Planning, Scheduling and Tracking Workouts
Beginners and Experts Alike Can Benefit From Tracking Workout Progress
In the News
Best Eating Habits for Stronger Muscles After 50, Say Dietitians - Well, this article was in my Google feed, which I’d like to think is indicative of my interest in protein intake, especially after workouts, but alas, it has “after 50” right in the title. For me, the article is helpful/interesting for lunches, which is where I typically fall down. Dinner always includes a protein of some sort (pork, chicken, beef) and breakfast for me is typically a protein shake (Orgain) with frozen fruit and/or a banana, a squirt of peanut butter (what an invention) and either low fat chocolate milk or Almond Milk. My go-to snacks are Trader Joe’s Omega Trek Nuts and Fruit packs or Pure Protein Bars, which are high in protein (20g) and low in sugar (just 2g of sugar). They’re also Gluten Free.
Peloton adds Apple Watch integration to all of its machines - I own the original Peloton bike, so this is welcome news. Previously, you either had to use a third-party app (I was previously using an app called ECHO, which worked great by the way) or you needed to own the Bike+ to get heart rate data from Apple Watch to display and sync with the Peloton Bike. Now it just works natively. I’ve been using it for the past several days and it pretty much works as advertised. When you start a workout, your watch will receive a notification. Click connect and that’s it. I’ve experienced the occasional hiccup with the watch not connecting right away or a slight delay in the heart rate data appearing on the screen, but for the most part, it has been a great addition.
Peloton's Video Game Feature Is Here, and It's Fun - Last month, Peloton introduced “Lanebreak,” which is a “Gamified” workout experience for the Peloton Bike. The variety of music is slightly lacking, but the overall experience is a good break from the regular structured classes that Peloton offers. I’ll typically use Lanebreak as an add-on workout to another shorter structured ride. If you have a Peloton bike, give it a try. Once you’ve logged into your profile on the bike, you’ll find it under the “more rides” section at the bottom of the screen.
4 exercises to help your body feel younger - The best way to make our bodies feel younger? Do any exercise that scares you, says celebrity personal trainer and founder of The Limit, Beth Nicely. “If we don’t give ourselves permission to be challenged, we don’t grow, we deteriorate, and that doesn’t have to be the case!”
I agree with the sentiment here, if your fitness level is up for the challenge. That said, one of the main takeaways from this segment for me was “360 breathing” (but even more so, breathing in general). In my opinion, breathing and stretching are perhaps two of the more overlooked areas and both can be incorporated into any workout and are also ideal for rest days.
Planning, Scheduling and Tracking Exercise
Researchers Say Scheduling Your Workout Could Help You Get to the Gym More Frequently - There is no shortage of articles and research suggesting that scheduling exercise as you would schedule a meeting or a visit to the doctor increases the likelihood of sticking to a fitness routine (or going to the gym, as this research suggests, which was completed before the pandemic). And there are plenty of articles like this one geared toward busy individuals that suggest everything from waking up earlier to turning everyday tasks like running errands, into exercise.
In my initial post, I said that I would not be overbearing or prescriptive, and I won’t be in terms of how or what tools you use to plan your day, but I do find value in spending time either nightly or every morning reviewing my calendar, identifying goals (personal and professional) that I hope to achieve THAT DAY and creating my task list for THAT DAY. This discipline allows me to “pencil in” my time to exercise, taking into account everything from client meetings to travel to family commitments. This approach doesn’t tie me down to a specific time of day to exercise and helps me eliminate the time excuse. Of course, things happen throughout the day and sometimes a planned lunch-time workout needs to be moved to the evening, but scheduling it as I would a meeting increases the likelihood that I will complete it.
An important element of the scheduling process touched on above is goal setting. Goals can certainly be challenging but they should also be realistic and achievable. If your fitness goal for the day is to complete 20 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weight training, but you only have 30 minutes to exercise when everything else is taken into account, then adjust your goals accordingly. The idea is to build a schedule that works for you on a given day after taking into account your specific circumstances and responsibilities.
Your workouts don’t have to be all or nothing either. I have frequently pivoted, taking brief walks earlier in the day to help “bridge the gap” (more on what I mean about bridging the gap below) if I know I won’t have as much time as I would like to complete a higher intensity workout later in the day.
I mention “bridging the gap” as I use an Apple Watch to track my fitness. When setting my goals for the day, I also factor in my move, exercise and stand goals, the three main elements that Apple Watch tracks. You can read how Apple defines each ring here, including how to change your goals, but if I notice that I’m behind in achieving my move or exercise goals and won’t have the time to make them up in my regularly scheduled workout, I’ll add a walk (or sometimes even a run), time permitting.
If you don’t use an Apple Watch or other fitness tracker, pen and paper will do just fine. One of the things that made completing the P90X program so satisfying was tracking my progress (reps, time, weight) using a simple tracking form and looking back to see what I accomplished over the course of the program.
Tools You can Use
Goal setting and scheduling - I use an iPad with Noteshelf. It has a ton of templates, including the one I use for daily planning that has sections for goals, to-do’s, notes and schedule.
Apple Watch heart rate tracking with exercise equipment - While Peloton now includes native Apple Watch integration, other types of equipment still do not. Enter ECHO, which will allow you to connect your Apple Watch to a number of treadmills, rowers and other exercise equipment for heart rate tracking.
Next Week
Monday’s post will include sticking to your fitness program while on vacation (I’ll be away so will report how I’m doing!) and on Thursday, I’ll cover motivation. Have a great weekend and please share and spread the word about HIITN50!