Day Seventeen: Planning For The Wrench

Establishing & maintaining structure is extremely important in changing our health. A KEY component of achieving our goals is consistency with our nutrition & exercise. Anyone can diet & exercise for a week, but that won't get us anywhere. It is only through changing our life that we become healthy & fit. We must FOREVER abandon that lifestyle which hasn't been working...it's what got us to this place.

When you establish structure, your spouse knows what to expect, your children are comfortable with your schedule. It's easier to pack your lunch for work, make your breakfast in the morning, and know what workout classes you're going to take at the gym with your favorite trainers. It also lets you plan around birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, days when your children are off school, & travel. Planning is important, especially early-on.

I plan out my weeks this way. When Christmas or New Year's Eve falls on a weeknight, I already know that my cheat meal days are changing that week. However, I plan my week, but allow for an element of flexibility in my schedule. I realize that there are hiccups that occur...that birthday party you forgot about, or a child throwing up at 2 am...Knowing that there will always be life's wrenches thrown into the mix, we must plan for them.

It's okay if you have to miss a Thursday workout, just move it to a workout on Sunday when you were planning a day off. Pull out the gym schedule, see what classes are offered on that day instead, and change it up that week. You can also get a system for at-home workouts, but make sure that it's a system that will get a good, strong workout in & your heart-rate up. Working out at home should be just as productive as working out at the gym.

What you don't want to do is throw the baby out with the bathwater & say..."Well, I already blew it because my daughter got sick, I'll try again next week." Become creative, move stuff around, negotiate with others if there are responsibilities involved so that they're getting their needs met as well, and get a fantastic workout in on a day you'd normally take off. Treat it like it's a priority in your life because it is.

Do: Plan for the wrench. Buy some GREAT workout DVD's for home, a jumprope, & a weight set - used weights work just as well as new ones & can be found cheap at garage sales. My favorite DVDs include Jackie Warner's "Work Out" and P90X. Keep an updated copy of your gym's schedule at home & work. Keep your workout bag packed with a water bottle, a workout magazine with great weight exercises that make you sore (Fitness RX is my fav), your iPod, clothes, & shoes. You'll never know when you need to work out today instead of tomorrow.