Guardrails, Not Goals: A Better Way to Stay Consistent
Power Acronym 210: G.Y.M.
This Power Acronym came to me after I got home from the gym with Chelsey this morning.
She shared a goal she has this year—to get into the gym more consistently. That’s a familiar goal for me too.
I prefer running or alternative training modalities like F3 or kettlebell work to machines but if I'm honest, I know I would benefit from moving heavier weight.
As I reflected on today's workouts and why they important, I realized that the primary reason I get up and work it isn't really for my body. It's for my mind.
Physiology Drives Psychology
I heard this phrase years ago from a coach, and it stuck with me:
Physiology drives psychology.
Most people try to get their mindset right first then they’ll go to the gym. Then they’ll start moving.
But it works better in reverse.
What we do physically changes how we think.
What we eat affects our mood.
When we eat affects our clarity.
How we move affects our confidence.
Movement shifts perspective.
When I work out early—before work—I show up differently. For a long time I avoided early workouts because I thought they would exhaust me. But the opposite has been true.
Working out at 5am has become a mental advantage.
By the time most people start their day, I’ve already:
Moved my body
Kept a promise to myself
Created momentum
That changes how I carry myself through the rest of the day. There’s more speed. More efficiency. More confidence.
Not because the day is easier—but because I’m already in motion.
Morning movement also controls my night.
If I plan to get up early, I go to bed earlier.
I eat differently.
I make different choices.
The day doesn’t start in the morning.
It starts the night before.
And when I start my day with movement, it removes other things automatically—scrolling, distractions, mental noise. There’s simply no room for them.
That’s how the gym guards my mind.
Guardrails, Not Goals
This is where it has really clicked for me.
While I do enjoy setting stretch goals, like my first marathon and trail ultra marathon last year, I’ve learned installing guardrails is what makes them possible.
Goals are outcomes.
Guardrails are structures.
Guardrails help me become the type of person who trains and can achieve a specific result instead of drifting once it’s achieved.
Guardrails protect you when motivation fades—because it always does.
They keep you moving forward even when:
The routine gets boring
Life gets unpredictable
January turns into February… then June
Discipline isn’t about performance.
It’s really about protection.
Protection from drifting. Protection from decision fatigue. Protection from becoming inconsistent without noticing.
And one of the most powerful guardrails of all I just learned recently:
Don’t do it alone.
Shared accountability matters. Knowing someone else is showing up changes everything. It guards your mind when you’re tempted to negotiate with yourself.
You don’t need more willpower.
You need better rails.
More Mental Guardrails
Morning movement (in the gym, outside, or at home) is a guardrail, but it is a powerful one.
Here are a few other practices I’ve implemented. These aren't strict rules, just protections.
Create before Consumption
Limited or No News
Delete Social Media Apps
Set Up App Usage Limits
Exchange Information for Music
The Quiet Return
If you’ve been drifting from your physical goals, this isn’t a call to intensity.
It’s an invitation to return.
Not to perfection.
To structure.
If you're in East Texas and would value some encouraging accountability partners, I'd be happy to introduce you to some people who hit the G.Y.M. daily!