How to workout in the morning without hating the rest of your day

By ellen on June 2, 2010

As I’ve mentioned, for the last six weeks or so, I’ve maintained regular early morning workouts. Yes, I still have to talk myself into getting up sometimes (like this morning), but that happens more and more infrequently. I’ve grown to love and look forward to my early morning workouts. And with summer here ( = heat and humidity here in NYC), the wee hours are the only ones that I can comfortably work out.

Several friends and co-workers have said “I wish I could work out in the morning..” or “I’d love to do that but…” you get the idea. The truth is, you can do it! In fact, for those of us with busy schedules, who often find dragging ourselves to the gym after a full day of work gets skipped over, morning workouts are perfect! Here’s how to get started:

  1. Define early. How much time do you really need in the morning? Set a loose time line. For me, I like to walk out the door for work by 7. To do this, I need to get in the shower by 6, which means my workouts need to begin at 5-5:15 on any given morning.
  2. Once you set your time table, you can realistically see what parts of your morning routine you can shave down. For me, this means making my whole lunch the night before, laying out my work clothes (underwear, socks, the whole deal), and sleeping in my workout gear. I know that the minute I have any time to think, I may decide not to go. The idea is to take any thought out of your morning routine.
  3. Set your workouts. Mix up your strength and cardio as you see fit. Jillian’s 30 Day Shred is great is you are tight on time. On-Demand channels have many workout videos that you can often order for free (see FitTV, if you have it). I typically run outside 2 days/week, do circuits 1 day, and mix up the other two days with gym workouts (easy elliptical or strength stuff). It will take some trial and error to see what works best for you.
  4. Just do it. Really. Commit to at least a full week. It may take you a little time to adjust. Make sure you hit the hay earlier the night before and prep all of your clothes/food/etc…
  5. Reward yourself. Sure, I know as well as anyone that the true reward for being fit and healthy is, well, just being fit and healthy. But I also know that I love getting presents. Even if I’m getting them for myself and they are things that I’d buy myself anyway. It’s positive behavior reinforcement. Complete your first full week? Treat yourself to a new magazine, or latte at Starbucks – whatever floats your boat. Up the reward ante as you gain some momentum. The lure new workout gear keeps me going…

People who workout in the morning tend to have more energy throughout the day, and are more consistent in their exercise routine than those who workout at other times of the day (SparkPeople). My biggest reason? It frees up my evenings for social activities (I hated trying to juggle dinner plans with gym time).

Tomorrow’s post? How I eat for my early morning workouts.

So how about you – do you exercise in the morning? Would you like to? Will you try it?

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Great read from the NYTimes about the “new” generation of foodies who are making a go of local farmer’s markets and festivals. Check it out!

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New November

By ellen on November 2, 2009

Wow! I can’t believe it’s November already! That means it’s time assess my October goals and then set some new ones for this month (and rewards too)!

First, let’s recap. Here’s what I was thinking on Oct. 1:

  1. Keepin the Pace is going vegetarian! Yes, I’m going veg for the month of October (maybe longer – who knows?). Throughout the month I’ll be documenting the process, and sharing lots of tasty vegetarian dishes.
  2. Twice a month (starting next week), I’ll be featuring a special twice monthly series featuring fabulous local foodie markets and neighborhoods around the city. In New York City, there shouldn’t be any shortage of great spots, and I’ve already gotten my field trips mapped out through January!
  3. Cooking classes! I’ll be taking a different cooking class monthly ranging from technique courses to specific cuisines. I’ll share what I’ve learned, and show you some of the dishes I’ve come up with.

Well, I certainly went veg. It was only really a challenge on two occasions. 1: During the big crazy move, we went to a gourmet deli for sandwiches. All the “good ones” had meat in them. I got a tomato, basil, mozz panini that turned out to be amazing. 2. While visiting my parents one weekend, my dad (awesome cook) made a delishy pasta concoction – in a meaty sauce. Whoops, forgot to tell them in advance that I’d gone veg for the month. Luckily, since it was my parents’ house, I was able to make some substitutions for the sauce. Everything else has been great! As far as where I go from here, I plan to continue eating a mostly veggie diet. My only meat intake will be “happy” meat – mostly from the organic, biodynamic farm that sends me CSA veggies. I figure I’ll still wind up having only 2-3 meaty meals per month (if that).

My foodie field trips hit a minor snag (with moving and home visits for new baby), but I have done one great one and will be posting it soon. I may make up for October by doing three in November…

Cooking class also hit a snag (see above). The one I had scheduled with husbo in fact (it was Asian Fusion – shopping and cooking in Chinatown) was bumped when I went home to visit my newest niece a few weekends ago. Again, I’m shooting for two in November to make up for it. We’ll see how that goes.

Now, the fun part: setting November goals and rewards!

