WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXERCISE?

First things first.

I often get asked when is the best time in the day to exercise. Is there a time to get the biggest bang for your hard efforts? The answer is yes... and... it's complicated. First, let's talk about where you are at With your current exercise program. If you're one of those people whose workout routine is firmly established, I will post to answer the question of the most efficient time of the day to work out in a later blog post. 

On the other hand, if you are working on creating a regular exercise routine, this is not a question that you should worry about quite yet. If ever. 

The answer to that question is actually simple, though not so easy to implement: the best time for you to exercise is the time when you are more likely to exercise. How's that for an obvious statement?

I know it sounds silly, but you have to fit your workouts at a time of the day when you won't be interrupted, disturbed or otherwise derailed.

So obvious, isn't it? So, take some time to plan ahead, to honestly look at your average day.

Do you have a time in the day when the demands from 

work, family and other obligations lull for a little bit? Could you cut short some activities like watching TV, scrolling down Facebook of playing video games? Finding some calmer portion of the day can be a tall order in and of itself and you might need to actively carve that time out. Think of waking up an hour early to do your workout before anyone is awake. Or maybe you are more of a night owl and would prefer to exercise when everyone else is slumbering. 

I strongly recommend you try to workout at the same time every day, it will greatly help create your routine. The more automatic and routine like your workouts become, the more likely you are to stick to them. The less thinking is involved the better off you are. And with that said, that is not always possible. Your schedule might be different from week to week or even day to day. Use the same planning technic, find those times where it makes sense to schedule your daily exercise. Go with what is most likely to work for you. 

Write down your exercise time and make your workouts non negotiable. 

I am personally a big proponent of doing what works best for you and your lifestyle. You have a much better chance to sticking to a workout routine if it works well in your life.

So again, the best time to exercise is when you are most likely to exercise.

MY NEW FAVORITE SHOES!

When it comes to exercise footwear, I can be pretty difficult.

First off, I have gotten used to training barefoot the majority of the time. Training 'sans les chaussures' comes with a plethora of benefits: it is good for your feet and ankles, for your balance, it helps activating your muscle properly…. and these are just the obvious ones. 

-If your feet have collapsed arches or if you have other foot conditions, you might want to talk to your doctor and work on your specific challenge before you lose the shoes-

When impact is involved however, I enjoy having a little bit of cushioning. This is when I run into problems, because I still prefer using minimalist footwear, but I also really like when it doesn’t look awful.

Vibrams are probably the next best thing to prancing around barefoot, but goodness…. they are pretty ugly. And by pretty ugly, I mean they are SUPER ugly. I do own pair and I use it, just don’t expect me to wear it in any public setting.

So whenever I teach Zumba, do P90X3 or am out and about still in my workout clothes, I am wearing sneakers. Some of my favorite sneakers come from the Nike Free line. They have only a little cushioning, not much grip and bend very easily. The toe box is not enormous, don’t expect to be able to freely spread your tootsies but it is reasonable. There are tons and tons of colors to choose from, so if you are one those people who likes to match shoes with outfits, this is the brand you want to go with.

This week, I discovered what might very well my new all time favorite minimalist sneaker… The Women Reebok CrossFit Nano….

 I don’t even like CrossFit (whole other post…) but those are great! Flat, very little grip, supple articulation and roomy toe box. What else can a girl ask for? Well, one thing, they actually look pretty cute. I have used them while dancing, walking around and through a couple of jumpy, plyometrics types workouts, and they are GREAT!

You can also designed your own pair, and I lost to time creating a screaming hot pink shoe. With my name on it.  ;-)

I would love to hear what shoes you prefer to wear and for what type of activity.

THE POWER OF DEADLINES AND ACCOUNTABILITY

I don't know about you, but I can procrastinate really well. I would even venture to say it is a talent of mine. When it comes to doing something I don't want to do, I will clean the house, leave a note on all of my friends' FB walls, arrange my yard -and I don't even garden-... in short, I will do anything before that THING I am avoiding.

I find that I do much better when I have a solid deadline for the things I am trying to accomplish. I do even better when the deadline is not completely self imposed and involves some kind public accountability (you can procrastinate taxes only so long...).

When it comes to training, I have learned to leverage that trait of mine to create opportunities for me to be more disciplined.
Here are some of the things that I found helpful to stay on track with my training. I bet some of them will work for you too!

- Sign up for a race or some kind of competition. If you are in any kind of competitive sport, sign up for an event: a 5K, a weight lifting meet, a Spartan race, a swim meet, a soccer league game. Find something that will motivate and maybe sometimes force you to stay consistent. No one wants to enter a competitive event to score their worse or let their team down. Try it, it helps.

- Post your goals publicly. Does the thought of a public embarrassment make you cringe? Then post your goals publicly. As publicly as possible. Tell your whole family that you want to lose 20 lbs (especially that brother in law who kind of wants to see you fail), shout to the FB world how many pounds you intend on being able to squat 6 months from now... If you have a goal, go ahead tell the world.

- Have an accountability group. That one can be tremendous help. A group who shares common goals, expects you to stick to the task at hand and supports you though the hard times can be a significant influence for good. If you and I are both quitting sugar and reporting daily to each other, I am going to have a real hard time looking at you in the eye if I had a bag of mini Twixes yesterday. Peer pressure can be of help, but an accountability group is an even greater place to find support, encouragement and help.


If you have any other tips to share on how to increase our ability to avoid procrastination and stay consistent in our training, please, post them in the comment section!