[source]
Brrrr…it’s cold out there today!
This is the time of the year when I really start to notice the waning daylight hours and struggle with motivation when it comes to workouts. The early mornings are no longer bright and sunny, but dark, chilly, and uninviting. I’ve always preferred to workout in the morning, but lately I’ve found it difficult to stick to a consistent schedule and my workouts are all over the place.
I decided to do a few things that will help me get excited about exercise again:
1) I created a workout schedule to help with commitment
2) I created a daily workout log for inspiration & commitment
3) For support, that’s where you can join in if you’d like!
My plan looks a lot like what I have been doing since the summer, only this time I’ve planned out specific activities for each day. Structure can be a good way to set commitment in motion!
I’m also going to workout first thing in the morning whenever possible. It’s pretty hard to feel the Winter blahs when I have endorphins surging through my body, setting the tone for the entire day. I always feel my best when I work out first thing in the morning.
The plan:
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| Spin class | Treadmill hill workout, 45 mins. + Whittle my Middle | Body Pump weight class, 15 mins cardio warm up | OFF- active rest (light walking/yoga) | Moksha hot yoga | Anything goes- outdoor run, treadmill, spin/pump, or workout DVD |
OFF |
Of course, like every plan, this one is subject to change based on other life factors that come into play. If I’m sick or injured, obviously I won’t be working out. Generally, I like to have 1 active rest day, 1 complete rest day, and 5 days of regular, challenging workouts. It’s a nice balance for my body. I encourage you to create a plan that works for you. This is definitely not a one size fits all approach!
Here’s the kicker: I’m going to journal my workouts to keep myself accountable.
After every workout, I’ll write about several things:
- How much sleep I got
- My mood before, during, after exercise
- Exercise struggles (for example, were triceps extra hard today? Did my quads shed tears on the bike?)
- Exercise progress (did I rock a hill set in spin class or new yoga pose?)
- How I felt the rest of the day (sore, happy, tired, energetic, proud, hungry, etc)
- Any notes on workout wear that worked well or didn’t for the particular activity
- Other random musings
See attached PDF to print your own workout log!
My plan is to share some workout logs on the blog and give a recap of how things are going. Many of you have been asking me to bring back my fitness posts, so I hope you will enjoy this! I think it will be interesting to look back on the week at a glance and read over how each day was uniquely challenging.
And if you’d like to log your own workouts, or even make your own personal Fall fitness challenge, that would be great too! My challenge to those of you who are interested is to make a workout plan for yourself and log your experience after each workout. Read it over at the end of the week and make note of what worked and what needs improvement.
This workout log is a great way to stay motivated even when the weather outside makes us want to throw in the towel and cover our head with blankets.
Here’s to making the last couple months of the year filled with movement!
Yahoo!! I’m glad about your new workout kick. I’m also re-committing to my fitness goals and can’t wait to read some more posts.
I’m keeping a log, but it’s pretty bare-bones. After I get back into the swing of regular cardio/weight training/stretching, then I’ll finesse the sleep/water/mood. For now, I just want to make sure I’m making the time to move :)
My favorite time to work out is in the morning too, but I always have trouble with breakfast. I like to eat breakfast first thing when I wake up. So I don’t feel like I should work out RIGHT after breakfast, but if I don’t, then I won’t have time to later because of school or work. What would you recommend?
I usually have a banana before a workout and then a smoothie or vegan overnight oats after.
That’s a good idea, I’ll try it and see if it helps, thanks! :)
hey Angela, you mentioned you plan on working out first thing in the morning, do you usually eat something before you run/workout in the morning? and if you do eat something, what sort of light foods don’t mess too much with your stomach when you run, or how long do you wait after you eat to run? haha just wondering, because i usually just run right when i get out of bed, and sometimes that hinders my energy. thanks!
Hey Emma, I usually have a banana before a morning workout. :) Gives me a nice energy boost without weighing me down. I don’t have to wait long after…maybe 30 mins?
Thanks for bringing back a fitness post. I was starting to miss them!
I also love working out in the morning. I workout at home because most gyms aren’t open when I need to workout. Anyway, I find that if I turn on the lights in the room it doesn’t bother me that it’s dark outside. In the winter months I end up going to work and coming home in the dark anyway so that little burst of light helps to get me started in a more cheery fashion. I like your log. I think it’s just as important to keep track of how you feel as it is how many calories you burn.
Im Glad you’ve bought your fitness posts back – i become motivated by them :)
The journaling is a brilliant idea and one I may have to steal!
Great idea! I’m in! Glad you’re back to tracking your fitness progress. I also love working out in the morning – first thing when I wake up after a glass of water. Keeps the whole day in focus :D Plus, more incentive for me to make breakfast the most nutritious and best tasting meal of the day!
I should probably make a schedule for myself, too! Thanks for the kick in the behind!
Good plan for staying motivated! I love morning workouts, but I hate when snow ruins my plans. Shoveling at 5am is not my priority!
I love this idea! These shorter days definitely make it more difficult to workout…I’m lacking the motivation I had in the summer!
I have been waiting for a “workout” themed post for a long time (not that I don’t love all of the pumpkin and chocolate!! ;) ). This really does it.
Thanks, best-life-mentor-ever.
Great idea! I actually JUST started doing this 3 weeks ago. So far, laying out what I am going to do beforehand is keeping me on track!
I really like this idea – especially about reflecting on the factors that go into a workout. I might just do this along with you!
I completely agree! Winter workouts are TOUGH!!! But this looks like a great way to stay accountable! I use DailyMile to log my workouts!!! It works great!
Widdle My Middle is the name of a class? That sounds uh-mazing.
It’s actually an ab challenge I made (I linked to it) :)
thank you for this post, I could use some motivation!
i just wanna say thank you so much! cause on a rainy day- i can always click on your bookmark tab…..and end up on your page, with much needed inspiration, motivation, etc…. i really appreciate all you do- and all you dont know you do for others. thank you!
Thank you Krysten!
Angela, I love LOVE your blog, but honestly, even as a person who works out 4-6x a week (and HARD! hard workouts) there is just no way, with a baby in my life, that I can do this. I’m already logging his sleep schedule, feeding schedule, moods, etc.
This kind of logging takes so much time. I don’t know many people who have this kind of time.
It took me 5 mins yesterday?
But obviously it isn’t for everyone!
Yes, yes, YES! what a coincidence. I did the precise planning for the first three weeks just this morning, and then came to find this post in my reader. Yay! Because my husband works shifts and weekends and alternative stuff and I have a kid and I work and I study… *breathe* I need to just write down what I’m going to do when, do the complicated thinking beforehand, and then just follow the darned plan ;-) The spreadsheet I created goes nicely with my 12 week meal plan spreadsheet ;-)
Good luck!