Go From Random Workouts to a Results-Driven Plan
Despite there being thousands of workouts in apps and on YouTube, so few of us feel we have a handle on this area of our lives! It seems that MORE options isn’t helping us get into better shape.
Research shows that there can be too much choice and this could be impacting your health on a number fronts - even financial health! Consider this… studies show when the number of retirement investment options available to employees increases, the chance that they will choose ANY investments decreases. Could this be why we feel less motivated to exercise despite all the workout options?
These studies and others have shown not only that excessive choice can produce “choice paralysis,” but also that it can reduce people’s satisfaction with their decisions, even if they made good ones.
How do you put random workouts together into a program that’s right for you?
Follow these 4-Steps I’ve used for over a decade to get and stay in shape and use to help hundreds of others do the same. You’ll stop winging your workouts and start getting result!
1️⃣ PUT THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST. Start with the activity YOU love best or the one you know YOU want to try. Maybe it’s running with your friend or quiet lifting sessions or upbeat spin sessions. This can change over time too.
You may not believe you know the answer to this but begin to trust that you know the answer even if you’re not a fitness pro. You have an innate ability to know your preferences and interests. Babies and small children are proof that you used to know what you wanted and used to scream to get it. But decades of being told to sit still, look pretty and be quiet may have disrupted the speed of you consciously articulating what you like but it’s certainly still there!
You might be saying “But is this what exercise I SHOULD be doing?”
Answer: The best exercise is the one that you ACTUALLY do. Avoid choice paralysis by trusting your innate ability to know your preferences and interests. Own it.
2️⃣ IDENTIFY THE UPPER LIMIT. How many times per week do you realistically intend to exercise? 3? 4? 5? If you’ve been struggling to be consistent, start at 3 or 4 per week max. Feeling fired up? Go for 4 or 5 per week!
Next identify the time limit per session: 30 minutes or 45 minutes are the most common for my clients who are working women and totally is enough time to get in shape.
This can change month to month. Few people’s lives or motivation are steady year round. 3-5 exercise sessions per week is great!
3️⃣ FILL IN THE GAPS. What are you missing that would better round out your wellness? Cardio? Strength? Flexibility?
If your big rock is running, the gap is strength and stretching. If your big rock is live intense bootcamps, slot in low impact strength or yoga.
Because you set your big rocks first, even if these gap fillers aren’t your favs they will seem more doable. It’s a bit like the broccoli under the cheese sauce 🥦😋 - it’s more palatable because it has stuff in it you like.
4️⃣ SCHEDULE IN YOUR CALENDAR. What gets scheduled gets done. Winging it = Not happening.
This is an important area of your wellbeing, you can’t afford to be stuck with choice paralysis. While it’s no big deal to be staring at the 100 bottles of salad dressings on the grocery store shelf with choice paralysis, there are bigger consequences of not making a choice with your exercise.