Workout Plan: Sep 12-17
How are your habits going?
I hope you are finding some success with your baby steps!
Remember how I said that establishing strong, healthy habits can help see you through stressful times? Well, I've had an opportunity to put that to the test.
With school starting, I was looking forward to sleeping. Sleep is a healthy habit I have not yet established. For the last 20+ years, I have pretty consistently gotten 5-6 hours of sleep each night. As I get older, it gets harder and harder to get up at 4-5am. This was going to be my first year of having nobody home during school hours, and I was STOKED to sleep in to 6:30, get my kids off to school, and then exercise and have several uninterrupted hours to get things done. Any stay-at-home parent with young children knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Well, after the second day of school, I learned that one child was having some unique challenges and things were going to have to change. I tried several options, but things were still not working. By the second week of school, I learned that I would have to go to school with this child.
All day.
Unfortunately, my first reaction was to cry and feel angry. But then I looked beyond my own selfish wants and tried to see life through my child's eyes and perception. I could see the pain and frustration. And as a mother, it made me sad and go back into "mommy mode" to try to find solutions to help overcome that pain. As I worked with the teacher and principal, we all decided that it may be best for me to go to school and stay with that child all day.
So, I packed my lunch along with my kids the night before. We all filled our water bottles and set out our clothes before we went to bed. (These are all habits that my kids do as part of their nightly routine. Start those habits while they are young!) I had also coordinated with my workout group and we decided to meet at 5:45am to get our workout in (instead of our usual 9am after all the kids are at school).
After working out together for 2 years, we have all learned that working out as a group is MUCH easier than working out alone. And it makes it more likely that we will all get that workout in (myself included)!
I know that I feel SOOO much better when I get a workout in. I don't skip them. It's a habit I nurtured over 20 years ago, and it has stuck. It gets me through stressful times because it is a form of stress relief for me. It is automatic, so I don't have to put a lot of thought or effort into it. So, although life is a little crazy right now and I have a whole, new appreciation for full-time working parents with no outside help, my exercise habit is staying strong.
I cannot say the same thing for my new, fledgling sleep habit, so I will be re-thinking my baby step strategy for that one!
Anyways, the schedule below is what we are doing this week in the Guinea Pig gym, so set some time aside (20-60 minutes) and get your workout in. Every day. I've made it easy. Follow the plan below. Start with 1 round of each set. It will only take 15-20 minutes total. If you have more time, do more rounds of each set. Work with whatever time you have, but make sure to take the time and schedule it in!
What time of day do you work out? Do you workout by yourself, with a group or attend a class? Leave a comment below!!
Heidi
Monday: Lower Body Blast #2
Tuesday: Tabata #3
Wednesday: Upper Body Sculpt #2
Thursday: Sevens #1
Friday: HIIT Blaster #2
Saturday: Get outside and "play" outdoors for at least 30 minutes. Or if you need a quick at-home workout, try Cardio Tone #1.
