I am asked this a lot – how can I fit in sessions or make a routine.
Basically – if you really WANT to do something & to get healthier only YOU can do it. You HAVE GOT TO make some time.
We can all make every excuse under the sun – I do know, I do do it too, but I will then make myself do a session on another day.
So, I am going to be quite hard on you here!!! You really have to weigh up what is important to YOU. Your health really should be at the top of the list, as not only do you want to stay strong and healthy as you age, your family need you to too.
You therefore need to take responsibility for yourself.
I no longer do PT where someone comes to me 1 or 2x a week and expect to get stronger or lose weight from just seeing me for an hour or 2 hrs a week (& doing nothing else in-between).
I stopped how I offer PT sessions. My focus now is to work out what they need, look at their lifestyle and get them to take responsibility and come back to me once every 2 weeks then move on to monthly. I tell them to cancel if they havent done the homework!!!
It may sound harsh but only YOU can do the sessions and only YOU can commit to helping yourself.
Everyone is busy, everyone has either a demanding job, family members to sort, dinners to cook or parents who now need help. It can be so incredibly exhausting and also stressful. So you need to get a diary/ME TIME book and start deciding how and what you need. You need to prioritise what is more important – your health time, your family time, your work time & social time. Or how you can manage all without getting burn out and more stressed.
START SMALL SCALE
Whenever you are setting a new routine/goals we all know if we can start really small, not too many of something or not too long of something. I read BJ Fogg ‘Tiny Habits’ & ever since I have been flossing my teeth!! He basically says, start with 1 or 2 teeth & before you know it you will be flossing the whole mouth. It worked for me.
So try and create a regular exercise time for you – literally decide on 2 days in a week and start with just finding something like 15 minutes. You will need to research some moves or come and see me for a session and we can see what you need. Cardio or strength or a mix of both. You don’t need heaps of time, especially when you are getting started.
Decide on 1 session being strength exercises – if new, start bodyweight & the other session can be a short cardio / HIIT type session – but plan it if you can – or make it your gym time OR find a class you can do 2x a week. Try starting with a 30 minute class as you may have to take travel time into consideration too.
Most importantly – DO NOT go full on out there in the 1st few weeks or do 4 or 5 sessions in the 1st week. Honestly, over the past 20 yrs I have seen this time and time again – everyone feels great and motivated as they did the sessions, but by the end of a few months they were either getting niggles, ill with a cold or just started to do less sessions. Then they end up stopping.
It isn’t sustainable.
Start with 1 or 2x a week and then when you have more time you can add another one in & you don’t feel you are letting yourself down.
BOOK IN TIME
This is one of the most effective things to start your new routines. As I say, get a paper diary or workout diary or something you will see and then can tick off (nothing better than ticking a task off!!)
Every Sunday evening spend 5 mins looking at your week ahead. Obviously, some of you may have times where you have to go and help someone or your plans need to suddenly change. But in general, you should try to start off by finding 2 sessions a week. you DO NOT need to do more than 30 mins to start.
As I said, something important may come up BUT if if isn’t too important, then your session takes priority.
PLANNING YOUR WORKOUT SESSIONS
This may be the hard part, if you are not used to exercising. So I want you to jot down NOW – what you want to get out of exercising? Do you feel you don’t move enough? Do you feel you walk a lot but need to start some strength exercises? Do you think you would like to do classes – close to where you live or work? (no use driving more than 10 mins – you’ll not keep going!!)
Once you have decided – either heart health or bone/muscle health or both – then think about the 2 sessions.
Look at YouTube for ideas – always put ‘beginner exercises’ in if new to it. Look at my online membership – I have short workouts /beginner workouts / mobilisers /core exercises etc
Cardio session
- bound to get sweaty so plan a time when you can jump in the shower after.
Weight session
- maybe less time and don’t need a shower after.
Whole body HIIT with strength
- maybe a little more time needed, so take account of this.
Tight/stiff/weak core/glutes not firing well
- use this session to mobilise the body in all different directions. It needs focus and concentration to get the glutes firing properly. Sometimes mobilising the body is more important than a cardio session – depending on what you need.
Combining other commitments with exercise
- Never diss walking. IF you can walk to work or jog to work or back from work then great, start doing it. Even if not a running – start couch to 5k on your way homes. Get a rucksack & fit it properly so it doesn’t annoy you. Power march for 5 mins then go easier then power march again – keep fast & slower walking till home.
- Or do you need to take the kids to hockey or swimming ? Use that time to go and power march, jog, find a bench & do some body weight exercises around it – press ups vs the bench, body weight squats, step ups – do 20 reps 3 or 4 rounds.
Do you have a friend
- Find a friend who also really wants to start doing some exercise – but not one who is a bit flaky and when not feeling like it will suggest the pub instead!! Choose the right friend who WILL be motivated to really keeping to your routine.
What do you think??? Does this make sense? I would love to hear from you – try putting all of the above into practice & let me know how it is going a month in –
**@vi*******.uk
