Friday, April 28, 2017

Focusing on fitness

I'm a creature of habit, and typically create a schedule & then just go with it. Even when that schedule stops working. I've realized (through many failed attempts) that I actually need to adjust my schedule semi-regularly to make time to work out. Things change each season. Soccer practices & times adjust, new off hours meetings get added to my calendar in APAC, daylight savings wreaks havoc on my time zones (other countries don't follow, so it creates a bigger gap in meeting times), etc.

I need to do a better job of evaluating when things aren't working, and making adjustments. I spent some time on Sunday revamping my scheduling & coming up with options to allow for me to have time to: work out, get plenty of sleep, and make time to relax (relaxing could mean reading a book, yoga, a hot bath, time with friends. . .)

I have not been able to lose weight in 2017, (I typically gain through second half of each year, and spend the first half losing it all over again, in a terrible cycle). This is a real problem, & I need to make sure I'm prioritizing working out.

Getting up earlier isn't really an option, as I need a minimum of 8.5 (but, prefer 9) hours of sleep to stay healthy with my lupus & keep my symptoms in check.

What are the changes I'm making?

  1. Review my schedule on Sundays, & build out a specific workout plan. (I.e. run @ 6:45 on Monday, making sure I don't have any early EMEA meetings, etc).
  2. Come up with a "best possible" workout slot, but have other options for days that won't work. For me, the sweet spot is really 6:30-6:45 am as a start time. As I have more & more APAC meetings (evenings) & fewer EMEA meetings (morning), this should be helpful.
  3. Figure out what doesn't work for me, & work around it. I've been trying to get into the habit of hitting the work gym in the mornings, but that requires showering, lugging all of my gear, & the gym is packed at my desired time. I've decided that working out at home, but ensuring I have strength focused workouts (in addition to cardio) is the winner. I tried it out today, & it worked well.
All in all, I've had good success this week, and have found some options for building a regular workout schedule again. What about you? Do you evaluate your schedule & make adjustments on a regular basis, or are you a creature of habit? When do you work out & how do you fit it into your busy life? 

8 comments:

  1. My schedule is fluid so I have to make adjustments nearly everyday.

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    1. Isn't that the truth. One day, maybe, things will be more predictable. I tell myself that anyway!

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  2. I seriously need to get back into a routine which will include heat endurance. We have zero space to work out in the RV, even stretching. I am thinking sun salutations with the kids in the morning, then walking after dinner in the evening. It won't be much, but it will help with several issues.

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    1. I like your idea of walking & doing a bit of yoga. In a cramped space, creativity will be key!

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  3. I find working out first thing in the morning is best, in that it is the only time of day I'm pretty sure I'm not needed elsewhere. The trade off is sleep, or time spent waking up over coffee.

    Regarding weight loss - Pretty confident this is more about calories consumed than calories worked off. Tracking every bite I ingest when I'm working out, but not losing weight, is usually an eye opener. It's even worse when I'm not working out, of course.

    So maybe where your attention/efforts really need to go is toward total calories being consumed? I've read over and over that weight loss/maintenance is 80% diet, 20% activity. That seems to be the case for me as well. :-(

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    1. It definitely is about calories. However, for me, working out is sort of the positive motivation that always puts the rest of the pieces together, if you know what I mean. Once I start working out consistently, I have more energy, typically eat healthier, and often eat less. The working out is more for my stress management than actual weight loss, but it has lots of side benefits.

      I'm already tracking my calories (have done so for years), and do reasonably well? There are always areas for improvement for sure. Working out gives me a tiny bit of flexibility (from a calorie perspective), but is mostly about being healthier overall.

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  4. I keep a simple system of checking off what I need to do each day on a set of index cards I make each month. I don't have a particular time to do everything, just that what I need to do gets done every day, and a sort-of schedule kind of worked itself out. So, I'm not riding my exercise bike in the morning, afternoon and evening - no exact time, but I know it needs to get done (of course I have the luxury of being retired, and don't have to mesh with anyone else's schedule). Same for making sure I drink enough water every day, and for taking care of other extra curriculars. I found that keeping it simple versus trying to pack in a whole lot on a list has made it easier to get the stuff I NEED to do completed, and other stuff gets done as well.

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    1. I like it. I've used the index card system as well. For now, I have a notebook with days of the week, and just write things down as they come up. I use that in addition to the calendar. The calendar is meant to track specific, time bound commitments. The actual list is for things I can check off at any time.

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