Training Schedule Pt. 2

Some of you may remember me pondering the pros and cons of a training schedule a little while ago (hop back to it here). At that point in time I wasn’t following a training schedule at all. I needed to calm the hell down from a lifetime of continually expecting too much from myself. A classic case of needing to do everything and be good at everything and running on empty as a result. Now I’ve refuelled and have been getting fit, seemingly without running the tank to empty again. It hasn’t been easy to get to this point. Here’s what I’ve learnt.

This is the most important point when it comes to healthy training. And is a perfect example of why putting time and energy into understanding what makes you tick is so worth it. You might want to journal around some of these questions, just let them sit for a few days (or weeks) or even go out and exercise with some of them in your head. It can take time to really get to the bottom of these, speaking from first-hand experience:

• Why do you exercise?
• What is the motivator that gets you out the door on the days you don’t want to exercise?
• What type of exercise do you enjoy?

For example, my answers might look something like this now (just note: they were definitely less healthy responses this time last year):

• Why do you exercise?

I exercise because I want to feel good, now. When I raise my heart rate, I usually raise my mood. Focusing my mind on movement shifts my mindset away from a head full of daily worries. I like how my body feels and looks when its in good shape (a fine line I try to stay on the positive side of). Increasing my metabolism means by meal time I’m ravenous and appreciate my food more. I also want to feel good, later. I want to be 80 and be healthy and agile. I want to be able to move freely for as long as possible and help my body to support life for as long as possible.

• What is the motivator that gets you out the door on the days you don’t want to exercise?

On the days I don’t want to exercise its either because I’m feeling down or I’m feeling tired. When I’m feeling down I have to give myself little carrots to get myself out the door. I’ll say to myself, ‘just walk to begin or jog really slowly, see how it feels’. I have to remove expectation and remind myself of how good it feels when I finish exercising, refreshed and energised. Sometimes I won’t get out the door. And that’s ok.

• What type of exercise do you enjoy?

I enjoy running because it means I can spend time outdoors. Moving through nature helps me think things through and gives me headspace. I like how varied it can be.

Understanding questions like these can give you big pointers on things that are getting in the way of a healthy relationship with exercise. And probably healthy relationships with a lot of things tbh.

More questions, just to get ya thinking…..Do you exercise because you love it? Do you exercise as punishment to yourself? Do you exercise because you feel bad about yourself? Or because you feel good about yourself? Are you self-sabotaging yourself while you’re exercising or even before you get out the door? Are you kind to yourself? How much willpower would you say you have? Do you ever think you’re letting yourself down? Why? (These can be really tricky questions to answer, and are part of a much bigger puzzle, so go easy! Just some food for thought)

…these questions lead nicely into the main breakthrough of this piece:

As someone who is always tough on myself and has a lot of willpower, when it comes to exercise I often push myself when I shouldn’t. This fatigues my body and isn’t good for my mental health. So last year, when I only exercised when it felt good, listening to my body was something I needed to learn. I was being kinder to myself, mostly.

…but in true personal growth style, obviously that wasn’t the final answer! I also realised this led to self-sabotage. I’d stop running mid-run because I’d pushed myself out of my comfort zone so I gave up, or sometimes I wouldn’t get out of the door if I was having a down day. So I need a training schedule. But one where not pushing myself on a given day doesn’t mean I’ve failed, while also not letting me get away with missing out on those endorphins when I’m feeling down.

The key is flexibility. So my training schedule at the moment only has one rule.

Its that simple. Over the course of a week I need to be out and about, running or walking, for seven hours. With this schedule, I can’t get hung up on how much slower that run was than the one I ran last week. Or that my times aren’t improving that much. Or that I’m only halfway around the route I planned and I already feel tired. All I need to do is get out and about for about an hour a day.

There’s flexibility here though. If I skip a day or do half an hour one day, I can just walk or run for some extra time on other days. I can adjust for cycles in my energy levels.

One day last week I had a rough idea of where I wanted to go. But I didn’t mind that I stopped to climb a tree for 5 minutes. That I walked up more of a steep hill than I needed to. That I was running REALLY slowly at times, taking in the view and enjoying feeling my body move fluidly. I didn’t care about speed because I knew that my goal was to be out moving my body for 1hr. It brought play back into exercise. It stopped me caring about how far I ran and how fast. Contrast that with yesterday when I felt amazing so ended up running much further than expected. Listening to my body, tick.

You might be thinking, well why don’t you just not have a training schedule. This is the crucial part of why knowing myself is so important. If I don’t have a goal, I’ll be lazy and self-sabotage will kick in. When I have a low day or feel a bit tired I’ll just stay inside all day and relax. This is what I need on very rare occasions. Most of the time I feel a million times better for some fresh air and endorphins. Usually, me not wanting to exercise is self-sabotage, so that I can stay stuck in my rut. When these days hit I’ll go out for a 30 minute walk or something. Maybe I’ll feel good once I’m out and do a little more. Maybe I won’t. Not letting myself skip those endorphins, also tick.

Right now, given my lack of job, that we’re past any blisteringly cold weather and for a lack of any exercise classes to go to, that might give some other structure to my exercise, this training schedule is right for me. I also like exercise, running and the outdoors. My point is that this is personal to me. It probably wouldn’t be right for you, and might not be right for me in a few months time either.

For those of you who aren’t in a good place with exercise right now, I simply hope this inspires you to look at your motivations behind exercise, your pitfalls, and how you can help yourself. I hope you can learn to listen to yourself and adjust for the highs and lows of life. I hope you exercise and feel good!

And for those who aren’t sure if their mind is their best friend or worst enemy, I’m not sure either, but I think they’re definitely someone worth getting to know!

I hope you’re all managing some form of exercise during lockdown! Has anyone else found a training style that suits them?! Or thinking of switching it up? Let me know!