Have you ever seen people the gym who spend more time texting and talking on their cell phones than working out? This is one of my greatest fitness pet peeves. Whenever I witness this scenario I think to myself, “What could possibly be so important that it can’t wait until you finish exercising? Why are you letting something else come before self-care”? Well folks, I am humbled to admit that I am guilty of my own pet peeve.
The past couple months my work schedule has fluctuated a lot. While waiting for the green light to start a new full time client assignment, I’ve been filling my time with a variety of intermittent and temporary projects. Some of these assignments were in an office setting and required a fairly set schedule. However, for the most part, I’ve been working remotely with a very loose schedule.
While this much flexibility can be a luxury at times (Hey, who doesn’t love working in tee shirts and shorts?!?), it didn’t take long for me to appreciate a typical 9-5 workday at the office. What I discovered is the less structured my workday, the more difficult it is for me to separate my work from workout activities. The result: my workouts suffer!
To provide a reference point, here is a side-by-side comparison of how I approach my workouts on structured and non-structured workdays:
There are a few key issues to point between the two scenarios. As you see, when I don’t have to report to an office at a specific time, my workouts begin much later and are much less focused. By the time I get to the gym, I am fully engaged in work, making it hard for me to focus on my workout.
My workouts also lose momentum due to frequent distractions from reading and responding to emails, engaging in phone calls and re-fueling. Though I still eat my normal pre-workout meal, it’s not enough to sustain me through my whole exercise routine. The deferred gym arrival and extended cardio warm-up depletes my energy. I am diligent in bringing a cooler with extra food, but my need to refuel so I can get through the intense strength portion of my workout adds to unwelcomed interruptions and lost momentum.
Overall, despite spending more time at the gym on non-structured work days, my workouts are less focused, less efficient, and less effective. In turn, this leaves me frustrated, disappointed, and at times, resentful – particularly since I have noticed my fitness level and desired results have declined.
The significance of my observations was confirmed when I got the call to report for duty for my new full time assignment a few weeks ago. My new schedule is uber-rigid in that, I now have a 70 mile commute that zaps a good 3-4 hours of my day. In order to squeeze in any exercise into my day I have to be fast and furious. This means my cell phone stays in the locker, and my limited time at the gym is spent exercising. There is no time for phone calls, emails, or other distractions. Now, my time at the gym is my workout time. I maximize and own this time, putting every ounce of effort into my workout to make it count. What a drastic difference! After week one, my muscles were noticeably ‘tweaked’ and I was actually more energized!
If you find your work or any non-fitness related distractions starting to take over your workout, take a lesson from me: put down the phone, take a deep breath, and reclaim this time for your health! You’re worth it!
Kerri L. Mikeska, NASM-CPT
Mikeska_Kerri@bah.com
What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?
The past couple months my work schedule has fluctuated a lot. While waiting for the green light to start a new full time client assignment, I’ve been filling my time with a variety of intermittent and temporary projects. Some of these assignments were in an office setting and required a fairly set schedule. However, for the most part, I’ve been working remotely with a very loose schedule.
While this much flexibility can be a luxury at times (Hey, who doesn’t love working in tee shirts and shorts?!?), it didn’t take long for me to appreciate a typical 9-5 workday at the office. What I discovered is the less structured my workday, the more difficult it is for me to separate my work from workout activities. The result: my workouts suffer!
To provide a reference point, here is a side-by-side comparison of how I approach my workouts on structured and non-structured workdays:
Time Structured Workday
0:00 wake
0:15 eat pre-workout fuel
0:30 check email, flag action items
1:00 arrive at gym, quick warm-up
1:15 begin focused, intense strength and/or cardio workout
2:30 shower, depart for work
2:45 eat post-workout fuel
3:00 arrive at office; begin workday
Time Unstructured Workday
0:00 wake
0:00 wake
0:15 eat pre-workout fuel
0:30 check email
1:00 respond to emails; tackle a few work items
1:30 return and schedule calls
2:30 arrive at gym; begin 'light' cardio warm-up
2:45 slow down pace on the cardio machine to read & respond to incoming emails from cell phone
3:00 intermittently stop warm-up session to make and answer calls
3:30 begin strength training
4:00 stop and refuel from hunger
4:30 check email, make and answer calls
5:00 give up on working out; depart gym to get back to work tasks, etc.
There are a few key issues to point between the two scenarios. As you see, when I don’t have to report to an office at a specific time, my workouts begin much later and are much less focused. By the time I get to the gym, I am fully engaged in work, making it hard for me to focus on my workout.
My workouts also lose momentum due to frequent distractions from reading and responding to emails, engaging in phone calls and re-fueling. Though I still eat my normal pre-workout meal, it’s not enough to sustain me through my whole exercise routine. The deferred gym arrival and extended cardio warm-up depletes my energy. I am diligent in bringing a cooler with extra food, but my need to refuel so I can get through the intense strength portion of my workout adds to unwelcomed interruptions and lost momentum.
Overall, despite spending more time at the gym on non-structured work days, my workouts are less focused, less efficient, and less effective. In turn, this leaves me frustrated, disappointed, and at times, resentful – particularly since I have noticed my fitness level and desired results have declined.
The significance of my observations was confirmed when I got the call to report for duty for my new full time assignment a few weeks ago. My new schedule is uber-rigid in that, I now have a 70 mile commute that zaps a good 3-4 hours of my day. In order to squeeze in any exercise into my day I have to be fast and furious. This means my cell phone stays in the locker, and my limited time at the gym is spent exercising. There is no time for phone calls, emails, or other distractions. Now, my time at the gym is my workout time. I maximize and own this time, putting every ounce of effort into my workout to make it count. What a drastic difference! After week one, my muscles were noticeably ‘tweaked’ and I was actually more energized!
If you find your work or any non-fitness related distractions starting to take over your workout, take a lesson from me: put down the phone, take a deep breath, and reclaim this time for your health! You’re worth it!
Kerri L. Mikeska, NASM-CPT
Mikeska_Kerri@bah.com
What has your body done for you today? What have you done for it?
