How to Avoid Manic Monday's
- Hacks for spending less time in the gym
- The debate AGAINST working out on Monday
Monday’s always seem to be the most difficult day to squeeze in a workout: organising the week ahead, work and things always seem to go pear shaped.
If you only have a gym membership then the journey there, back and trying to get to time to eat can be problematic.
Another advantage of the RYPT app is that you can take the workouts with you (even if that means a home workout, the app caters for that too).
Ultimately it comes down to your schedule! I used to believe in never missing a workout on a Monday (as it got me ahead for the week) but now my routine has been out of the window with travelling.
Furthermore, gyms are always rammed on a Monday (so I now workout on a Sunday instead). Doing things backwards certainly gives me more flexibility and helps with my gym routine (by more equipment being available).
That’s just my opinion! Also, if you have a leg session, these machines are normally much quieter early in the week too (quick life hack right there).
By thinking outside the box you can achieve more. I’m impatient when it comes to my routine – almost the opposite of what you would expect from a fitness coach, I aim to minimise my time working out by creating an efficient routine.
It depends on how you feel too. This weekend I’ve been so tired that I’ve achieved little (although it has involved me being awake early every day, cycling to work and fitting in gym sessions after work – meaning late nights). Hopefully I’ll get back into a routine by getting my food sorted and schedule ironed out for this coming week.
In my opinion, Sunday’s tend to be days with more time to spare although most people prefer lazy Sunday’s! If I have no commitments on, I’ll keep my evenings free to relax and try to get things done through the day.
I understand that the weekend is the only time to relax for a lot of people however as I’ve always said, it takes energy to make energy!
So doing no extra activity through the week will lead you to less activity!
Driving to work, sitting for eight hours, driving home then sitting down and sleeping is not conducive to feeling energised!
Adding a little activity into the routine will help you feel more energised and happier. This doesn’t need to be overly strenuous: I have some clients who have home workouts two or three times a week and feel amazing for it.
Small steps will lead to big changes over time! If you increase your activity by 1% each day, that’ll be 30-odd percent every month.
I would never ask someone to start with exercising 5 times and revolutionise their diet – it’s totally unrealistic and why many people fail.
Besides this, heightened stress levels will inhibit your performance. If working out means that you will be more stressed from trying to fit in a workout and end up rushing it, I would advise against it.
Lately, I’ve had to accept three gym sessions per week (with travelling and working late) and it’s tough to accept. I certainly appreciate the problems that my clients face now that I’ve got a perspective of life outside fitness too.
Planning is the key – as I’ve stated already, taking a Monday off the gym is not a problem if I make up for it! My food shopping this week should be more organised so that I can feel energised to hit the gym after work (besides joining a gym closer to the flat; more on that in another blog).
Ross Yeoman
Owner www.RYPT.info
