Going to the gym can seem like a daunting task to fit into your schedule. Between your commute, work, happy hour and watching two hours of the bachelor, how can you possibly fit in a gym session?
Our days can seem to slip away from us- but let’s break this down. Say you work 8 hours a day, sleep 8 hours, commute 1 hour, 3 hours for dinner and family time- that still leaves you with 4 hours to do something for yourself.
From those 4 hours- I challenge you to take just one hour for physical health.
1 hour is only 4% of your entire day.
I structure all my workouts to take 45-50 minutes for resistance training. This still allows for a 5 minute warm up, 5 minutes of stretching= 60 minutes and you are donezo.
Resistance training is the perfect example of choosing quality of quantity. If you are lifting for more than 60 minutes, you are probably actually hindering your progress. Lifting for that long most likely means two things- either you’re over training or you’re looking at your phone too much.
After years of working out I know the most important thing is to be present, and not just go through the motions during that hour. I make sure to make the most out of my workouts with these 3 key steps:
1. Go in with a plan
know what muscle group you want to workout and what exercises you are going to do
2. Set a timer
I take no longer than a 1 minute break between each set. This allows my heart rate to stay elevated, my muscles to stay warm, and my workouts to go quick.
3. Track with pen & paper
if you’re looking at your phone for your workouts, you are much more likely to then jump over to instagram or TikTok between sets too. This ruins your focus and slows down the workout. Call me old school, but I still believe in writing everything down. It’s even proven you are more likely to reach your goals if you actually put them pen to paper.
Working out doesn’t require hours and hours of your time. It’s about pushing your body really hard, and making the most out of your efforts. I promise if you begin with one hour a day 3 times a week, you will start to see significant improvements in your health, energy and mood.
