A Guide to Consistency & Starting Over Like a Boss

In this episode of Hell Yes Habits, Elyse Bushard discusses the importance of building and maintaining habits that contribute to a fulfilling life. She emphasizes the significance of consistency, especially when facing challenges or setbacks. Elyse shares personal experiences of overcoming grief and how it impacted her habits, encouraging listeners to view restarting as an opportunity rather than a failure. The episode provides practical strategies for reintroducing habits, celebrating small wins, and focusing on progress over perfection, ultimately fostering a supportive community for personal growth.

Takeaways

• Building habits is about progress, not perfection.
• Consistency is key to achieving long-term goals.
• It's okay to take breaks; just remember to restart.
• Celebrate every small win to build momentum.
• Detaching from outcomes helps maintain consistency.
• Reintroducing habits can be a fresh start, not a failure.
• Focus on what makes you feel good in your routine.
• Lowering the bar can make restarting less intimidating.
• Pair new habits with existing routines for easier integration.
• Community support is vital for personal growth.

Transcript

Elyse Bushard (00:06)
welcome to Hell Yes Habits. I'm Elise, a marketing professional by day and your go-to coach for building the habits that create a life you can't wait to wake up to. I'm so glad you're here. This podcast is all about ditching the just fine mindset and making room for the magic in your everyday life. And let me tell you, this isn't just a podcast. It's the start of a movement, a Hell Yes Habits movement.

It's about breaking out of autopilot, showing up for yourself in ways that matter, and creating small but powerful habits that lead to a big, bold, hell yes kind of life. Each week, we'll have real, honest conversations about juggling all the things, career, relationships, family, and those moments when you just need you time. I'll share actionable tips, lessons from my own journey,

and inspiration to help you stop settling and start thriving, baby. You in?, let's do this.

Elyse Bushard (01:15)
Hello, hello Welcome back to hell yes habits The podcast where you don't know what you're gonna get with me and today it might just be that because I have a lot of energy today But I also like just came off Christmas So we're we're all feeling it right like the hangover from Christmas even if you didn't drink I didn't actually drink this Christmas

which is mind blowing to me, but I actually had one of the best Christmases ever because my mindset was just different about everything. But regardless, I wanted to record a podcast about something that actually one of my friends requested. And that's what I love about this podcast. I love hearing your ideas of like what you're struggling with and how I can help you because chances are I've

I have struggled with that or I'm currently struggling with that. And in this case, this topic I have struggled with, I continue to struggle with, but I do have some things that I have done that have worked for me that I want to touch light on. the podcast today is going to be all about consistency and how to start over.

like a boss. was gonna do and starting over like a boss meaning starting over feeling confident again and really taking steps to creating new habits that let you up if you stopped for a life reason or something like that. We want to create habits that the hell yes habits the habits that make us feel good.

And so I'm going to start out this episode by just asking a question. Have you ever been on a roll with your workouts, your habits, your goals, and you hit a roadblock and suddenly you find yourself stuck because you either stopped for too long and you don't feel like like you've it's been weeks or even months. And now the thought of even starting over, it just feels overwhelming. And so you just don't do it.

And trust me, I've been there. It's been something that I struggle with as well. But here's the thing, building consistency isn't actually about perfection. It is not. It is about progress. So if you miss a date, for instance, yesterday, I felt completely drained. It took a lot for me to put away...

So I was staring at it all day. was like, I need to go just put that away in the closet. It literally took me five minutes once I actually did it. But like, I just didn't have the energy yesterday. like, you're gonna have days like that. But it's about the courage to come back after a break. It's almost the hardest thing to restart your habits, to restart and.

and be consistent, consistency is where you see the results, the progress that you want, whether it be on your weight loss journey or developing a workout habit or just feeling good, like your mindset feels good consistently. All of that, you have to, like it takes, you have to put in the reps to feel good. And so that,

that it takes to come back is the hardest part. It is the hardest part to overcome to just restart. And I say restart because we all have started things that have made us feel good. And for one reason or another, we've gotten derailed. And so today we're talking about how to rebuild that consistency. Wow, that's a hard word for me today. Or whether it's in your workouts, your career,

or just your personal growth and just feeling good from the inside out. Excuse me. So I'm, once again, holiday hangover is real, so my voice is a little raspy. And once again, I didn't drink. It's not that kind of hangover. It's more like a stress and mindset hangover of the holidays. But, so let's dive in here.

