What to Do When You're Short On Time

It's a common problem, a side effect of daily life! If you work or have family at all, you're familiar with the sight of your workout window shrinking before your very eyes...

So what happens when you had a 1-hour workout planned, but you only have 45 minutes?

First, what's the purpose of the workout? Gaining speed? Burning calories? Raising your lactate threshold? Say the main set is 5 x 3 minutes of cardio work at a zone 3 (moderately hard) effort level, with 3 minutes of easy work in between. Then warm up just enough, and do that part; don't worry about finishing last last mile, or any extra drills.

--But what if you only have 15 minutes? It's especially perplexing when you realize that by the time you get to the gym or the pool, or change your clothes, or get your motivation going, you're almost out of time. Throw that "all-or-nothing" thinking out the window - "If I can't do the whole thing, it doesn't count." My philosophy is, Better to Do Something Than Nothing. It always counts, even if you just walked for 10 minutes. Every minute counts.

Another lesson learned from vast personal experience with time shortage: Remember to do your functional stretching before the workout, and sustained stretching afterwards. You're better off cutting 5 minutes off the main workout, but building strength and flexibility. Since I've been doing long-course triathlon, I've counted my "movement prep" time as part of the workout. Have I lost anything? No, if I train consistently, I continue to get faster and more efficient.

Ok, but what if you're training for an endurance event, like a half marathon or triathlon? Isn't it important to get all the miles in?

Well, sort of. First, I'm in the camp of coaches that believe in training by time over distance. Mileage can vary so much - with pace, wind, terrain. It's more important to estimate how long it will take you to complete the goal event, and use that as a base for endurance training. (Generally, to be comfortable doing a certain event, you need enough endurance for a little more than the goal distance. This formula varies with the sport - swim, bike, run, skate, ski, etc. training distances are different.)

Second, a fitness or training plan is an ideal scenario. Consistency is very important; but if you're a little off for a week, it's not a big deal. Don't punish yourself for it; just appreciate the rest and then pick it up again with the current day's plan. Trying to "make up" workout time is kind of like making up sleep: It can work within about a 24-hour time window, but if you get stressed out and backed up, then you start to defeat the purpose of gaining fitness! Also, if you're doing a high-intensity workout, going into overtime might bog you down for the next several workouts.

That said, if you had a 2-hour workout planned, but can only fit in 1.5 hours at once, but you could squeeze in another 30 minutes within the same day - of the same sport, or a cross-training activity - you still get the endurance gain.

So follow your plan, but don't sweat the small slips, and keep enjoying that post-workout high!

Eight Ways to Motivate to Do Your Workout

So you have a goal, or a reason to exercise. Maybe you want to lose weight or body fat, gain strength and fitness, or relieve stress. But, how do you get yourself to do what you promised yourself you'd do, when you just don't feel like it?
Allow me to share a few specific, realistic ways to get yourself out the door - ways to trick your brain into "just doing it."

1. Eat.
Do you feel sluggish when it's time to work out? The first question is, When did you last eat? The simple truth is, you need calories for energy.
The ideal pre-workout meal is a moderately-sized balance of carbohydrates and protein, two-three hours before you start. Life isn't always ideal, though. If you didn't get a chance to eat properly at precisely the right time, try an energy bar one-two hours beforehand, or a sports drink or gel like Gu or Hammer Gel if the workout is less than one hour out.

2. Suit up.
Sounds silly, but it's simple. When you're still in your pajamas, or in your office clothes, it's difficult to feel like going or a run or getting on the Stairmaster. Try reversing the order of things: Put on your workout clothes first. It doesn't matter how you feel now; just put on the clothes. By the time you're tying your shoes or pulling back your hair, you'll find yourself in a different mindset.
Do this enough times, and you'll have a fully-formed Pavlovian response: As soon as you suit up, your heart rate picks up a little, and you start to test that antiperspirant before you even move!

