Summer is just around the corner, and this spring has been really gorgeous so far. With warmer weather, summer holiday celebrations and more "out and about" calendars, it can be really easy to let your fitness routine slip through the cracks. I wish I had a fool-proof method to not letting this happen; however, a simple but useful something we talk about a lot in our M3PW studio is life balance and adjusting your standards (within reason). Even those extra-crazy-busy weeks can be handled if you give yourself the grace to give what you can, not what you think you should.
Here are some examples to explain what I mean by giving what you can. Let's say you are going on a long weekend trip, and you normally work out Monday, Wednesday and Friday; you'll miss your Friday, and you're used to working out for an hour on those days at a specific time because that's what you can give on a normal week. Thursdays are your busy day, it feels like you can't spare more than 15 minutes to do something other than what's already on the calendar. To not miss that third workout, go for a 15 minute brisk walk or find a 10-15 minute full body workout video on YouTube; bonus points if you do this on two days of the week to make the time doable and get 30 minutes of your exercise back. Get yourself up 15 minutes earlier if you have to make the time. Your body doesn't care that you weren't in the gym or working out on a specific day, it cares that you moved throughout the week.
In our second example, let's say you got invited to go to an after work event and you normally work out at night. Take that same 10-15 minutes out of your lunch break or somewhere else in your day to get some activity in before you get to wind down and enjoy your time with friends, or maybe plan to carve out 15-30 minutes on a morning over your weekend to make up the movement. In both of these examples, while you may not have "done what you should've", you didn't break the promise you made to yourself to prioritize your health. Even the workouts that "suck" or feel pointless, count.
Obviously, we would all prefer to keep our routines and our commitments untouched and consistent no matter what, but that isn't how life works, especially when you find yourself in a busier or more social season. When it comes down to our weekly schedule and expectations, giving 100% can look different (whether that's an hour or only 15 minutes); it's the thought and the intention that counts!
