Now. What I say in a few minutes may sound a wee bit silly… I get it. But here’s the thing, it helps ME and if it helps me then maybe it will help you, too. Need a little backstory of WHO I am?
Well, you can read moreHERE or catch some bullet points:
mama bear to twin 8 year olds, the Gillies
emergency/critical care veterinarian by education
currently homeschooling our twins (second graders)
providing therapy to our little man daily
head coach for James Wedmore's Business By Design Community
I’m giving you this recap of moi to let you know…. I get it! LIFE happens and if you are like me, there’s personal goals you have set for yourself but sometimes, you are tired. Sometimes, wee little ones are sick.
Sometimes, you are pulled in multiple directions that seem like YOU can not take a beat for yourself. I GET IT! And trust me, it’s the season I am currently in… so here’s my little health hack which helps me take care of, well, me.
LEARN TO SCHEDULE YOUR EXERCISE LIKE AN APPOINTMENT
{ boom }
I know it sounds super simply and utterly ridiculous, but IF you think of exercise like a meeting then are scheduling an appointment with a CEO. The CEO is YOU… you are the CEO of your body. (eye opening, isn’t it?) You wouldn’t miss the meeting, right? Even if you are JUST starting out.
NOTE: please check with primary care physician before starting any new workout routine
But, how, Amber?
It sounds so easy, but… what do I do? Well. Simply write down exactly when you are going to workout + by what means (DVD, group class, weights, walk around the block, etc) and the duration! I’ll dive deeper into how I schedule my workouts as well as the tools I use to do so… but before we go on, there’s ONE thing I want to make clear.
Do not. Do not compare yourself to what others are doing… or what you are seeing on social media. That’s a downhill spiral no one wants to take a ride on, love.
Some folks may have a nanny, some folks may not have kids, some folks may not homeschool, some folks may have a hubster who does the housework so she can get to bed on time, some folks may have this… or that… or whatever. It’s THEIR journey.
PLEASE: Do not waste your precious energy worrying about what Suzie is doing or how many miles Claire conquered before the sun rose that morning…. you are on your own wellness journey. Only focus on the woman YOU are becoming…. and how much stronger mentally, emotionally, physically she is becoming.
Promise? Okay. Let’s continue…
“Don’t compare yourself to others, love. Compare yourself to the woman you were yesterday. ”
— Amber L. Gill
Here’s my weekly habit:
Each Sunday, I will take a glance at my weekly schedule + write out the non-negotiables. Some of these include:
Homeschooling the Gillies
Therapy sessions with our little man (provided by me and a specialist)
Business Session: 1:1 Coaching Calls, Masterclasses or Live Q&A within our Biohacker Babe Academy, Conference Calls, etc.
Family Adventure Times
Appointments for the Week
Mom’s (and Dad’s) Workouts
You guessed it, workouts are a non-negotiable!
But I get it... LIFE HAPPENS, sometimes the Gillies (our 8yr old twins) wake up before I'm ready or through with my workout. That's okay, it happens. The point is, I get 100% more workouts in if I SCHEDULE 'em on my planner than when I just wing it.
You are the BOSS of you, love - your life, your health, your fitness, your mindset. Stop canceling appointments with yourself + get moving, no matter how slow!
Read on about how I schedule my workouts and the hacks I use to keep on track with my wellness goals! You can snag my own TA-DA GUIDE HEREor use this graphic below!
GLIMPSE OF MY WORKOUTS
Monday: quick burst of HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training workouts. You can read a wee bit about benefits of HIIT workouts HERE.
Tuesday: sprints… ugh. This is the workout I dread the most, but I know sprints are beneficial to improve speed and endurance.
Wednesday: weight-lifting. Did you know that weight lifting is helps you build strong bones, lose weight and even reduce stress!
Thursday: yep, lifting weights again. I aim to lift weights three days a week! Today’s lifting is focused on arms + back!
Friday: active recovery day. Today is all about improving my flexibility with yoga.
Saturday: finally, lifting day which is all about ‘em legs!
Sunday: active recovery day… IF I’m being honest, I like to do a ride on our indoor bike while watching a documentary. It’s easy for me to just zone out and hopefully, snag some usually information.
It is so vital to figure out a schedule that works for you! Does that include indoor swimming? or maybe joining a crossfit class three days a week? or maybe it’s lacing up and hitting some trails!
You do what’s right for you! Working out from home works for ME during this season of our life... with our twins, pups and work schedule. It just makes sense for us!
“Shout-out to all the girls working on loving their bodies because that shiznit is hard... and I’m proud of you!”
Okay. Now, let’s break down how we can SCHEDULE our workouts. Here’s some tips, I would love for you to just consider when building your workout schedule.
1. Figure out which workouts bring you JOY! This may look different for every. single. person. For instance, the hubster loves to workout with his steel mace… and I would rather get a quick HIIT workout using minimal weights. Do what’s right for you!
This may be joining a class at a local gym or even using workout DVDs and busting a sweat in your living room. You do you, love. You do you!
2. Fantastic! You have in your mind what workouts you would like to do… now it’s time to look at your schedule. WRITE everything down + love I mean everything. When you want to rise + shine, commute to work, picking up kids, dinner with loved one, meeting friends for coffee, business meetings. Write it all down.
