I have a long history of working out, not working out, working out, not working out... well, you get the picture. Growing up, I was a competitive figure skater and trained about 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I quit just before turning 17. After quitting, I found it difficult to find a regular exercise routine that worked long term - mainly because I felt that unless I was working out 1-2 hours at a time, it wasn’t worth doing.
Finding time to do this became a challenge while in University. Eventually, I accepted that keeping the workout to an hour would do the trick. But even then, life often intervened and I would miss a bunch of workouts. So then I would go long stretches without working out at all. I was constantly starting over. This went on for YEARS! I’d feel great when I stayed committed, guilty, blubbery and out of shape when I slipped.
I think I have now finally found a long term solution. By limiting my workout to 20-30 minutes, 4-5 days a week exercising is now do-able. It’s enough to elicit changes in my body and keep me feeling healthy and strong, as well as mentally on target. And believe, me, the mental part is just as important as physically doing the workout. When I’m not exercising regularly, I find it’s easier to slip into poor eating habits and generally feel worse about myself. Even still, fitting exercise into my already hectic schedule takes discipline.
Here’s the hard part… I wake up at 5am to do my 20-30 minutes. As a working mom, it’s the only time I feel I can fit it in. However, here’s the good part… it’s a lot easier to wake up and know that in less than 30 minutes the workout will be done. The best part of doing it at 5am - no excuses that something else has come up, AND it’s done for the day!
To further conserve time, I work out at home using a variety of workout DVDs - including many with weights, pilates and an exercise ball. I am not the most coordinated so I stay away from any with tricky choreography or lots of dance moves. I have also incorporated 10 minutes of stretching every day while at my office - it really helps with circulation (and my bad back) and actually re-energizes me. I usually take a break around 2:30 in the afternoon – the time I’m at my lowest – and stretch next to my desk.
Last trick... if I’m feeling sleepy at my desk, I get up and take a 2 minute walk around the office. Just that little extra bit helps me re-group and re-focus. Small, regular spurts more often… it all adds up to a healthier, more balanced me!
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