Tag: life

Workout + Brainstorming…

Workout + Brainstorming…

 

I have been preparing multiple activities and sessions for the upcoming school year to teach business classes to high school students.  It is an exciting new program that will be launching in August, and while business and health don’t necessarily seem like they go together let me explain what I mean.  I have found that I often do some of my best brainstorming about activities, innovative thinking, creative projects, and life lessons to incorporate into the classroom during my workout.  Two areas that don’t seem to fit together –business and health–yet I am able to pull them together in such a way that I get inspiration from an unlikely place!  That is why some days my workout actually becomes a brainstorming session!

So much of the time things are very structured, such as when we should do things and how they should be done, but often times life, health, business, etc is unpredictable and may change over time.  (Not that structure is a bad thing, but sometimes you have to move with the pace or flow and adapt based on the scenario.  You may gain knowledge and inspiration based on those changes.) In other words, sometimes sitting down each day after school to make lesson plans, working on lesson plans at home, or continuously using the same materials doesn’t always work or fit the situation.  Instead you may have to use a different approach, such as employing your surroundings to get inspiration throughout the day from things, places, and people, that at times, don’t even seem to connect with the classroom.  The same can be said about working out.  You have to look to different people, places, and things for inspiration and motivation to keep you going.  You have to be willing to vary your workouts, adapt to change (i.e. workout at a hotel, workout in between meetings due to business travel, etc), and find ways to gain meaning from your workout (brainstorming, critical thinking, etc).  Pulling experiences from the day and brainstorming might be ways to capture new workout methods or may take your mind off the task at hand.  You might pull your inspiration from customer service, clinical trails, pilot projects, research analysis, computer development and technology, accounting, and so on.  The list is endless.  Some or all of those experiences may be the topic of your brainstorming ideas during your workout or could provide ideas for new ways to workout.

With that, I say happy brainstorming during your workout!  It will provide inspiration, motivation, and ideas that may improve all facets of your life!

~jj

Penciling in your workout!

Penciling in your workout!

I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the trials and tribulations, chaos and exhaustion that life often throws at people since fall semester often means going back to school, preparing lunches again for kids, and after school sports and activities.  Further, people have surgery that you need to help take care of, you start a family, and you have unexpected work obligations and travel.  While all these tend to throw a curve ball, it doesn’t give you the excuse to skip your workout.  Working out helps reduce stress and relieve the tension that gets built up from the day.  When life gets busy, change your workout or rotate the days you do certain workouts so that a recovery workout might fall on a busier day, but still allows you to workout in some capacity.  Many, if not all of us, hold very busy lives and feel as though we never have enough time in the day, let alone time to set aside for exercising.  That’s everyone, right?!   We may not all have children, aging parents, a house to take care of, pets to walk, etc, but we do all have obligations and priorities to balance.

While you may not have a half hour, an hour, or even an hour and a half to dedicate to exercising or personal wellness each day, you do have small increments of time that can be used to exercise.  For example, you may have a 15 minute break at work where you can take a walk, do some jumping jacks and push-ups, go up and down the stairs, or sit at your desk and do leg lifts and weights (keep a set in the office to make it easy on yourself).  Two 15 minute breaks will allow you to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day.  Don’t get any breaks at work or it isn’t something that is consistent?  Stop spending so much time on Facebook, Twitter, Pineterst, and other social media websites every single day, every single hour.  I hear people say all the time, “I am so busy I barely have time to keep up with my house, my friends and family, my pets, and still sit down and relax.”  This is a huge pet peeve when most people spend hours on Facebook ad social media or watching television.  If you have time to look at random Facebook statuses all day, then believe me, I promise you have time to set aside 30 minutes to take care of your mind and body.  And guess what?  All those Facebook statuses, Twitter feed updates, and Pinterest projects will still be waiting for you when you are done!  Remember your health is more important than sitting for 3 or more hours on social media sites, so rather than skip a workout, delay it if you need to!

With unexpected work obligations and travel, consider a workout that can be done using only your body and can be done almost anywhere with a small amount of space such as in a hotel room.  For example, crunches, push-ups, jumping jacks, and other 20-30 minute workouts can be done doing repetitive sets of exercises that only require using your own body weight!  These exercises are not only convenient, but also tend to be less intrusive on your joints than machines.  For me, using my body weight versus using machines is the best change I have made in my life to improve my workouts and make me feel so much better!  I try to remind everyone, we are all different, so what works for me may not work for you, but I do hope my tips and tricks may provide guidance and encouragement!

Your workout should fit your schedule and lifestyle because this is what helps you stay on track, prevents you from skipping workouts, and from giving up.  If that means yoga and a walk at 6:30am so that you can get your workout done before work then you should do that.  A workout could be two 15 minute breaks during the day or over your lunch, a group fitness class or club that meets 3 times a week, it could be working out with your kids during the day, taking your baby and a jogging stroller to your gym and running on the track, yard work, doing exercises every time you get up to make copies at work, etc.  Your workout can fit into any small windows of time that you have rather than feeling like you need to have a block of time set aside.  If you “pencil in your workout” at the beginning of each day, it has been shown that you are more likely to exercise and meet your fitness goals.

~jj

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