Gaining fitness is a full-time job whether you’re a professional athlete or not. It’s not something to clock in and out of and expect to see results. I’m NOT saying one must workout constantly every day and make endless sacrifices to improve fitness.
What AM I saying? Having a constant mindset and awareness of gaining fitness will help you make little adjustments to your routine to ENHANCE the training you are doing. A mindset like this is what makes it possible for anyone with a full-time job to make tremendously strides towards their goals. Here’s a peak into my average (and largely imperfect) day and what the old mindset was versus the new (training) mindset says.
5:30am WAKE UP!
The old mindset would hit the snooze button and consistently lose 10-20 minutes of awake time. The NEW mindset says “No time for that snooze button when you’ve got dreams to chase!”
I take my resting heart rate before I even get out of bed. I’ve been doing this for years now. It helps me to know when I’m recovered from hard workouts and races as well as predicts when sickness is coming. I LOVE these free ways to enhance my training!
My running clothes are already laid out from the previous night. Why? The less decisions I have to make in the morning, the better! Side note – I use this same strategy on race day. Clothes on, downstairs, and out the door!
5:45am WARM-UP and GO!
The old mindset would’ve said this is just an easy day and no warm up is needed. I am guilty of this. I would consistently be forced, due to time, to get right into my run so I could be done in time.
The NEW mindset now plans 5-10 extra minutes to do some leg swings, skips, and high knees, and whatever else feels good. My body is much happier, and I’m not rushed anymore. Easy run this day – 5-7 miles.
7:00am RECOVER
The old mindset would say eat whenever you feel like it and maybe just a bowl of cereal. The NEW mindset knows that recovery is one of the easiest parts of training, and it would be silly not to take it seriously!
Not much recovery is needed on an easy day like this one, but I always make sure to eat and drink within 15-30 minutes of a run. Usually eggs and toast or a bagel and peanut butter and fruit – protein is my biggest focus as that is important for muscle recovery. My 5-year old wakes up at 7 too, so I make him breakfast too and use this time to catch up with him. On a hard workout day, I will try to do some foam rolling here too.
8:00am SHOWER/OFF TO WORK!
The workday. An easy time to take a break from our personal goals, right? Focus on other things? WRONG! That was the old mindset. The NEW mindset is always focused on the end goal, even while devoting time and energy to providing for the family. I am blessed to have a desk with standing capabilities where I work. On average, I’ll stand for 30 minutes, sit for 30 minutes, then repeat. This helps keep by glutes and hamstrings activated throughout the day.
Another way to accomplish this is by simply scheduling in walking or stretching breaks. Literally set them as reminders on your phone at first if you have to! I will also stretch lightly and even do some balancing exercises as well while I’m working.
I am also meticulous about drinking plenty of water while I’m at work. It’s such an easy thing to do and most of us neglect it simply because we don’t think about it. I generally have between 60-80 ounces of water per day (total, not just at work).
The old mindset at work when coworkers brought in treats for special occasions was to eat anything and everything (donuts, cookies, cake, seriously – everything). The NEW training mindset has shown me how much that impacts my training and weight management. Does it mean I NEVER indulge? Of course not. But I’m much more aware of how it affects my overall diet.
5:00-8:00pm FAMILY TIME
This is family time after work. Play with the kids, talk with my spouse, eat dinner, put the kids to bed, etc. This is a pretty sacred time for our family – I know not to plan any running or anything similar during this time. Steve Magness, in his book “Peak Performance”, talks about the importance of stress and rest in the life of every successful person in any field. This is my mental rest’ in particular. I don’t think about running hardly at all outside of the actual dinner meal.
My mindset at dinner is what do I need to consume to first, replenish from this morning’s workout and second, to prepare for tomorrow’s workout. Maybe I need to squeeze in a couple extra helping of vegetables or fruit. At times, I need to eat light in preparation for a depleted run in the morning. Nothing too scientific here, just common sense and awareness.
8:00pm KIDS ARE ASLEEP!
The day is coming to a close. The run is done, the work day is done, the family time is done. The old mindset would say, “You’ve worked hard today. Just relax and watch some TV.” But the NEW training mindset says, “What MORE can you do?!”
First, let me say that this time is above all time to spend with my wife. My marriage goals are way beyond my running goals! Some nights, however, while we are catching up on a show or movie, I’ll find a way to multitask! I’ll grab the foam roller or do some light work with a resistance band at the same time. Or we might even do a core workout of some kind together before we do anything else (I LOVE being active with my wife!).
On other nights when my wife may be busy with her small business or at a fitness class of her own, I’ll hammer a more complete strength workout right in my living room! When I’m focused, I can get in a great workout in just 30 minutes.
9:30-10pm WINDING DOWN
Almost bed time! Lots that I still didn’t get to do and the GAME is still on! The old mindset says to just stay up and keep surfing the internet or watching TV. The NEW mindset says it’s time to keep focused on the goal and start thinking about tomorrow. One of the biggest pillars of training success is getting good quality sleep – I aim for at least 7 hours and admittedly, I know this is probably too low!
I like to check to the weather forecast at this time and make sure I know my workout in the morning. Then I check out and get ready to hit the ground running in the morning!
THE TRAINING MINDSET
A full-time job doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice good training. When the goal is always before you, it is easy to see the simple changes in your daily routine that can make a big difference!
