Organize Your Exercise

Sebastian (Photo by Karissa Martin)

This morning I realized that March starts in less than a week. Yikes! I feel like it was just New Year’s. That means that spring will be here very soon (thank goodness!). But, that also means that sundresses, tank tops and shorts will soon be showing their smug little faces. If you’re not rocking a bikini ready body like Sebastian above, then this might make you slightly less excited for spring. I haven’t exactly let myself go this winter—I’ve been working out and maintaining fairly healthy eating habits—but I’ve been partaking in a few more cookies and treats than I would like to think about. And, I find it much more difficult to push myself during workouts in the dreary winter; especially since I have about zero motivation to go anywhere. Ever.

On top of that, I haven’t been putting as much time and effort into planning my workouts, which makes a huge difference for me. My workout plan gets about 5 minutes of my time every week since I’m working full time and have a long commute, and that doesn’t really get me excited to work out. I haven’t been paying attention to what areas I’ve been toning and what body parts aren’t getting any attention. So, I forced myself to sit down today and make an exercise plan for the next month. This isn’t as time consuming as it sounds because I like to make a plan for one week, and recycle the same workouts for the following three weeks before I switch the plan up entirely. This allows my body to feel the burn right away, get used to the workouts and improve on my speed/reps/weights every week. Then, right when my body starts getting comfortable with the workouts (right around a month) I entirely switch up my routine so my workouts stay effective.

So, this week’s challenge is to plan your workout schedule for the week. This can be as simple as writing “Run for 30 min” on your calendar or setting out  your workout DVD’s. It doesn’t have to be a long process, but making any sort of plan can set you up for success because you’re more likely to actually follow through.

If you’re stuck on what workouts to do, here are a few resources I like to use:

1.) Tone It Up: They post weekly workout schedules and have a ton of printables and videos (on YouTube) for toning routines and some cardio. I love their workouts and use them all the time.

2.) Blogilates: This site has videos (on YouTube) and some printables mainly for pilates routines, but also some toning and cardio. The workouts can be really challenging, but they are definitely worth it!

3.) Women’s Health Magazine: They have a ton of printables and workout routines to try at home or at the gym.

I also like to tear out workouts from magazines. There are so many free resources out there, that you can easily find some workouts to do. No excuses!

Let me know in the comments below what workouts you like to do.

Now get moving! 🙂