The Importance of Keeping a Schedule
The Importance of Keeping a Schedule
Struggling with keeping a schedule?
We live busy lives in the 21st century. We are constantly on the go, with multiple appointments to get to, sometimes kids to take care of, tasks to complete and dry cleaning to pick up. Deciding to include fitness into your week can add great benefit but can sometimes be tough to juggle with all our other responsibilities.
In the picture above you will see multiple meetings, activities, and more that illustrates my day by day. One of those meetings is with my accountants from ConnectCPA, who save me hours of work every quarter and year by making sure my corporate taxes are in order. Transitioning to a meal prep, followed by a short workout and shower. This is just to show you why it’s important to have your day-week scheduled. We are going to discuss ways to make your training easier for your schedule and to keep you consistent.
Firstly, decide on a time of day to train. To determine what day is best for you, schedule your workouts on your days with the least amount of other appointments as possible, and as early in the day as possible. Training early, or first thing in the daytime is a great way to maintain consistency over long periods of time as it usually can take place before major commitments like work, kids, phone calls, meetings and other personal commitments. Training at 5:30 or 6am can be tough at first, but can give you a great start to your day by boosting your confidence, energy level, and overall increase your chances of sticking to it.
Second biggest task is nutrition. Making time to train is a fantastic first step in the right direction, but without proper nutrition on a consistent basis, all our hard work can not be used to its fullest potential. Just like we make time to train, we must make time to prep and eat. Meal prep is important to make sure you have enough high quality food to meet your busy schedule for the week and to reduce daily cooking to allow more time for other tasks and to ultimately reduce stress. Instead of watching Netflix while relaxing on a Sunday, use that time to prep your food for the week while still enjoying some binge watching. Don’t worry about creating a gourmet meal, simply prepare food you know you will enjoy and that compliment your fitness goals. A slow cooker is a great way to combine ingredients with little prep and to create large portions to last you for multiple days.
So how do we avoid those last minute emergencies that can get in the way? The truth is, there will be occasional times where we are ill, away from home, injured, and simply overworked and exhausted. We are human and no one is perfect. That being said, one of the best ways to avoid canceling your workout is to plan your training as ahead of time as possible, and keep your gym gear packed and ready to go. Having your gear ready and waiting for you acts like a reminder note, that you’ve made a commitment to yourself to stay as consistent as possible. Try to have a simple and quick 20-30 minute workout ready in case you must be at appointment early or wake up late, heck even a hardcore HIIT session of 10-15 minutes will still have great benefit.
Remember that exercise and proper nutrition are lifelong habits and take time to develop but provide us with focus, determination and energy to increase our quality of life and to make us feel good. Make the choice to be healthier because it something you truly want to do, and enjoy the process for all its aspects; not just the result, but also the journey of self exploration and self enlightenment and self fulfillment.
