Struggling To Keep Your Workout Schedule? So am I!

Sometimes following a fitness program or workout schedule is not quite as do-able as the folks writing the advice make it sound. I suppose the idea is to tell you what you should be doing to achieve your fitness or weight-loss targets, but you know sometimes life gets a bit in the way of all these plans, and there is just no way you can follow your intended program.

I know, because I am in exactly that position myself right now, and it is very easy to get derailed or discouraged and start to wonder if it's all just a bit too much to keep up in the face of uncontrollable obstacles.

My difficulty is that the local pool has closed for six weeks, and that's quite a blow to a training program designed to take me into the World Top Ten Swimming Masters again this year, so I've tried to find somewhere else to get in the necessary daily workout routine, but it seems everywhere I turn, I find the same refurbishing going on and pools closing all over the place; so what do we do? Well the point of all this personal story stuff is to say, "yes we have a real problem in sticking with the training plan but we can, and have to, adapt just to keep the ball rolling to our benefit". The last thing we want to do is give up or say, "let's forget the whole thing".

I guess I sound repetitive, as I say this in several articles, but you must, "keep on keeping on". That's the key to maintaining weight loss or maintaining fitness. It's so easy to get discouraged by the events and obstacles that life puts in the way, but the "can't beat me" kind of feeling can be nurtured by finding an alternative to your workout, and I bet that most of us have some aspect of our program that we have been meaning to work on, but have been too tied up in the regular main activity to focus on.

For example, here's what I have done to combat the lack of pool time. I'm doing some sit-ups, heaven knows I've been avoiding that pleasure for ages now, and I'm getting in some push-ups and a little work on the arms with some light weights, or if you have no weights, try two milk container jugs (the ones with the handles) filled with water, as barbells. Yes we all know that one, but you get the idea of what I'm saying, improvise, you don't have to have all the gear just to keep a maintenance level of fitness and you can also do all this stuff if you're on the road and in a hotel with no weight room.

Now one of the things you don't hear much from the pundits pushing their fitness or weight-loss programs is how they are doing and, if we do, it's all upbeat and rah-rah. Well let me tell you, I went quite some distance to find a pool that was open, as it had been close to two weeks without any swim workout, and boy, oh boy did I feel pretty bad! Arms of lead and legs that reconfirmed to me that if you don't have those legs in shape, you're "cooked". This is the other area I'm always harping on about, but you know it is true that the legs are the key to core strength and if we don't get them in shape, it really doesn't matter how good the rest of the body is because the leg fatigue will suck all the power from the engine.

So I struggled through my session and at the end it was a little better, but knowing I had at least put in a maintenance type session made me feel better and back on track, if not improving at least holding steady and not rolling backwards and that's my point. Whatever is temporarily disrupting your plans or throwing you off your schedule, work around it by adapting and using inventive thinking to keep you from slipping backwards. Like I've said in my articles before, the key phrase is, "keep on keeping on!" So keep on and don't give up!

Good luck, all the best.

About The Author

Gordon Black is a world-ranked Master swimmer and Canadian national record holder. A member of the British swim team in the late '60s, after thirty years out of the pool, last year Gordon returned to competitive swimming in the Masters forum. He offers an online weight loss, fitness and motivational coaching service through his web site www.gordonblack.com where his competitive comeback is chronicled. Gordon is currently working on a book based on his own weight management and fitness system - publisher's enquiries welcome!

gordon@gordonblack.com

---

When Exercising Right Looks Wrong III (Back)

Hopefully, if you read my last article I got you... Read More

An Introduction to Tennis

Is tennis good for you?Absolutely - tennis is a gentle... Read More

Keep Exercise Journals For Real Results

Always make sure to keep a detailed training journal. By... Read More

Best Abdominal Exercises to Get the Sexy Six Pack You Deserve

The key to getting those sexy abdominals lies mainly on... Read More

Best Flat Tummy Exercises for Great Female Abs

Are there flat tummy exercises that are the best for... Read More

5 Little Known Benefits of Warming Up & Cooling Down After Exercising

While working out in the gym, I have noticed that... Read More

Finding The Right Exercise Intensity

We've all heard the exercise guidelines that recommend we participate... Read More

Physical Fitness - Is Your Workout Missing Something?

Hiking along a rocky trail, two of the three friends... Read More

5 Essential Walking Exercise Tips

Walking exercise is one of the easiest ways to get... Read More

Get Out and Play: Top 7 Outdoor Exercises

Do you remember when our parents used to yell at... Read More

Six Simple Strategies to Turn Your Walks into Workouts

If You are already fitness walking several times a week... Read More

How to Pick a Good Personal Trainer

One of the major benefits of the YourBestBodyNOW Program and... Read More

Metabolism: How to Increase Your Metabolic Rate?

Metabolism is a process by which the body burns the... Read More

Exercise - Anxiety & Panic

Yes, all I'm afraid this does play a part in... Read More

Who Else Wants To Get In Shape in 35 Minutes?

Most of the physical fitness trainers, and coaches agree that... Read More

Lower Back Extension Exercise

This is an excellent exercise for the lower back that... Read More

How to Find a Gym and Start Exercising

There is hardly a week that passes without an article... Read More

Exercise Nutrition: How To Keep That Energy Up!

How many times has this happened to you?>> You psych... Read More

Exercise and the Time Clock

I have to admit that I sometimes find it amusing... Read More

Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises are important before you begin your workout. Always... Read More

Warning! Lack Of Exercise Could Be Harmful To Your Health

You know it's bad when the Surgeon General issues a... Read More

Exercise and Kids: The Difference between Training Children and Adults!

The greatest mistake a person can make when exercising with... Read More

Great Summer Workouts: Just Add Water

With warm weather season now in full gear, exercisers want... Read More

Exercise & Motivation, Part 2: Overcoming Inertia & Getting Started

In the first article in this series (http://tinyurl.com/8ztbo), we gave... Read More

Defeating Back Pain Forever

Back pain, one of the most common physical, and debilitating... Read More