When Life Hands You More Than Lemons, How to Stay Consistent with Fitness Through Life’s Chaos

When Life Hands You More Than Lemons

Everyone’s heard the saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” It’s a classic for positive thinkers, a neat way to turn a sour moment into something sweet.

But what if life doesn’t hand you lemons?
What if life hands you something far worse?

As if life isn’t busy enough, it will always find a way to throw a new challenge at you, usually when you least expect it. This is why I make sure to complete my workout for the day rather than pushing it to “tomorrow.”

Tomorrow already has its own workout… and most likely its own chaos.

I’ve lost count of how many times people have told me, “Don’t worry about it, tomorrow’s another day.” My answer has always been the same: Yes, but tomorrow already has its own tasks, pressures, and probably a few fresh curveballs.

Why Consistency Matters Most in Chaos

It’s already hard enough to fit everything into a 24-hour day. Add in unexpected crises, and it’s easy to let the things you care about slide.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “If it was important to you, you’d make the time.” Well, fitness is important to me. In fact, it’s one of the most important pillars of my life—something I’ve written about many times on this site (see here: Deload to Reload).

It’s not just important, it’s something I genuinely love to do. But loving it alone won’t get you results. In fitness, consistency is everything. It’s how we progress, adapt, and grow stronger. Sometimes it’s exciting, often it’s boring, but it’s always essential.

The real question is: How do you stay consistent when life is handing you more than you can carry?

Adapting, Not Abandoning

Recently, I’ve had to dig deeper than usual. It’s easy to train when everything’s going smoothly. The real challenge comes when your hours are limited, your energy is drained, and life feels like it’s piling on.

In the past few months, I’ve stripped my training down to the essentials:

• Three sessions a week that cover every major muscle group
  
• Not as much as I’d like, but enough to maintain progress
  
• On good weeks, I hit four or five sessions, but my minimum is three
  

This approach is backed by exercise science. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends training each muscle group twice per week to maintain or build strength, ideally. A 2019 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that training volume and intensity matter more than sheer frequency, meaning you can adapt your schedule without losing results, as long as the quality is there.

Practical Tips to Stay Consistent When Life Gets Busy

1. Set Your “Non-Negotiable” Minimum

Decide on the absolute minimum you’ll commit to, even in your busiest weeks. For me, it’s three workouts. For someone else, it might be 20 minutes of walking a day. This baseline keeps the habit alive.

2. Anchor Fitness to Existing Routines

Habit research from University College London shows it takes an average of 66 days for behaviors to become automatic. Linking workouts to existing habits, like training right after work or during lunch, reduces decision fatigue.

3. Focus on Compound Movements

When time is short, prioritize exercises that work multiple muscle groups: squats, deadlifts, presses, rows. These give you more return on investment per minute.

4. Accept “Imperfect” Sessions

A half workout is better than none. Harvard Health emphasizes that regular physical activity, even at reduced intensity, has long-term health benefits that far outweigh sporadic perfection.

5. Keep Perspective

Life moves in seasons. Sometimes you can go all-in, sometimes you’re in maintenance mode. Both are valid parts of the journey.

The Takeaway

Consistency isn’t about doing everything every day. It’s about doing something regularly, even when life is messy. You can adapt your routine, shrink your workouts, and still make progress, if you refuse to let go of the habit entirely.When life hands you lemons, sure, make lemonade.
When life hands you something worse… train anyway. Just maybe for a little less time.