As much as we’d like to think that training should be smooth and always have a steady increase - muscle goes on, weights on the bar go up, everything is a blissful perfect dream. How often is that consistently a reality?
We will of course have periods where that happens, but it’s likely that you’re going to have some where it doesn’t. The reality is, we have holidays, we have family visits, and we get colds and bugs. We also have lives that are supported by jobs, which sometimes take over a little too much of our time and mental capacity.
So it’s important to identify the part of life you have control around and the habits or routines that are key to making you feel good and make progress.
For example, you know your work days are going to be busy and you’re going to struggle with leaving on time to go to the gym or cook. Cool, well what about mornings for exercise and an hour on Sunday for cooking? Maybe another half an hour on Wednesday or Thursday for cooking?
Suggesting you exercise in the morning and cook in advance, isn’t necessarily a way to make it easier. It’s a way to make sure that things get done that make you feel better and get the results you want. Anything worth having is unlikely to be super easy.
The other thing we want to look at is the type of training we enjoy. What makes you a better person and will make you get your ass off the sofa when you really don’t want to?
Consider the things you enjoy and what they bring you.
Strength - feeling like a bad ass when everything else feels like it’s crumbling
Yoga - feeling like a quiet little Buddha - or in my case, humbled by how sore stretching can be
Swimming - feeling like a duck to water, in your element - or a baby elephant if you’re me
Walking/running - an opportunity to be quiet and outdoors to think through the challenges and opportunities in the day
What about how often you do it? In an ideal world you may be striving to do three or four sessions a week, for an hour. But what if scheduling means that it consistently won’t happen? Could you do three sessions that are 20-30 minutes and cut any faff out?
This could give you the fool-proof approach that works when life takes over, but keeps you moving, thinking and breathing properly. Then, when the heavy schedule lifts you are in a better position to get back into doing more and enjoying it, without feeling like a month of doing nothing took over.
When we talk about keeping things simple and achievable for you, we’re talking about where you are right now. At this moment in time, what can you realistically stick to and achieve. Over time, this will build confidence and allow you to do more, if you want to and are able to. If turbulence continues, we continue to adapt.
Client shout out: Fran
I’ve been working with Fran this year and she has had great results, she’s learnt heaps about herself and is noticing really quickly what works and doesn’t for her. She’s had periods of stress at work, plus an operation and a house move (plus some filling of the floor to make sure it’s safe). She’s adapted and adjusted along the way. Did I mention she also has two young girls to look after and juggle her schedule around?
Fran thought that the best way to get results was do be doing sessions for at least an hour, six times a week. But it was impossible with all of these life events to do it. So we started adding in 20 minute sessions, four times a week. Plus her favourite hour of the day on Monday and Tuesday when she’s in the office and can get away.
Her consistency and positivity are FLYING again. She has her new routine. She gets up in the morning and grabs her running shoes before the girls wake up. Or she puts on the pressure cooker or oven after the girls go to bed and cooks her dinner whilst flinging a dumbbell around and making her body stronger.
Fran has a system that works for her. Can you make one for you?
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