Tip: Schedule your Workouts!

When you read this you might think well yes obviously you need to schedule your workouts. But lately I hear more and more people say that they don't have time to go to the gym, follow a bootcamp lesson, run etc. when they have a busy workweek. Or when you're coming down with a little cold or have a headache don't use this as an excuse! Of course when you're really ill don't workout but let your bodyrecover, but if it's small and you can function proparly at work or during the day you should actually go and workout because your headache often 'magically' disappears! So I decided to write a little post about the tips and tricks I use to make sure that I get at least 3 workouts every week.

The last couple of weeks have been crazy at work! I only have 6 months left to finish my research and related articles and make recommendations for daily practice. Since I also started this blog and need time to relax and have fun with friends I noticed that the first thing that I skipped was my weekly run. Luckily it's possible for me to schedule one day a week that I work from home, so on those day's I get up early so I can do a short run before I get behind my computer but sometimes I just have to much work left to do. Skipping my run is also the result of the fact that I usually run after dinner but the evenings the Netherlands are getting darker earlier every day and I just don't feel safe to run in the park by myself. But you shouldn't forget that working out is also a way to relax and get my mind of work! So I often substitute my run with one of my quick home workouts because the only bad workout is the one you didn't do. Hence a quick workout is better than no workout!

But I almost never skip my bootcamp lessons! These are part of my weekly routine and as a bonus I do this with a couple of friends. As you may know by now I always bootcamp on Tuesday evening and Saturday morning. When I started bootcamp I did experience difficulties in going every Tuesday evening because of scheduled appointments at work late that day. I decided that I really wanted to make bootcamp a priority and got the approval of my manager that on Tuesday I could go home one hour earlier and do some work in the train ride home (that's also an hour for me) so I would be home in time to eat properly. Subsequently I made a weekly recurring appointment in my agenda that on Tuesday's between 16.00 and 17.00 I am not available for face-to-face appointments. This really helped me and now I almost never skip a bootcamp lesson! And of course you can also make an appointment to schedule your run or any other workout! If your working hours aren't that flexible another solution could be that you make a nice pasta salad which you can eat at work in the afternoon or on your way home. At start this could take some effort and discipline but after a couple of weeks it's part of your daily/weekly routine and you can't imagine that there was a time that you didn't make time to workout.

If you go to work by car you can easily put your workout clothes and shoes in your backseat so you be able to ride to the gym straight after work before you go home. I mention this because often people say that when they are home they just don't feel like going out and they don't always have the discipline to do a workout from home. So if you go straight from work you just safe some time!

But for actually attending every workout you want to do the key is prioritizing & scheduling!! As a result it will become part of your weekly routine and you can't imagine that you didn't have time for it before!

What do you do to make sure that you have enough time to workout during the week? Leave your reaction in the comments to help and inspire others!