School is coming back in swing, summer winding down, and some more routine and schedules coming into play for many of us. Some routines are good for us, and others not so much. So what do we do about it?
Things That Make You Go Hmm…
I’m a huge fan of summer. Not just the weather, riding bikes, and long days filled with sunlight. I like the lack of routine with my kids. Letting them sleep in, the uncertainty that each day can bring in a good way. E biking with friends, kids coming in and out of the house, grabbing snacks, and eating dinners on the deck. I’m all for it and it’s refreshing to not feel the structure for me. And despite the lack of planning my family is notorious for, keeping the priorities in my life consistent actually seem easier in some ways in these seasons.
Some of us thrive on the structure while others not so much. Regardless of our personalities it’s the consistency of our training, nutrition, and well being in general that is key. As we go into the next few months things seem to get more structured. And for some of us that can be STRESSFUL. Busier days with work schedules, Mom and Dad acting as the family Uber driver for their kids, and vacations are wrapping up. If your schedule starts to get more packed like mine, here are some things that may help to keep you more consistent with training, nutrition, or your well being.
- Protect Your Time!!
This is huge. Your time is extremely valuable. And investing in yourself will often make you a better spouse, parent, employee, etc. It’s like putting the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others! If you have a routine that works for you now, work to stick to it! If you need to be flexible with adjusting that time for workouts, food prep, etc. block it out! Put it in your schedule and protect from things that all too easily take over. If you make these things a priority and don’t bend on them it’s much easier to say “no” to other things or simply schedule them differently.
- Revisit your goals:
Some seasons we have more time to invest in ourselves and others less. It’s just the reality of life. If you are heading into a busier season try taking a look at your goals. What once was performance oriented may simply be consistency. Instead of worrying about a new PB on my back squat or running that half marathon in a specific time, now we may just be focused on getting in the gym 4 days/week. Without recalibrating with looking at our goals it’s easy to get down on ourselves. Give yourself some grace and keep it consistent.
- Simple works:
Once you have your schedule set and are making an effort to block out training time in the gym, look to other blocks of time that you have available that you can get creative with. For example, maybe you walk your dog for a longer distance in the evening to get in some extra “steps” after a stressful day of work. You can even toss on a ruck if you are looking for more of a challenge here. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator. Don’t sweat the specific meal prep and grab lunch meat, fruit, and some guacamole to get by when you’re in a pinch for lunch. We don’t want to or have to live our lives here, but you also need to be flexible in those moments that require more of us. Things don’t have to be perfect to be good.
- Make it social:
Connect with a friend in class and have some accountability there so you’re expecting to see one another. Outside of the gym schedule bike rides with your friends, walks in the morning with coffee, or a time to play pickleball. If we are dragging a bit it’s much easier to jump in with a friend than trying to do things solo.
- Use the 3 workout variations we provide:
Remember, you don’t have to crush yourself every day, and sometimes just moving is what we need. Look at those Refresh workout options when you just need to get your bum in the gym and move. Stoke and APP offer increasing demand and if you know how to self regulate it makes for a better week!
There are a number of other ways we can adjust things to make for more consistency in different seasons of life. I believe one of the biggest steps we can take is giving ourselves the time to reflect a bit on how we can pivot our goals and strategy depending on the time we have. Some simple changes and perspective can go a long way.
Chris
