A vital part of building an effective routine is in the planning. Use the below tips to ensure you are setting yourself up for success with your training, and get the results you are looking for.
Be realistic with your commitments
We all have work, family and social commitments we need and want to stick to. Planning your fitness routine around these is a balancing act, even when you have developed a habit of regularly working out.
Look at your week ahead and be realistic about when you think you can train. Avoid being overambitious and adding in more training days than you can realistically manage. If you don’t manage to train, you risk feeling a sense of failure. If you plan to work out five days a week, but then only complete three, you might feel like you haven’t achieved your goal.
So look at the commitments you have, think about how you might feel after them and plan your workouts to work for you (to give you energy and sense of achievement), not against you.
Plan the days you want to work out
Just like arranging to meet a friend, or booking a meeting with a colleague, schedule your workout and stick to it. A weekly workout plan helps you to commit to your fitness in manageable blocks of time.
You can plan your workout schedule easily in the app through the settings in the Coach tab. Select the days you intend to work out as the first commitment to your training.
Physically and mentally prepare the night before a workout
Get the physical things you need ready the night before so you are efficient and ready to go. The less you have to think about your gear when workout time comes, the easier it will be to get started.
Preparation is both physical and mental. Sometimes excuses creep up into your thinking in the run-up to a workout, and you end up saying things to yourself like “My workout clothing is dirty”, “I’m feeling pretty low-energy today”, or “I don't have the right equipment to work out”.
Notice when you find yourself saying these things and, for each, replace the excuse with a positive affirmation that will help you get your workout done. For example, “I’m feeling low-energy today” can become “I’m feeling low-energy today but doing my workout can help give me a good jumpstart!” “My workout clothing is dirty” can become “Dirty workout gear won’t stop me from completing my workout mission, let’s get it done and I’ll wash it all later!”
You can also look at your workout the Coach is recommending in order to prepare yourself. If the workout seems daunting and doesn’t appeal to you, try envisioning yourself achieving the workout, and the sense of accomplishment once you have completed it.
Make use of the Adapt session feature to change workouts to fit the situation and condition you are in (e.g. change the difficulty of the workout or remove equipment from the workout).
Life doesn’t always go to plan--so adapt!
Imagine you planned your week with workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Your intention was to workout three times in the week. However, on Monday, last minute deadlines means you have to work late.
This happens to everyone, and all you need to do to achieve your workout intention for the week is pick a different time.
Say you can prioritize the workout for Tuesday morning instead. No sweat--in the app, your incomplete planned workout will just move to the next day until you complete it, so you don't have to worry about losing it.
On the other hand, maybe you were planning on meeting a friend for dinner on Thursday but they canceled on you, and you find yourself with some free time.
If you want to workout but hadn’t planned a day to do so in the app, simply click on the next planned workout (e.g. Friday) and the completed workout will show on Thursday and generate a new one for Friday.
Commit to working out with a friend
Working out with friends can add a level of friendly competition, and it allows you to cheer on your buddies while being encouraged by them too. Because of this, it’s statistically more likely that you’ll complete your workout if you plan it with a friend.
You can meet up and do your own workouts, or complete a God workout together from the Explore tab. Either way, making a commitment to someone else is also making a commitment to yourself.
If you can’t meet in person...a virtual date is just as good! Share a post-workout picture with each other to prove you stuck to the commitment.
With these tips in mind, get out there and plan a week that will help you become the greatest version of yourself.