I get derailed easily. You'll find that out by listening to any of the podcasts here. But as we're getting into the new year, I just find it very important to talk about consistency. But also, like, it's okay to stop and restart, but it's also the hardest thing. So I'm not like saying, like, why don't you just start this? Because it's hard. And I'm not saying it's not. But

Let's start out by talking about the truth about consistency. And consistency isn't necessarily about never breaking a streak. A strike? I don't know what a strike is. It's not about never breaking the streak. It's about always coming back if you don't do something. So think of it like a muscle, for instance. The more you practice coming back, the stronger it gets.

The more that you, even if you got derailed one day, like let's say I'm on a workout routine and I stop for whatever reason, whether it be a hard season or something unexpected happened and I miss a few days, the muscles that I'm practicing is that, well, I know that made me feel good, so I'm gonna restart it the third day. Even though I missed those two days, let's not harp on those two days.

Or let's not, let's say it's been longer than two days. It's been a month that you stopped going for walks outside that made you feel good. And you know it made you feel good, but you stopped it and now you're like, it's just hard to fit it into my day. Well, you did it at one time, so just try it again. But maybe not every day. Maybe try it two to three times a week.

Like you put it in your schedule that you're gonna do it. So why long breaks often happen is, like I said, burnout, life interruptions, or even just a loss of motivation. Like you're just like, I don't feel it. Like yesterday, you couldn't have paid me to get off the couch yesterday. Like it was hard. Like I just was feeling it. I just was all in my feels.

It was the, it's the day TMI before my period. And I just couldn't, but it's normal also to feel like that. Like I want to normalize that it's okay to have off days and days that you don't feel like doing anything. It's just, it's a normal thing of life. So let's say you're like, let me give another example here. Let's start with fitness because everyone can relate to that.

especially getting into the new year. And I'm gonna actually create side note bonus episode about new year's resolutions and how I think they're bull crap. And I don't think that any of us should make them. But a fitness example, like for instance, you're crushing your workouts, you're hitting the gym four days a week, and then life gets chaotic and all of sudden work deadlines, family stuff, maybe an unexpected illness comes up.

with you or your child, and suddenly a couple of days off turns into three months. Now the working out, just feels intimidating. You don't wanna start over. It took a long time to get to the point where you started to feel good and it started being consistent and you didn't have as much muscle soreness. And you're like, where do I even start again? That's also normal.

So based on that example, how would you get started again with workouts? And my number one tip is to lower the bar. And what I mean by that is don't aim for four days a week again like you were like you would work yourself up to start with one or two days or even just 10 minutes a day like stretching at home or going for a walk around your neighborhood or property.

or stretch while watching TV to build up mobility and rebuilding that momentum again is more important than intensity. Like don't set yourself up for failure, like lower the bar and just do one day at a time as opposed to four. Like the level you were at three months ago is not the level you're at now and you have to own that and you have to lower the bar.

Another thing, and I've talked about this numerous times, is number two, celebrate your small wins. So every tiny action counts towards that goal. So the first workout you do after a break is a win, and celebrate that, whether it's a full session or just a warmup that you did, or a five minute walk, or a five minute stretch. So celebrate that. Be proud of yourself, pause and be...

proud of yourself for getting back at it, even if it was just for one day. And number three, anchor your habit into something that you already do by habit. We all have habits we do, whether it be a morning routine. I, for example, make my bed, I brush my teeth. Sometimes I do forget to brush my teeth in the morning and then mid-day I'm like, I didn't brush my teeth and I brush my teeth. But like making my bed,

It is a non-negotiable something I do. It's a small win in my day. And so something that I've paired with that, for example, to like anchor is stretching. And so I will make my bed and I do five minutes of stretching like right after or before I make my bed. It's just something I do. Another example is if you have your morning coffee and you listen to personal development. So you

are brewing your coffee or brushing your teeth and you are listening to personal development or a podcast you like or something like that and pairing those together. You just killed two birds with one stone. That's not only something to celebrate, but it's something that you if you couple together into something that you already do, it makes it easy. It makes it easier for you and not overwhelming.

to restart something. Another non, so non-health related example, if we're looking about like getting back into something like creative, like writing or a side business that you've wanted to start. For example, my podcast is something that I just do on the side that I have always wanted to do. And it is something that I

prioritize now every week to somehow pause my life and give back to this community because not only does it help me, but I wanted to help someone else and I want to create this Hell Yes Habits movement. But I did have to like make it a non-negotiable for myself and celebrate small wins. Like starting the freaking podcast on my birthday, creating a date to start that and

And doing it, even though it scared the shit out of me, helps. And so, for instance, if you're working on building a business or writing more, and things are going well, and then you took a break, or maybe because you felt stuck, or life got in the way. Now, every time you sit down to start again, your mind goes blank and it feels impossible. So again, I'm gonna reiterate starting small.

write for five minutes or outline an idea that you have if it's writing. that action, it will start you to create small visions of clarity in your mind. And then two, focus on that progress and not perfection. It's the same kind of element of celebrating your wins. If you had momentum before,

Remind yourself that you can build it again. You had that. It's a muscle in your body that just needs to be reactivated, just like riding a bike. And I know people know that analogy, but like you have to practice it. But like know that you have done it before. It will give you confidence and that consistency. doesn't have to be like you're starting from scratch and that it's overwhelming.

