Reduce Your Stress By Scheduling Your Workouts Through A Bigger Lens
One of the ways people measure their success in the gym each week is by counting how many times they showed up to the gym. For example, 5 days in the gym equals 5 workouts. That is assuming you are only working out once a day. When planning out our weekly schedule, it’s common to get specific and plan on which days you will work out, what you are going to do in the gym, and for how long. That works for some. Having everything planned and ready to go before Monday works for some but having a “buffer” is important because life doesn’t always seem to go the way we planned. Events happen that we can’t control and can’t predict. These new responsibilities can take longer than you think and you can’t predict how much time you spend interacting with other people. Some people will chat your ear off, and others may not show up to work, so you now have to do more and be flexible with time you saved for the gym. No matter how much you plan, life happens, and it will at some point, happen to you.
Social, physical, and work constraints come in waves and can last for weeks, requiring you to be pulled out of the gym completely. You could be currently riding one of those waves, where you feel like it is almost impossible to get to the gym. At some point we all ride that wave.
This is where looking at the bigger picture can help out when it comes to working out. If you feel you don’t have time, start by writing down a particular amount of workouts you want to achieve in 2-3 weeks. For example, 6 workouts in 3 weeks. Then schedule the 1st workout, once you have completed the 1st workout then schedule the 2nd workout and repeat this process each week until you reach your goal of 6 workouts. This approach of programming your training allows you the opportunity to schedule your workouts based on how big of responsibilities you have outside of the gym that week. Establishing a goal number gives you the luxury to fluctuate your workout schedule each week. If you are slammed one week, you can add that workout to the next week. Now, you have to be true to yourself and you can’t procrastinate by stacking all the workouts at the end of your goal period. You should try put a mandatory “one workout a week” goal in your goal setting. This keeps you accountable, while limiting the stress level of trying to cram in workouts at the end of the goal period. This approach isn’t for everyone, but it is another way to look at programming your workouts for the week. In the end, 20 workouts in is 20 workouts. If it takes you 8 weeks and takes someone else 6 weeks, it doesn’t matter. Research shows that exercising consistently over the course of time has higher health benefits than someone who doesn’t exercise at all. The only person you are competing against is yourself. Getting too specific on how you are going to approach exercising can get exhausting and stressful.
Keep it simple and find your wave.
For more exercises check out our YouTube Channel: Cystic Fibrosis Fitness Institute
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