Fitting in Fitness

Although I have been working out regularly since the start of the New Year, I have to admit, I have been unable to get out of bed for early morning workouts, and as a result, I have had to squeeze my workouts in after work, or...I am ashamed to admit, even as late as after dinner...

Not the best way to go about things.


Waking up early is tough, I won't sugar coat it. But working out in the morning is a great habit, and sets the right tone for the day. Another advantage to establishing an A.M. workout schedule is that you won't stress out about having to exercise later in the day. As we all know, things crop up and life  gets in the way.  You scarfed down a ______ (insert pig-out food of your choice) during the day that you vowed to burn off during your workout, but...it's now 8 p.m. and you're tired. And just like that, despite your best intentions to workout, the day has turned into a TURD (Totally Unplanned Rest Day).  

Rest days are important and you should be sure to allow your body to recover from tough workouts, so be sure to plan out your week in terms of exercise and active or total rest.
 But on those days that you planned to workout, but never got around to it...that's a TURD.

Two important tips for establishing a morning exercise habit: 

• Prepare. Prepare. Prepare! 
• If you are going to do a workout DVD, put it in the player the night before. If you're like me and have an extensive workout DVD library, you may find that it takes FOREVER to choose what to do. Save yourself the decision-making time and select the workout before hand.
• Related to the above, you might want to prepare a schedule, or rotation. Monday-Wednesday-Friday, you might want to limit your workout choices to cardio, and Tuesday-Thursday would be devoted to strength. That's just an example. Some people rotate a lot of different kinds of workouts: cardio, strength, yoga, barre. Again, choose what works for you.
• Set out your clothes, shoes, yoga mat, weights--whatever equipment you might need for your workout. You don't want to be 15 minutes into the routine when you realize that you need a resistance band, and then spend five minutes rummaging around for one.
• Set your alarm, and try (operative word) to get in bed at a decent hour so you can be well rested for your workout.

If anyone's got any other tips for easing into a morning workout routine, leave your suggestions! I'd love to hear them.

There are some great workout options for the times when you have the energy to do a workout late in the day, but don't have the 30, 45, or 60 minutes to devote to your workout. These short workouts are also great for when you manage to get out bed, but much later than you originally planned, and thus have only a short window of time left to work out. Don't knock these small doses of exercise. They still do work, and if your schedule allows you to do 3 or 4 small blocks of exercise throughout the day, they do add up!

The 10-Minute Solution DVDs are a good option, and they have a wide range of titles. As the name implies, each DVD offers 5 10-minute workouts (with warm-up and cool-down) included. The series has cardio and dance offerings (like Latin Dance and Hip Hop), yoga, pilates, kickboxing, and a couple of dvds focused just on ab and core strength.

One of my favorites in the 10-Minute Solution series!

Keeping Fit with Andrea Metcalf is a series that gives users 10 5-minute segments for cardio, strength, and pilates. Anybody can do 5 minutes, right? (a review of this workout coming soon!)

A 3-DVD pack with short workout segments

 A 10-minute session in the morning, maybe a 10-minute walk at lunch, and another 10 minutes in the evening before dinner is a great way to fit fitness into a busy schedule. But everyone's different. Some people are naturally more active and awake in the morning, and if that schedule is good for you, great! Others (and I'm afraid I fall into the latter category) are not morning people, and don't have a problem working out in the evening. When I'm forced to workout at night, I usually choose a more low-key workout: a gentle walk, a stretchy kind of yoga, or a pilates workout usually fit the bill.  

The bottom line? Whether you do it in the morning, afternoon or evening, make time for fitness. You'll love the results.