3. Just get out the door.
This is the principle of inertia: A body in motion stays in motion, and a body at rest...you guessed it. Are you procrastinating around the house, or still sitting at your desk, because you just don't feel like starting?
Try tricking your body: Move yourself out the door before you have a chance to think about it, or think of something else to do. I am the queen of doing one more thing - "I'll just start this load of laundry before I go..." Do this, and before you know it, 30 minutes have passed, and you feel even less like working out.

4. Ease into motion.
Many people make this mistake - starting at a full-tilt run, and then feeling like "Whew, I'm done!" five minutes into the session. Of course you're going to blow up if you start too fast! Instead, ease yourself gently from your sedentary state into motion, by stretching a little, and then just walking, jogging, swimming, etc. slowly for at least a few minutes. Your muscles, tendons and even lungs need a few minutes to loosen up and get ready for the real work. (Serious runners will jog slowly for up to 30 minutes before even thinking about starting a hard interval.)

5. Break it down.
Don't think about the whole session, or the whole distance, all at once. Do you think Ironman athletes finish that Herculean event by envisioning 10+ hours of suffering? No way! At the start line, those people (at least the smart ones) are thinking about...the swim. Not even the whole swim, but just the swim start: How they'll run into the water, fight for a spot, and start to find a rhythm.
Visualize only how you're going to start, and then keep your mind in the present throughout the workout. Some people like to cover the readout on an exercise machine with a towel or magazine.

6. Find the optimal time for you.
If you always feel sluggish even after you start your workout, then maybe that's the wrong time for you. I know my overall energy is best between 7:00 AM and noon, and my capacity for high-intensity workouts is at its height at 6:00 PM. (I'm still waiting for the 5:30 PM triathlon!)
Certainly, job requirements can restrict your choices, but if there's any flexibility in your working hours, find the best time window for your energy level. Try exercising, say, at 6:30 AM, lunchtime, and 5:30 PM, and see which feels best.

7. Sleep.
If you feel too tired to work out, chances are, you might be! There are different kinds of "tired" - from tired after working all day, to the deeper, achy fatigue that means you're skimping on Zzzs. The average active person needs to sleep eight hours per night. If you're more active, you could need more. Many professional athletes sleep 10 or more hours or night.
Sleep is the number one method of recovering your body. What's more, if your body isn't getting enough down time, it actually starts to slow down by itself! That's why sleeping too little can keep you from losing unwanted fat or weight; your metabolism starts working against your goals.
My saving grace is the afternoon nap. I know, there isn't always a good time or place to take a nap. But, if you make this a priority, you can find creative solutions. I used to go out to my car just after eating lunch. I had a towel (for shade), sunglasses (for more darkness), and earplugs (because my office parking lot was in the flight path of a naval air station). Technically I wasn't "supposed" to be taking this break, but I rationalized that my nap equaled about one day's worth of smoking breaks (which some co-workers took).
A nap, even a 15-20-minute one, can completely change your mindset and revive your energy level. It has also been proven beyond doubt that napping greatly increases cognitive function and productivity - so my former employer should thank me for keeping myself at my best!
If you're afraid you won't wake up in time, set the alarm on your watch or your cell phone!

8. Get some tunes.
You may already have this one down. But, if you haven't tried using your own music during a workout, give it a whirl. Maybe the music at the gym doesn't resonate with you, but the beat of your favorite tunes will.
A couple of recommendations: If you're like me, you don't want to carry things in your hand, or deal with lots of devices and cords hanging off your person. Oakley Thumps offer a fix for this; they're MP3 players built right into your sport sunglasses.
Now there are players that work under water. I received SwiMP3s as a gift last year, and was amazed at the sound quality, even after your ears fill with water. These options are a little pricey, but are well worth it if you run or swim regularly.

Note: I recommend strongly against using music if you ride your bike on the road. If you must have that beat, then leave one ear open to the sounds of traffic or other cyclists.