Don't Fall Back on Your Exercise Routine
Plus, What to Expect from Apple's Upcoming Hardware and Software Announcements
If you have school-aged children, the beginning of the school year can be quite hectic. My boys are now 7th and 11th graders, and between the emails, medical forms, school announcements, plus the start of fall sports and school related activities, it can be quite overwhelming. If you established a summer exercise routine and are finding it difficult to maintain because of the added commitments the school year brings, continue reading.
Don’t settle on exercising at a specific time of day - I’ve read a lot of articles and have seen the research supporting either early morning workouts or working out consistently at the same time each day. And if that is something that you can absolutely adhere to, I’m not suggesting that you change it. But inevitably, there are going to be times when your set time is hijacked by work or some other activity. Take the time each morning to review your schedule as it applies to that day and schedule your exercise accordingly. That way, you won’t be disappointed if you can’t work out at your preferred time.
Use whatever time you have available to you - I’ve argued in the past that the most important aspect of exercise is establishing the habit. A lot of people get hung up with the amount of time spent exercising and while there are certainly guidelines in terms of the amount of exercise that adults should shoot for each week, it may not always be possible to achieve. If you have 15 minutes to exercise on a given day and that’s it, then spend the 15 minutes exercising. As I adjust to the beginning of the school year, I find that trying to workout in the morning for 45 minutes to an hour can be difficult, given my work schedule and my other morning tasks, so I’ll typically split the workout so that I get something accomplished in the morning and finish the workout in the evening.
Gym versus home workouts - I mainly work from home, so I tend to exercise at home, either via Peloton or running or biking outside. As pandemic restrictions lifted, many have returned to the gym. I do find that from time to time, mixing in a gym workout to supplement my exercise at home can provide a different level of focus and motivation. If most or all of your exercise takes place in the gym, have a backup plan for days when you can’t make it. Home exercise doesn’t require any equipment and if you’re time constrained, a home workout can be just as, if not more effective, than your gym workout. YouTube is a great free resource for finding almost any type of workout for any amount of time.
Exercise as a stress reliever - I absolutely love exercise as a stress reliever. Exercise releases endorphins and other chemicals beneficial to stress relief. As your fall days get more hectic, turning to exercise for a break will provide not only physical benefits, but will benefit your mental well-being as well.
Don’t fret over missed days - When I started my fitness journey in earnest, I focused a lot on closing my Apple Watch rings and keeping streaks alive, which meant that at times, I probably wasn’t performing at my highest level. I’ve learned to embrace rest days and to not get overly concerned about missing a scheduled workout. Missing a planned exercise day from time to time is fine, as long as it doesn’t become a habit. Do your best to meet your exercise goals, but don’t lose sleep over it if you miss a day.
Speaking of Sleep, Get Plenty Of It - My sleep schedule has developed out of necessity. Because of my work, I need to wake up no later than 5AM each day, which means that I need to go to bed between 9 and 10 each night. It’s perhaps one of the more difficult, yet beneficial changes I’ve made to improve my fitness levels. Stick to a sleep schedule and if possible, try to stick to it on the weekends as well. It will make a huge difference in how you feel and in how you perform.
What To Expect From Apple This Week
On Tuesday, Apple will unveil their latest Apple Watch and iPhone iterations. I’ll cover the hardware next week after the announcements and provide my annual upgrade recommendations. But Apple will also release iOS17 and WatchOS 10, which will likely be released within the next week. I’ve been using the betas of each for the past 3 months and there are some welcome improvements as they relate to fitness and mental well-being. Here are a few things you’ll gain, even if you don’t upgrade your iPhone or Watch.
Improvements to cycling metrics and display - Last year, Apple made significant improvements in the running metrics provided via Apple Watch. This year, they turn their attention to cycling. The first change is that Apple Watch can detect power meters and provide a functional threshold power metric (essentially the equivalent of power zone training) via your Apple Watch. The second change is perhaps even more significant. If you start an outdoor cycling workout on your Apple Watch, you’ll see a notification on your iPhone, asking you to allow your watch to display your cycling metrics on your iPhone, which effectively turns your phone into a cycling computer.
A better viewing experience for fitness and other apps - Apple is taking better advantage of the screen real estate for its built in apps. In the current OS, when you view your fitness metrics, you’re presented with your rings and a summary of each ring below that. In WatchOS 10, each ring has its own screen, which makes it much easier to read.
More focus on mental health - Apple continues to focus on the mental health aspects of Apple Watch as well. The mindfulness app, which is currently home to meditation and breathing exercises, adds two new metrics called state of mind and reflect. These metrics require manual logging, but will likely feed into Apple’s journaling app, which will debut later this year.
Next week, I’ll cover the Apple announcements in-depth and provide my upgrade recommendations!