Sunday night I tend to do a mental week ahead POA (plan of action) and I schedule in training, prep food, check if I have any meetings in the evenings etc. This may sound overly dramatic but if I dont do it I find the shit hits the fan and the first thing that suffers is my training, because, unlike my job, it is negotiable.
I read an article in the New York Times a while back where the author complained about people who complain about being busy all the time. It struck a chord with me and I can imagine, many of my peers. Tim wrote "Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren’t either working or doing something to promote their work. They schedule in time with friends the way students with 4.0 G.P.A.’s make sure to sign up for community service because it looks good on their college applications."
I try not to complain, because lets be honest no one else cares about my busy week, chances are they're too busy worrying about their own. More importantly if I didnt enjoy all the things that fill up my time, I wouldn't do them. Mum told me I need to relax or I'll have a heart attack before I'm 30. I tried to tell her that training is my down time, but seeing as her idea of HIIT is hoovering the stairs, I didn't make much progress.
What's fantastic about working in a sports firm is that people believe that their health and fitness is important. They find time, it is a priority and no one judges you if you go for a 45 minute run at lunch. In law firms all I ever heard as I chatted about training or asked if anyone wanted to join me for a pre work/ post work/ lunchtime run was "I'm so busy", " I dont have time", " I dont know how you fit it in". Well suck it up snooze button / desk-munching-daily-mail-readers / evening TV watchers, I fit it in because I want to. I get up an hour earlier, plan a short effective workout for lunchtime, run home (OK so ive never done the last one- but I would if I lived in London). If you want something badly enough, you'll find the time.
- P.O.A - Plan your training. Write it down, plan time for cardio time for weights time for rest and recovery. By keeping a training log, not only does it make me more likely to stick to a schedule but if I have to miss a session, I can see when else I could fit it in or think, you know what, ive got another three sessions this week- leave it and move on. - a P.O.A reduces stress.
- Wise up. Admittedly there is a lot of conflicting information about training on the web, but there is also a lot of free motivation- check tumblr, use pinterest, follow fit people on instagram, read mens/womens health, follow famous trainers and gyms on twitter. Start with +TheSBCollective @tim_weeks @calgaryavansino and see what happens..
- Get it! This is a little phrase I use a lot when friends are being awesome. The key to consistent training is a changing your mindset, you're not just getting on with it, you're getting AT IT! You have to make a positive choice.
- Special workout friend. (ref the in betweeners) I hold my hands up, I am lazy when im by myself. At luntime today a colleague and I ran 400m reps with decreasing time allowance. If he handn't been there, breathing in my ear bellowing times at me, I would've binned it off and gone for a lovely jog in the sun. Find a friend to hold you acountable to workout time, you'll work harder due to the (friendly?!) competition and people love mutual suffering.
- Work it. I couldn't go without mentioning stash. It's a running joke at my club that I have the most outrageous workout gear, people used to joke, now they want a piece of the Jane Fonda action. Feel sexy and strong in your gym kit and you'll want to wear it more. Fitness fashion is all over the highstreet now, so find your own style and werk, werk, werk. Instagram it. Make a soundtrack for it.
- GOAL. Set a time phased goal and write it down. From a coaching perspective there's nothing worse for motivation than junk training, going through the motions but with no specific objective will increase boredom. Book a race, choose a specific body fat %, aim to be able to do 30 press ups consitently. Having a goal large or small, with a deadline will mean you work harder towards it because your brain recognises the sense of urgency. Write it down as a positive statement and have it with you to re-read when you lose motivation. e.g. "Its summer 2014 and I can run 10 miles no problem". or "I am a sub 50minute 10k Runner at Run to the Beat" or "Catch all the ladies looking at my abs on the beach in Ibiza" By stating your goal as if its already happened you programme your subconcious to work towards your goal. It sounds horrendously cringe but it works.