NOW, comes the fun part…
3. Take a step back from your schedule…. and visualize the gaps. Where can you put in a workout?
Now. Realize this WILL look different from anyone else… and that’s okay! Also, it will look different on any given day. And you know what, that’s okay, too. You may not be able to workout FIRST thing in the morning like I do because, well, you are rushed in the mornings and with your schedule of hitting the sheets so late, you need that extra hour of sleep.
However, you might realize that during lunch, you have an hour off! Perfect time to squeeze in a 20 minute workout session or walk around the block. The key is to OWN your time and make sure to schedule your workouts as meetings.
Just be REALISTIC. When the Gillies were transitioning from the toddler stage to pre-school/kindergarten age, their nap times went out the window. Their nap times were also this mama’s workout time! So, I had to be creative. The first thing I tried to do was schedule my workout AFTER they went to bed.
Um. I’ll give you a moment to GUESS what happened….
If you guessed that when the Gillies went to bed, I would skip my evening workout and veg out on the couch with the hubster contemplating life’s daily events. Then, yes… you would be correct. I would get so BURNED OUT from the day’s events, the evening workout did not happen.
The skipped evening workouts happened so frequently, I had to have a “tough love” conversation with myself. The workouts weren’t happening in the evenings, I needed to look at my schedule and take ownership of my workouts. So, I decided to nix the netflix veg-out sessions and focus on self-care then hitting the sheets at a reasonable time. This way, I could wake up EARLY and get my workout in BEFORE the Gillies woke up.
Working out FIRST thing in the morning works for me… for a few reasons:
I don’t dread the workout the whole day
Superwoman feeling takes over me because I got my workout in… TMI?
Speeds up my metabolism and puts me in “fat-burning mode”
My energy levels are actually HIGHER even though I am waking up earlier!
Here’s a few articles you can read about WHY working out in the morning is beneficial, but remember, my thoughts for you… do it when YOU CAN! Done is better than skipped!
You looked at your schedule and thought… I need to be an EARLY RISER to get my workout in for the day. Need some tips? I got you covered. Let’s do this BULLET STYLE formation!
The night before:
Lay out your workout clothes
Know which workout you will be doing
Set your alarm with a MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE… so it inspires YOU to get up + not hit snooze!
Wash your face with COLD WATER to fully wake yourself UP!
Blast some music with your favorite playlist… I am a HUGE fan of Lindsay Stirling’s music when I bust a sweat. Mainly because I am terrible at song lyrics and by simply listening to the strings, I can loose myself in the music and the rhythm of the workouts.
Make sure to hydrate yourself properly… I aim for 12-16oz of water FIRST thing in the morning.
Seriously, though.
Who else is horrible at song lyrics? Want to know a funny story… Okay. The hubster absolutely loves the band, CCR. One day, he had control of the radio and one of their songs was playing, “Have you ever seen the rain”. We started to sing along until the hubster turned off the music… and did that slow turn towards me. You know the slow turn, where you automatically think… “What did I do wrong?”
He was holding back a huge smirk when he asked, “Honey, what are you singing?” Being completely smug, I answered… “Have you ever seen Lorraine coming down the Pontchartrain?”. And then the biggest eruption of laughter happened… the hubster may have had tears in his eyes he was laughing so hard.
In my defense, we are from Louisiana where there is a lake known as Lake Pontchartrain… totally understandable, right? No? YIKES!
Now to dive into a few other things, I am loving this week include:
Seriously. I can not be the only person who when you say… “Nope, you can’t have this”, it’s ALL I want!!! Am I right? There’s something about saying NO to something that makes you crave it, am I right? Anywho. One thing I was craving was something SWEET which is highly unusual since I am not really a “sweets” person. I would rather chips and salsa over cookies any day. Anywho. The Gillies were asking for “cookies” during one of our afternoon tea parties… and I remembered this recipe: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip cookies. Ridiculously delicious, Gillies-approved and helped me stay on track with my health goals. Triple Win!
Over, the past year or so, charcoal has made it’s way into my beauty routine. First, as a cleanser in my facial soap bar and weekly face mask which I love! Then, I started to use charcoal in my tooth paste… and now in my deodorant! You can read more about these products as well as the understanding charcoal! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!
This book is all about how to start NOW with reversing and preventing insulin resistance of the brain. Plus, sharpen your cognitive function and avoid memory loss. There are so many good takeaways… with tips on eating leafy greens, drinking a cup of coffee and even meditation! Definitely a must-read!
Thank you for taking a glance of HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR WORKOUTS LIKE A BOSS. Now, I would love to hear from you. Are you on a wellness journey yourself? What steps are you taking to make sure you are not living the same chapter each year? Fill free to drop it in the comments below or send me a DM!
Because the more you know, the more you can grow…
Grit + Gumption.
Langley
Biohacker Babe
On my blog, I often recommend products: skin care, makeup, household products, books, fitness equipment, etc. I will never recommend a product unless I’ve personally used it. You’ll also notice I have links to affiliate sites, and if you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale. Being an affiliate is not something I take lightly. If I am, it’s because I believe in the company and their product.
So stinkin' thrilled to have you here. This place is for you if you ever need a kick in the tooshie while trying not to snort water out the nose from laughter. I got you, love..
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