Life feels hectic for most of these days and gym regulars can find that staying organized is crucial to getting a successful weeks training under your (lifting) belt.
It can be even harder once you have children of course. Nothing tests your powers of organization like becoming a parent. Suddenly cars and keys become regularly swapped, often lost and you end up chasing your tail.
What if you are a couple that exercise regularly and you must add regular gym trips into the mix? You take turns with the kids, morning and evening “shifts”. Not to mention packing fresh gear bags, shakes, post workout snacks, and all those sweaty clothes!
First world problems, I know, but here are some valuable tips to stay organised for regular training.
After all, training frequently beats training hard just once or twice.
- Plan your week ahead, and note specifically the times you will be training. We always recommend to clients to write in gym sessions like appointments. If you’re serious about reaching your goals, then treat it as seriously as you might say, a doctor’s appointment. PENCIL IT IN! This also helps you to say ‘no’ to anything else that pops up in the meantime.
- Organize meals ahead. There are lots of batch-baking strategies out there. I recommend you follow these guidelines from Precision Nutrition. When you come home tired from the gym, and it’s late…you don’t want to have to cook a meal from scratch!
- Be organised outside the gym, and organised inside the gym. Follow a training program. This may seem obvious, but there are still many people who train in a random way or worse, program-hop frequently without sticking to anything. To get the best of your possibly limited time, then follow a program. It keeps you focused, get into the gym, follow the program, done. Sounds a little restricting and boring, but as you follow a program, you notice your progress and improvements. Which makes it all more enjoyable.
- Keep a spare bag of training gear in the boot. It will come in handy sometime! Also, some napkins and plastic cutlery for those times you buy food out and eat in the car between the gym and work.
For parents, try these tips:
- Have that weekly little chat where you sync up your diary. Know how your training week is organised together! That way, you both stay fit and happy instead of fit to kill each other!
- Share the grunt work…maybe 1 person prep the post-workout meals, 1 person pack the gear bags, etc.
- Does your partner tend to sleep through the alarm and miss the gym before work? Set that 2nd alarm and give them the elbow to get up!
- Make time to do an activity together.
- Support each other’s goals to help with your motivation.