Lion Counseling Podcast

🎙️ Can’t Stay Consistent? Lower the Bar: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 96

If you struggle to stay consistent with working out—or almost any difficult habit—the answer might not be more motivation or discipline.

It might be lowering the bar.

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a Reddit post arguing that when you’re struggling with consistency, you should lower your standards for the workout rather than giving up altogether.

For high-achieving men, that can be surprisingly difficult. When you’re used to pushing hard, taking ownership, and refusing to make excuses, doing less can feel like failure. But sometimes the pursuit of the “perfect” workout is exactly what keeps you from doing anything at all.

Mark and Zack explore the balance between discipline and realistic expectations, why starting small can create momentum, and how to push yourself without going so hard that you burn out, quit, or get injured.

They also share what they’re learning from their own current challenges—with Zack training for a marathon and Mark preparing for a five-hour GORUCK event with 30+ pounds on his back.

And somewhere along the way, Mark reveals his unfortunate new call sign: “Cushion.”

✅ In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ Why all-or-nothing thinking destroys consistency
✅ Why lowering the bar isn’t necessarily making an excuse
✅ How small habits can grow into serious discipline
✅ Why success at work doesn’t always translate into fitness
✅ How to find the balance between intensity and sustainability
✅ Why avoiding injury is part of playing the long game
✅ How Zack is approaching marathon training
✅ How Mark is progressively training for a GORUCK event
✅ Why sometimes you need to embrace being part lion, part cushion

If you keep waiting until you have enough time, energy, motivation, or the perfect plan to get started, this episode is a reminder that imperfect action can beat perfect intentions.

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💬 What works better for you—setting an ambitious goal that forces you to rise to the occasion, or starting small and building momentum? Let us know in the comments.

About the Lion Counseling Podcast

The Lion Counseling Podcast helps high-achieving men break free from the patterns holding them back and become the men they were created to be. Mark Odland and Zack Carter explore psychology, faith, relationships, leadership, trauma, anxiety, personal growth, and the challenges men face in becoming stronger husbands, fathers, leaders, and friends.

New episodes every Tuesday.

#LionCounseling #Discipline #Consistency #Motivation #MensMentalHealth #SelfImprovement #FitnessMotivation #AtomicHabits