It means that you're starting from a place of experience. And then setting boundaries around it. Commit to small, like focused blocks of time for your habit. So that kind of pairs with anchoring your habit with something you already do. So for example, every Tuesday, for instance, at 7 p.m., I'll spend 15 minutes brainstorming for...

my book or my business or whatever it is. And every Tuesday, I just know that that is my time to do that. That's where time blocks, time blocking comes in to play. I schedule like my workouts, for example, and if I want a writing time or my morning routine into my schedule. So it's like an appointment that I can't miss. And that makes a difference. But it doesn't have to be an hour's worth.

It can be 10 to 15 minutes. It can be something that's more digestible, that's an easy win, that you're slowly making progress and being consistent at, which will just deposit more into your confidence bank, piggy bank for if you've listened to previous episodes. I reference that a lot. But now that we've gone through different examples,

a fitness one, a non-fitness one, but you're like, okay, but what's the key to consistent, like long-term consistency? I want to be consistent at something even when life hits me. you want to be, like, for example, I'm gonna use a personal example. I was so consistent at workouts and I had two corgis and one of them ended up, I ended up having to put him down.

This was about, I want, four years ago now? God, time. But I ended up having to put him down unexpectedly. And it derailed me. I stopped working out. I stopped doing things that made me feel good. And then I even felt worse because I took away the things that made me feel good. And then about a year later, to the month exactly,

not the day exactly, but the month exactly, I had to put down my other corgi. And in that instance, because I had already gone through the first, like, and putting it down a dog is very hard, but these were the first dogs that were truly mine. And so I was heartbroken. both of them, like the first one was a complete shock.

The second one, she had been having issues and so it was still hard, but it was a different hard. And instead of giving up on my workouts, because I knew that that made me feel like crap. I learned from that and I like, I did stop for a little bit, but then I got back into it and my workouts and healthy habits got me through that hard time.

because I had learned from giving it up completely for months during when I was grieving, that didn't help me. so reflecting on that, I knew that leaning into and going further into my healthy habits helped me. And so I say all of that as a personal story, but I also say that you can relate to, but I also say that

as the key to long-term consistency is to detach completely from the outcome. There is no instant gratification or magical pill or something that's going to make you feel good. It's about consistency and building trust with yourself over a long period of time. And it's about learning from your mistakes.

and focusing on your why and that's where that example like of me grieving my pets I learned like that I cannot do that because it actually made me feel worse the first dog I have to let down and then a year later I remembered that feeling and I didn't want to have that feeling again and yes I did take a few days but it wasn't months and I gave myself grace to grieve

But I knew that pushing play on a workout, even when I didn't want to, and things that were making me feel good, like listening to personal development and doing things, those helped me grieve better. And even in a shitty situation that no one wants to be in, and tapping back into your why. So why does this habit or goal matter to you? Is it about feeling good? Is it about showing up for yourself?

or creating something meaningful.

Elyse Bushard (20:28)
So what I learned from that instance and grieving the loss of two pets within a year is that I can still give myself grace to feel and my feelings are valid in the moment, but I also learned that abstaining from habits that make me feel good, I know it sounds like common sense, but all of us do it. All of us pull away from things that make us feel good when we're grieving.

in some way or another. When we're grieving or going through rough times or something at life is thrown at us that we can't control unexpectedly that we have to handle. so my main mindset shift is that if something derails you and you are, and it makes you off track is treat,

starting over though, not as a failure. This is a mindset ship thing that has made a big difference in my life that I wanna share is that treat starting over as a fresh chapter. Like this could look different. It doesn't have to be exactly the same, but also like I've done this before. Or even if you haven't done it before, just putting in the reps and it's a fresh chapter.

and your day one will not be the same as someone else's. And that ties into, I had another episode about comparison. Go back, I think it was episode three about comparison and how your day one will not be someone else's day one. And you can't compare your day one to someone else's day 100. And so every time though that you come back,

If you treat it as a fresh chapter and not a failure, you're proving to yourself that you're someone who doesn't quit. And no matter how long the break was, then it will be reframed as, I did this before, I can do it again. Or if you haven't done it before, you can do it regardless. And this will be a fresh start for you.

