Project Routine Optimization #1 + last first day

I’m starting an informal “blog series”! I’m calling it: Project Routine Optimization. 😁

With back to school season underway for us + family visits winding down, my mind has shifted toward tweaking a few routines. I’ll cover one each day. I have ~6-ish on my list.

Up first:

#1: My workout routine

Strength:

Long term readers know I switched to a 3x/ week full body lifting routine in January. Cardio has been 20-30 min Heather Robertson YouTube videos (2-3x/ week-ish; highly recommend her videos! A mix of strength + cardio.). This worked great to get me back into a consistent lifting routine, and 3 gym days were fitting in better than 4.

I also really enjoyed the full body lifts and was having fun with the HR videos!

HOWEVER… I’ve recently found myself itching for a change. Nothing’s wrong, I’m just a little bored now.

Lifting will remain my primary focus, as always, but I want to switch back to 4x/ week lifting, like I did for years (2 Upper, 2 Lower). I kind of miss murdering one body part at a time! haha.

Cardio:

I’m also growing a tad tired of the Heather Robertson videos now, after doing them consistently for ~8 months. I’d like to add more variety to my cardio now.

I want to play with incorporating what I’ll call “fun cardio”, i.e. doing whatever sounds good. Perhaps trying some lap swimming!! I rediscovered my love of swimming on our trips this year. Doing some incline walks on the treadmill as the weather cools + getting into a great “treadmill only show”. Fall hikes? Maybe using our bikes more and doing some longer weekend rides with Ivan. I’d love to use the pickleball court once a week or so with Ivan (right next to my parents’ new house!).

All of these things are FUN – not a chore- and bonus, I could sneakily get Ivan to do more exercise this way, too. 😉 (He loves being active but isn’t a big fan of “exercise” just for the sake of exercising.)

(Oh, I also play volleyball one night per week, which I never tend to count in my formal workouts, but definitely involves cardio!)

Flexibility/ Balance:

Additionally, I would like to add some dedicated balance and flexibility work. My current schedule supposedly includes Fridays as a rest day/ “yoga” day (supposed to be a short yoga video at home), but in reality, I rarely do it…

As my parents get older, I’ve noticed some definite balance deficits in both of them. I already feel like I don’t have the best balance, lol, and I am not naturally flexible at all. I feel like I’m getting progressively less and less flexible, too, and just, I don’t know, stiffer. I realized- this will not magically change for the better if I do nothing about it! “Use it or lose it”, “prevention is the best medicine”, etc., right?

I remembered that there is a wonderful 60 minute class at my gym that I used to do- like, pre-covid times- included in my membership called Body Balance. It’s a mix of yoga, Pilates and tai chi (includes core, strength, flexibility, balance and movement). The last 5-10 minutes are a wonderful meditation/ i.e. laying on a mat and just relaxing to quiet music. Yes please! 🙂 This is very good for stress relief.

*I also decided I want to take better advantage of the offerings at my gym. From multiple pools to a million classes to pickleball and racquetball and more, there’s a lot there I’m paying for and not using.

TIMING and SCHEDULES:

A huge part of the “routine optimization” is figuring out the actual schedule.

Historically I’ve been sort of all over the place with when I exercise. Sometimes I’d get there in the morning (Ivan and I had a good run in Jan/Feb!), but more often it’s been a random mix of lunch/ after work/ weekends/ afternoons…

For whatever reason, I’ve been craving a more clear cut schedule again. So I decided I want to give a REAL EFFORT to establish a nice, clean, consistent MORNING gym routine. From now until the end of the year.

Previously the morning gym slot was challenging because of the boys’ staggered start times. I never wanted to go to the gym super early at like 5:30 (that’s my cherished morning me time, plus gym is extra busy then), but if I went later, around 6:30, then I felt bad not seeing Ethan at all, who used to leave for school by 7….

But I recently learned: this year, he has 1st period open! So he won’t leave home until ~8:00 (around the same time as Asher, whose school starts later).

Meaning… my mornings are now completely my own!! I can go to the gym from 6:30- 7:30, still have ~15 min to walk the dog, see Ethan out the door at 8 and still have enough time to jump in the shower before starting work at 8:30. And bonus, I still have plenty of early morning time from 5:15-6:25 or so to do my usual morning tea + quiet time/ planning/ work jumpstart/ email/ reading/ whatever.

PERFECT!!! Sometimes, when something isn’t working, the answer is to just…. wait. Haha. In time eventually things often change. 😉

By committing to morning gym, I can seamlessly knock out all 4 of my strength workouts during the week, meaning my weekends can be open and free (for some fun cardio or longer walks or just not having to go to the gym!).

I also found that there’s a Body Balance class offered on Sunday evenings at 5 pm. I went this week and absolutely loved it. It was literally the perfect way to wind down the weekend and gear up for a fresh week with some gentle movement and stretching. The 5 pm time slot allows me to be done before dinnertime or Sunday evening relaxing at home.

Other reasons I love the idea of morning M-F strength!

• the gym is wonderfully empty at 6:30 when all the other pre-work people leave
• this gives me open lunch hours to do other things (like, walk, read!, household chores or even start dinner). I am very excited about having this time back!!
• I don’t have to cram in workouts after work when I never actually feel like it…
• a single shower/ not working out midday and getting gross feeling
• I can reserve a private “workout bay” for 6:30 so I get that “appointment” accountability without actually having an appointment with anyone. (A workout bay is a private squat rack/ bench/ dumbbells up on the sprint track where I can do most of my workouts. Not all, but I usually start there.)
• If for some reason I need to stay up late, I can cut my morning solo time and ‘sleep in’ until 6:15 and still get to the gym.

So my new full schedule is:

• Monday: Upper #1 6:30-7:30 a.m.
• Tuesday: Lower #1 6:30- 7:30 a.m.
• Wednesday: Fun Cardio day. Time/activity TBD! *There’s also a Body Balance class at 5 pm I may try to do some days… maybe Body Balance + some cardio after before dinner??
• Thursday: Upper #2 6:30- 7:30 a.m.
• Friday: Lower #2 6:30- 7:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Fun Cardio/ TBD
• Sunday: active recovery/ movement + Body Balance 5 pm

I know morning exercise is not like, rocket science. It’s well known to be the “best” time for many people (to ensure it actually happens). But like I said, I never wanted to go first thing in the morning, and then Ethan’s early start times the last 3 years were in the way. The tide has finally shifted and I just realized it!

I think this is my time to shine at morning workouts!! 😄 (* Having kids that can drive and are self-sufficient in the morning is another massive bonus….. Not to mention my more flexible work schedule + lack of commute.)

I am committing to this schedule for the next 4 months. If I’ve learned anything from quitting soda, it’s that it takes a lot longer than you’d think to really get settled 100% into new routines and habits. 🙃 Based on my sample size of 1 (me), I’d say 21 days is a myth; it’s really ~4 months or so. 🙂

I am interested to see if I stick with this for 4 months, will my brain and body just learn to “expect” to go to the gym at 6:30 most weekdays?? I think it very well might! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a really consistent workout time.

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Back to School #1: SENIOR YEAR

In closing and changing gears, here’s the last “1st day of school” pic I’ll ever take of Ethan with this little red sign….. 😭😭

Oh boy… here we go….ready or not. Bring on senior year!!

(*Asher doesn’t start for a few more weeks.)

Come back tomorrow (or whenever I get my next post up…) for installment #2 of Project Routine Optimization. 😉

Anyone else switching up their workout routine for back to school, or just because?? LMK!

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful that this particular gym schedule will fit in this year! I’ve been waiting for this!