Most of us have heard the quote “failing to plan is planning to fail”. A lot of us spend our days following a plan – work schedules, study timetables, appointments, plans to see friends, the list goes on! But how many of you plan your exercise plans each week?
Just because you’re not in a team with a training schedule or wanting to focus your whole life around exercise doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan your physical activity for the week. Spending 5-minutes each Sunday looking at your schedule for the week ahead and figuring out the best times for you to fit in some physical activity is guaranteed to help you fit in more movement and find time to exercise.
How many times have you said “I just didn’t have time to exercise this week”? We all have! Even I say this occasionally and I spend all day every day in a studio decked out with gym equipment! When this happens, I know that I have planned my day or my week poorly – I stand by the statement that NO-ONE IS TOO BUSY TO EXERCISE. A client of ours runs her own business working 12 + hour days, juggling regular travel and last minute professional commitments. She is also currently completing a PhD and has had a range of health problems to set her back over the last 3 years we have worked together. This woman is over 50 years old, and almost every morning she is out of bed at 4:30am for a 7 – 10km walk/run (even on days she has a PT session at 6:00am) before she gets caught up in another crazy day of work! No matter what temperature it is or what she has on, she is out there making time for exercise. She is an absolute inspiration to me every time I feel overwhelmed with my workload or tempted to just have a lazy day!
The key to finding time to be active during a busy week is organisation!
Here are 5 key steps to successful exercise planning:
- Write it down! Putting pen to paper or using your phone calendar makes it easier to plan, plus it is proven to increase your chances of achieving it.
- Know your schedule. Where possible map out your commitments for the week so you can predict how much free time you have each day to dedicate to exercise.
- Consider obstacles. If you have any commitments or events that may get in the way of your regular exercise routine write them down so you can work your activity around them and minimise chances of skipping sessions.
- Set a target for how many sessions you want to do for the week and schedule your exercise around your other commitments.
- Be flexible! Even if you have a perfect plan in place, life happens. Be prepared to adjust your schedule and swap your rest day with a session if something unexpected comes up.
It may seem tedious, but GIVE IT A TRY – spending 5-minutes planning your week makes fitting in exercise easier and helps you build a long-term active lifestyle!
If you want access to our Weekly Exercise Planner (seen in the image) just drop us a message and we are happy to share it with you!