Why People Keep Falling Off the Wagon

Send us Fan Mail

If you have ever tried to change how you eat, how you train, or how you take care of yourself, there is a moment that almost always shows up where it feels like you have stopped or fallen off.

In this episode, I look at that moment more closely.

Most people interpret it as a break in consistency, but it is often not a break at all. It is part of the pattern. The expectation that consistency should feel smooth, continuous, and controlled does not match how routines actually unfold in real life, where interruptions, shifts in structure, and changes in energy are normal.

Over time, the role of novelty becomes more apparent. What initially feels engaging and purposeful becomes familiar, and that familiarity is often misinterpreted as a loss of discipline or motivation, even though it is a natural transition into repetition.

From there, it becomes easy to assume that something has gone wrong, when in reality the experience has simply changed.

This episode explores why that shift happens, why willpower is often misidentified as the problem, and how routines are shaped not only by intention but also by environment and underlying biological signals.

When you look at the full pattern, consistency is not defined by the absence of disruption, but by what continues through it.

Key ideas from this episode:

• Why the feeling of “falling off” is often part of the pattern, not a break from it
• The difference between how consistency is expected to feel and how it actually shows up
• The role of novelty and why repetition feels different over time
• How boredom and changes in structure are often misinterpreted
• Why willpower is often incorrectly identified as the limiting factor
• The role of environment in supporting or disrupting routines
• The emerging understanding of how biological signals may influence patterns of behavior

••Why consistency includes disruption rather than avoiding it

Uncommonly Remarkable℠ is a health and wellness show focused on understanding how the body works and how everyday choices shape long-term health.

I’m Artis Beatty, a doctor of optometry and Chief Medical Officer at MyEyeDr. While my professional background informs how I think, the perspectives shared here are my own.