Get to Work

If you half ass your fitness routine, you can’t expect spectacular results. 

You can expect half assed results.

We’re not in the game of being able to attempt to “wing” our workouts and expect results. Our days are too busy and there’s too many things demanding of our time.

This doesn’t mean that every workout needs to be your best. It also doesn’t mean you have to push yourself to the point of breaking during every workout either.

It does mean that you have to consistently show up for yourself. You have to be intentional with your workouts so you know you can get the results you’re working so hard to see.

But how can you realistically fit a workout into days that are already jam packed?

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Here’s my Top 3 Tips for Crushing Your Workouts When You’re Busy AF:

1. Plan. Take time on a Sunday night to plan out your week, including when your workouts can fit into your schedule. Then book mark that time in your calendar like you would an appointment to the doctor. You won’t cancel an important appointment, so don’t cancel on yourself.

2. Be realistic. How many days a week are you working out RN? How many days do you WANT to workout? Don’t jump to your most ideal goal, make incremental changes so you can adjust to the new normal without losing your sanity.

3. Have a back up. When you do Step 1, include what workouts you WANT to do during those times. It makes transitioning into the workout faster because it takes out the thinking. And then have a back up workout in case shit hits the fan and you don’t have as much time as you intended.

Don't Forget to Warm Up

Regardless of how long you have to workout, you NEED to take part of that time to warm up.

One of my first fitness mentors did NOT believe in the power of the warm up. He thought we should be able to jump into the hard part of the workout completely cold.

I used to adhere to this line of thinking.

But then my check knees light turned on hard and I learned that for my body, warming up was a non-negotiable aspect of the workout itself.

Not only does it make the workout more effective, it also helps you prevent injury.

My go to warm up is anything involving core. 

In a class it’s a good way to get people started so people can run in late and not miss other work.

But because of the anatomy of your core, you’ll feel the work almost instantaneously which helps focus your brain into the work you’re about to do.

Not to mention the fact that your core is an integral part of the success of basically every exercise you do. 

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Here’s my fave warm up:

4 rounds

8 reps each exercise

Crunches

Weighted clam

Hip bridges

Become the Testimony

The test always becomes the testimony.

It’s all about perspective.

I tell my clients all the time that the hard work they endure during a workout is not the hardest thing they’ve ever done nor is it the hardest thing they’ve ever been through.

It’s a snippet of time that’ll be over in realistically, less than an hour.

Think about it: You’ve made it through 100% of your bad days.

A little workout is not going to own you.

Intuitively you know that…

You can reflect upon those bad days and recognize how it’s impacted your life now.

You know how those challenges have shaped you, given you strength, and pushed your limits.

You might think back and say to yourself “damn I don’t know how I got through that” but you ultimately did and you know that whatever the lesson in it, you’re better off for it.

Your workout is nothing more than another challenge. Something that will give you strength, push you to your limits, and expand your horizons. Something you’ll be able to reflect upon tomorrow to see its impact on your life.

Appreciate Your Greatness

The sh!tty workouts make you appreciate the great workouts.

You’re not going to have many workouts that feel like Disneyland. 

I’ll never be the trainer who lies to you.

Most of this is hard. Most of it sucks. Most of the time you’re going to what to be doing something else.

That’s the reality of working out: most of your workouts are going to make you question your life choices. Getting uncomfortable just does that to a person.

Ya you move and stuff during a workout, you’ll sweat but workouts are really a test of how you respond to an uncomfortable situation.

You have to persevere through those hard workouts to get the ones that remind you you’re strong and capable.

Those strong workouts are the ones that carry you through. That give you the motivation to keep going in all those workouts that make you want to cry or quit.

Those are the workouts you focus on when you’re in the workout that makes you question your life choices. The ones that left you feeling like a rockstar and relishing in your finish line instead of the ones that left you hating life.

Save this Full Body Workout

We’re busy.

I have absolutely no illusions with how busy you are and how many people demand of your time.

I also know that your health matters to you but the idea of figuring out how to workout regularly seems daunting. You have too many other things going on and when you sit down to watch Netflix on a Sunday night, you don’t want to plan out your week of workouts.

You want to, I know that, but you also want to stare blankly at a TV and that usually wins out.

That’s why I give you workouts. More importantly, that’s why I give you workouts you can use in a ton of different ways.

As standalone workouts or combining several workouts to give you a longer form workout.

Ultimately it means if you have 10 minutes, you use the 10 minutes.

Use this one today, save the email, and grab it for another day when you know you need to workout but a long workout isn’t in the cards.

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3 Rounds

10 reps each exercise

Bridge hip taps

Single side bench press

Weighted roll up

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