A couple other Sunday Sweat-ers mentioned feeling unmotivated last week. I got through my major slump, but I'd like to take that one step further and tackle the smaller battles each week. I've noticed one huge pattern: each week starts great. Then I get sleep deprived and it all goes downhill.
I don't get enough sleep because I overload myself with projects, and I always think, "Just one late night and then I'll be caught up." But the truth is that I'll never be caught up, because when I do have extra time, I add more projects. So to best optimize my attempting-too-much lifestyle, sleep has to be a priority, regardless of deadlines, projects, and who needs what now (Spoiler: everyone needs everything now).
I think it is possible to find other time in the day, mostly from my unmotivated mini-slumps where I can't force myself to get off the couch because I'm so tired of doing things. Too frequently I find myself doing that for 2 or 3 hours before finally going downstairs and getting to work, and then I end up a couple hours short on sleep because I "run out of time."
So here's the plan:
- At 8:30 go to bed. No matter what still needs to be done. I can do it tomorrow.
- Schedule free time. Or else my brain will die and I'll end up back on the couch mindlessly browsing social media
- AVOID THE COUCH! I'm usually fine until I stop moving. Then inertia kicks in and it requires a great effort of will to get back into the productive mindset again.
- Multitask. Not the way most people do, but with different kinds of tasks. So if I do laundry while I work on a client project, when I need a break I can fold clothes instead of hopping over to the time warp that is Reddit.
Weekly Workouts
Monday - Biking, Strength Training | DTT: 60 Min
Got up early! I just bought The Selection Series, so it's nice to have something light-hearted to read while biking. (I've also been watching more TV. This is actually really awesome, because it helps my mind feel more relaxed - it's really 2 birds with 1 stone.) Just a short 30 minutes of cardio, but it was a nice way to start the day.Tuesday - Pilates, Strength Training, Biking | DTT: 69 Min
Got up early again and did the shortest pilates video I could find (Sean Vigue "Pilates on the Go" - only 9 minutes), and walked Luke around a little bit. My dad convinced me to try clean and press with dumbbells instead of the bar and I found it helped my form. I had trouble getting started when I got home (damnit, couch! Also The Selection hooked me in. I can't put it down!), but finally hopped on the bike for a half hour before bed.Wednesday - Strength Training, Pilates | DTT: 75 Min
Squat day! I did another light day, which isn't terribly exciting, but left me with enough energy to do extra lunges and calf raises, which are probably more important for my running future. After work I met up with lovely mother, who talked me through my negative mood and graciously agreed to do Sean Vigue's "sunrise yoga" video which is super calming and has lots of stretching. I needed both of those things today.Thursday - Rest
Normally a "rest" day means I bummed out on my obligations, but I needed this. Everything was tired.Friday - Nada
You see the pattern? Every week! I'm going to do my best to break this next week.Saturday - Nada
Today is supposed to be the "long day" for cardio, but instead I met up with some lovely ladies at the Beach Blogger Meetup!!! Fantastic time - more on that later.Sunday - Pilates | DTT: 60 Min
My mom and I did Sean Vigue's hour long "beginner" video. Despite the title, this one always takes me to the limits of what my arms will do with down dog and plank. I am able to keep up until the last couple sequences, though, which is a lot more than the first time we attempted it!
Weekly Total Time: 4 hr 24 min
Thoughts Going Into Next Week
At one point I had a somewhat lofty goal of an hour of exercise per day. Some weeks I don't even get close, BUT I do manage well over a half hour average per day which is way better than my past and also the recommended amount for disease prevention. So I think instead of focusing on my failure to get up to 7 hours/week, I'll just enjoy the fact that 3.5 hours/week is a piece of cake.
How did your workouts go this week?
