about what other people think of you. I promise no one is looking or caring as much as you think.
It’s extra hard when you’re a woman, no doubt. Oftentimes, I am the only woman in the free weight section, and some men are so comfortable standing right in front of me or in my bubble. Instead of letting that scare me off, I just give them the same treatment. It almost feels like a fun game to me.
What always helps me stay truly focused on myself and my workout is listening to music, preferably with noise cancelling headphones. I like listening to hard rock or divorced dad music because it truly gets me in the zone.
Consistency and progress start with you. No waiting until Monday to start, no waiting until next year because you missed a couple of days. As long as you do the work and show up, you will meet your 2026 goals.