  • Workouts:
    • Running: I’ll run one race, and otherwise run 3 times/week. This will include both track workouts and an occasional treadmill day.
    • Swimming: I’ve set 6 possible dates to swim on my workout calendar. I will pledge to swim at least 4 of them.
    • Misc.: Hit up the gym once/week. I tend to hate the gym, but as the weather here gets colder (and it’s dark earlier) the gym is a good option. I’ll do some weight circuits and a spin sesh.
    • Rewards for Following Workout Plans
      • If I complete all of my planned runs (and race), I’ll get a new article of running gear (prob a Lulu jacket…)
      • For swimming and the other workouts, I think I’ll reward myself by getting a training/stretching book or dvd (under $20).
  • Food/Cooking/Nutrition
    • Get back to planning out weekly meals and shopping accordingly (this works sooo well when I do it…)
    • 5 fruits/veggies per day. Every day. No exceptions. Yes, weekends, that means you.
    • Eat dessert. And by that, I mean plan on eating dessert. Dessert can make a meal complete. I’d like to have homemade dessert (simple, healthy, not extravagant) after dinner 2-3 times/week.
    • Rewards for Food/Cooking/Nutrition
      • Containers for organizing, packing meals for fridge and freezer

These goals are all very reasonable, and the rewards are super-motivating. I think if I plan thoughtfully, and take each day at a time, I can do this. Here’s how I’ve (tentatively) mapped out my workouts for the month. This more than covers the minimum requirements to accomplish the goals and leaves a little flexibility for unforeseen events.

Picture 1

Also – for some added motivation, my birthday is December 1! That’s something to look forward to, and I might have just decided what to get myself for a present…

What goals are you setting for the month of November?

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Keepin the Pace when the Pace Pick Up (Part V)

By ellen on October 23, 2009

Rewarding Yourself

A job well done, in any facet of your life, deserves a reward or recognition. As a teacher, I use positive behavior incentive systems regularly to encourage my students to develop good habits. In fact, educational research suggests that positive behavior incentives yield more consistent results in students than a traditional reprimand.

The New York Times had an article a few years ago that demonstrated this principle among adults in the “real world” called “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage.” If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Try it out too – you’d be amazed. In the article, the author is researching how killer whales are trained. As she learns about the positive behavior reinforcement, she begins to think that this could apply in her own life. She brings her little experiment home to try on her unsuspecting husband. She targets his minor habits. In a nutshell, it works. (Really, though, read the story – it is really well presented).

So what does any of this have to do with keepin the pace? Well, everything. If we are looking to develop good habits, or simply encourage ourselves to “keep up the good work,” we need to reward ourselves. There are, of course, many levels of rewards. Rewards can be large or small, tangible or intangible, it’s really up to you. But they really need to be something.

When I reward myself, I like to think of the reward before the task (the old carrot and stick). Ideally, the reward will be one that encourages repeated activity in the successful area. For example, if the goal is to run all of my scheduled runs during the week, the reward may be a new pair of running socks or something. In addition, the scale of the reward should match the scale of the behavior. In that same situation for the scheduled runs were, say, over the course of a month, then the reward may be running duds, or new shoes.

Today I really wanted to remain very positive and focused all day – keep on pushing on from start to finish. I told myself this morning that if I did, I’d take a nice hot bubble bath tonight when I got home. Certainly doesn’t cost anything and will really reward my tired bones from standing and running around all say. Easy, right?

The bottom line is, there needs to be a reward. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t expect anyone else to. I even go so far as to write down my rewards… almost to keep a bank or wish list that I can look to. Rewarding yourself and taking the time to recognize all the great things you do will help you to stay focused and positive in the long run.

So on that note, happy Friday! Be good to yourself this weekend. I’m off to start a nice hot bubble bath :)

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Resolutions for the "New Year"

By ellen on September 1, 2009

As I mentioned before, I view my years from September to September. I set my goals and resolutions around this time each year. Generally, rather that set nebulous goals like “lose weight” or be more thoughtful, I try to make measurable short-term (month to month) mini-goals to help me get there.

Here’s what I’m striving for this September in…

Fitness:

  • Do yoga 2x/week (either at home or at the studio)
  • Complete regular exercises every weekday morning (push-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc).
  • Run 3x/week (2 shorter weekday runs, 1 longer weekend run)
  • Strength train (either at the gym or at home with Shred) 2x/week
  • Swim weekly

Health/Nutrition:

Now, I admit, some of these I already kinda do. I already run 3x/week and I already try at least 1 recipe from HtCEV per week. I think this kind of motivates me though, and helps me develop the others into good habits too.

Whenever I set my goals like this, I also think of some rewards for my success. For example, if I keep up with all of my fitness goals, I’ll treat myself to a new, cute workout outfit after September is over. This tends to work for me.

What do you do to stay motivated?? Do you reward yourself? Set short-term goals? Let me know your thoughts!

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