And you can create it however you need to that fits your lifestyle, that fits the season that you're in at that moment. It doesn't have to look like it did before. You don't have to work out five days a week to get results that you want and feel good. And so that's what I want to also get away from is people listening.

There is no method because your body is completely unique. It's not like anyone else's so no one can tell you it's the exact method and formula that will work for your body every supplement every Magic pill even ozempic and things like that that people are taking right now It's gonna have a different effect on your body than it does on anyone else's and so

whether it works and it jumpstarts your and I'm not saying anything against any of these things that are out there, but don't expect the exact same results that you had previously if you have done it before or because your body is also different than it was 10 years ago or even a month ago. Your body is constantly changing and needs different nourishment at different stages of your life.

and different habits at different stages of your life. But if you have to start over, don't think of it as a failure. Like lean into what made you feel good and create showing up for yourself as a win in your deposit bank every time and that you're proving to yourself, to no one else but yourself.

that you're someone who doesn't quit no matter how long, whatever the break was. Insert a year, insert two years, insert a month, a day, whatever that is, use that as your fuel to slowly get back into what makes you feel good and know that you're not at the same stage of life that you were before. So,

What I want to close this with is actually some sort of a challenge that I'm actually challenging myself with at the moment is you want to ask yourself, what's one habit that I've let go of that I'm ready to bring back? And this can be something right now. It doesn't have to be on January 1st when everyone else is starting a habit, or it can be if that's your goal and what makes you feel good. But

Is it moving your body? Is it showing up for a passion that you had before? I, for instance, I really have been saying this for a long time, just as long as I've been saying I wanted to start a podcast and I did it. But I want to start playing basketball in some capacity again. I went out and tried this basketball thing in Denver. It's kind of far away. That can't be like a realistic

a realistic like thing that I repeat. It was something new that I tried and I really liked it. I just wish they were closer to me. But I like that, but also stretching and mobility. used to do that every morning and every night for five minutes and I got out of the habit of doing it. Well, I just did it today again and I was like, my God, I can't believe I've gone so long not doing this. It feels so freaking good.

and especially on days where I'm during my period and I don't want to do this hard hitting workout, if I just stretch and did mobility, I would feel great. And so that is what I'm integrating. And I let go of that I'm ready to bring back. So what is one habit that you have let go of that you remember making you feel good and you want to

bring back in some capacity. It doesn't reminder, it doesn't have to look like it did before. And whatever it is, commit to taking one small action to that this week as we enter the new year. And remember, consistency does not demand perfection. It just asks you to start. Just start in some capacity. Start small and

Let's make this year, this kind of week, a hell yes kind of week by doing something again that makes us feel good and creating, restarting, not as a failure in your mind, but as something that energizes you and makes you feel good again. Like let's just recreate that narrative. So I hope you enjoyed this episode and

If this resonated with you, tell me. You'll hear it in my outro, like, or like tag me, tag me on Instagram with a quote that resonated with you or something that you're going to do. And let's do this together. My habit to reintroduce in 2025 amongst other things that I want to do is stretching and mobility again.

And I know that I'm not the only one that can relate to something like this. so, but if it resonated with you, tell me about something that you're wanting to be consistent with again. And maybe we can link arms. Maybe that is stretching and mobility with me. I'd love a buddy. Maybe that's just movement again and working out again to get back on track. But also, if you love this episode, share it with a friend. I'd love to make this community bigger.

and really just motivate and inspire you guys. But remember that it's never too late to start again. It's overwhelming to start and it doesn't, but let's recreate the narrative that it's a failure that you have to restart again. Let's focus on restarting again small and restarting so it's never too late.

to restart again and remembering that can help you restart. I love you guys and thank you so much for listening.

Elyse Bushard (29:45)
If any part of this podcast gave you a hell yes moment, I would absolutely love to hear from you. You know here at Hell Yes Habits, we're all about finding what makes you feel good and turning your everyday habits into hell yes habits. We're building a community rooted in connection and growth and your voice is a huge part of that. If this episode was helpful for you, it would mean the world to me if you shared it.

on your Instagram stories and tagged me at Elise Bechard. Not only so I can thank you personally, but to help spread the word about this Hell Yes Habits movement. Thanks for hanging out with me today and I'll catch you next time. Let's keep creating those habits that light you up and build the life you deserve. Until then, go make it a Hell Yes Day.