Schedule Consistency + Flexibility

I love Sunday mornings. Well, really, I love all mornings, but I especially love it when I can enjoy: my freshly brewed coffee, computer to read and write into the world, either silence or sometimes my favorite station Dave FM padding my background, steaming oatmeal with chunks and dices of an apple. Yum!

On Sundays and some Saturdays, I can organize my day as I wish - I typically don't have personal training clients on Sunday unless it's a makeup session. So, sometimes I choose to go to church, sometimes I make "church" in my own special way throughout my day. And, days like this, I'm oh-so-slow to get started, but it affords me time to reflect and to tune in.

Checking Into Our Bodies

I last wrote about paying attention to your intention of exercise. And, while this all takes time and practice, my next thought is about when you are truly ready to get moving (aside from daily chores, jobs, tasks, dates, etc.), take a few moments to check into your body. I'll show you how. And, just because I'm a personal trainer doesn't mean I get out of this work!

Just to show you I practice what I preach: Yesterday before one of my favorite 9:45am step classes started, I was talking to some men about how long our exercise shoes last. I gave an estimate of 3-4 months give-or-take a month before I have to buy a new pair. One of the men replied, "But, of course, you have to change shoes often since you exercise so much with work!"

Umm, no. Not quite. I'm sure other trainers would agree, some folks assume we somehow exercise four-five-six times a day (and maybe some do, but I have more on my mind than exercise or getting buff!). I hear these comments a lot. I just laugh and say, "No way! How on Earth!?? I'd be exhausted!" Not to mention burnt-out and overtrained.

While my work does involve teaching exercises, it involves more than just showing up and saying do-this, do-that. I read articles, watch videos, scan various web forums, rummage through books at Borders, meet with other trainers, create marketing projects, brainstorm writing ideas, log into Quickbooks daily to organize finances, etc. At some point daily, I have to figure out how/when/if I'm going to condition my body too!

Cross Training

While I'm an advocate of cross training (including cardiovascular, resistance, core, and flexibility training), there's a balance between setting a firm schedule of what to do on each day versus tuning into your body every single day. Now, I'm human. I realize it'd be easier to write on my calendar:

Monday: Full Body Weight Workout
Tuesday: 45-minute cardio via power walking or Rest

Wednesday: Step class

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: Yoga + Step class

Saturday: 20-minutes 4-limb weights + Hike

Sunday: Step class or Rest

But, unless I have no other responsibilities (work, bills, meetings, errands) - it's hard to stick to rigid rules and schedules. Instead think: Consistency with Flexibility.

Schedule Consistency + Flexibility

A good way to set some structure without seeming suffocated with "shoulds" - schedule yourself 2-3 "workouts" weekly. That might be a volleyball or tennis league, a step class, a 7pm walk-jog with a friend, or personal training sessions.

After picking those 2-3 commitments, figure out how you can possibly round out your schedule to balance your body. If your 2-3 commitments are cardio-based, learn a full-body resistance training routine that you can do 1-2 times a week on your own. Or, vice versa, find a cardio or stretching outlet to balance out the resistance training.

Flex, Stretch, Stay Still - Go!

There. Now that you're thinking about the 2-3 commitments to get your exercise ball rolling (sure, a pun is intended!), be flexible to know that you can mix it up! Maybe you're sore from a yoga class and don't need to go to the weights class. Maybe you're emotionally drained from a recent life event, and you need stillness. That's okay.

Perhaps though, you used the 10-minute rule (discussed a couple posts below) and discovered waves and waves of energy that need to literally be "worked out" of your body and spirit!

Discover Your Energy

But, wait. What if it's a day that you have the time, you have the space, the opportunity to incorporate exercise, but you just don't know what to do. This is where I wish I could snap my fingers and have everyone take regular mind-body classes to practice tuning into the body's energy. Yet, I know reality. Here are a few basic pointers to discover what you need.

Stillness

Wherever you are (on your way home from work, standing in your kitchen after washing your coffee pot, at your computer drumming your fingers, in bed savoring your soft sheets), start there. Take some deep breaths, imagine your breath traveling down and up your spine. Stretch your legs, lift the area behind your heart, relax your face muscles, soften and drop your shoulders away from your ears. Stay with these deep breaths.

Imagine

If your body could talk (and you can even use your journal to organize your thoughts better here), what would your body say? Do your eyes need rest, or do they need to see the green trees and rays of sunlight? Do your shoulders need loosening with arm circles? Do you feel buzzes or subtle waves of energy flowing through your belly? Do your legs feel like they want to kick, stretch, pound the pavement or firmly plant themselves into the ground? Does your back need gentle opening, or does it need more attention in the form of strengthening to balance out your core?

If the stillness is too tough to experience or draw from, and if you know you need the exercise/movement for healthy reasons (as mentioned below, not out of fear of skipping a workout or to purge calories), then start with a walk. Walking is one of the most natural and safest forms of exercises. Not only will walking warm up your muscles and get you moving but also awaken your spirit and senses to where you truly need to go (literally and perhaps figuratively too!).

Maybe it'll take a few of these walking meditations to start "getting into your body" - The more you practice, the more you'll appreciate those subtle signals, and the more you'll see how trusting your body's signals will benefit your life.

That said, I'm off to straighten my apartment, turn on music, change into supportive workout gear and figure out what my body needs to feel recharged and rejuvenated on this beautiful Sunday!

Feel free to email me if you need help tuning in. ;) caroline@mybodyflow.com