First Day Of The Month? Start A Workout Calendar!
It's the First Day Of The Month, BodyRockers! A brand new month can be a whole new ballgame if you're living an active lifestyle. Maybe today you take your measurements and see what kind of progress you've made, or maybe it's the day you start a 30 Day Sugar Free diet, or 30 Day Gluten Free diet.
Our community members post all kinds of interesting and fun challenges they've set for themselves on the first day of each month. It may also be the day you commit to a Workout Schedule. Like any project, if your goal is to Lose 5 LBs And Gain Visible Abs (a popular goal for Intermediate BodyRockers) then you need to schedule out milestones for reaching that goal.
Having a schedule also gives you a firm commitment to yourself. If you have set aside Leg Day to follow Arm Day, for example, you can fall behind if you don't do your Arm Day workout! Little tricks like this all add up to provide you with the inspiration and motivation you need to stay on track with your Fitness Journey. You can get loads of tips in our Insider Group, just like this below:
As you can see above, Yvonne is doing the DailyHIIT challenge on SweatFlix, and also posting a tip for parents, for how to schedule their workouts for when the kids are in bed. Here are our official tips for how to be successful with your own Workout Calendar prep!
1. Mark Extra Busy Days as Rest Days
You do not need to schedule Rest Days for weekends, you can make your Rest Days make sense for your life. Ideally, you can set aside 99% of your plans to make time for your health, but sometimes we have weddings, religious holidays, or even hospital procedures to attend to, and we know these days need to be set aside. We recommend setting aside a day before or after busy days, as your muscles need two back-to-back non-workout days to fully heal from intense workouts. Try this technique for your Calendar. Making a sustainable schedule will ensure you stick to it.
2. Schedule A Diverse Range Of Workouts
Yvonne here is doing a Challenge in SweatFlix, so these days are already different each day, such as Full Body workouts, Arm Day, Leg Day, Core Day, etc. If you are one of the many people who have saved a few of their favorite SweatFlix workouts in a personal Playlist, however, you want to make sure you are slotting each workout into a schedule that provides you with a good mix of workouts.
For example, some challenges give you a Full Body Workout with emphasis on Cardio for Day 1, a Core Workout for Day 2, an Arm Workout for Day 3, a Leg Workout for Day 4, and a Full Body Workout with an emphasis on weight training for Day 5, then this is followed by 2 Rest Days. You could always swap out any of the above, for example do a Booty Workout instead of a Core Workout one day, but the main idea is to not do the same kind of workout two days in a row.
3. Schedule Something Active For Rest Days
BodyRockers know that "Rest Days" refer to Active Rest activities. This could be going for a run, doing a yoga class, going to the gym and using some cardio equipment, or even just hiking or going for a long walk with friends.
You want your muscles to heal, so please do not do anything that is weight bearing on this day, but moving feels sublime. Your body will start to crave movement, especially if you are doing HIIT on a regular basis and your body is turning into a fat-burning, muscle-building machine!
4. Don't Skip Arm Day, or Leg Day!
Yep, we know you want to skip some days...we've been at this a long time! We know that the majority of women skip Arm Day because they think it will make their arms "bulky." (We have a lot to say about how BodyRock workouts build lean and not bulky muscle here.) The idea that high intensity interval training will make you bulky-looking is a total myth.
You build lean muscle when you do HIIT, and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn on a daily basis, even on Rest Days. Men, however, often love the idea of looking "bulky!" So they overdo it with Arm Day, and skip Leg Day, thinking that having strong legs is simply a by-product of working out regularly. It's not. You have to work your body out in equal portions, and throw in some Full Body workouts that will help with Balance, Agility and overall cardio health.
5. Reward Yourself For Perfect Weeks
Set aside something that you love to do, or eat, or watch, as a designated Reward for finishing your schedule and not skipping any of the days of your week. A "week" should be 5 days long to give you time for 2 Rest Days in between your 5 Days of workouts. Some people plan a nice (moderate) Cheat Meal as a Reward, other people save up a few episodes of their favorite show and allow some back to back binging-watching! The most avid BodyRockers make a purchase for their Home Gym, which helps them reach their goals a heck of a lot faster. Whatever your Reward is, really treat it like a Reward.
If you skipped one or two days of your weekly schedule, think about it: do you get that Reward? Does the Reward work if you give it to yourself no matter what your habits were? Discipline is key for staying on track and getting in shape. Having a schedule and sticking to it, tracking your measurements and taking Before And After photos are all ways to be your own Coach and kick your own butt!! In order to help you schedule your own month, we've created this Downloadable Image of a Blank Month! You can schedule out all your workouts this month, and even plan your Rest Day activities and your Rewards for doing your workouts each week. If you are a SweatFlix member already, you know about the Insider Group.
Fill out your calendar and post a pic of it in the Group, to inspire the thousands of Group Members all over the world to take their own Fitness Journey to the next level with you!!
Click On This Image And Print It Out
Not A SweatFlix Member Yet? Want To Sign Up And Join The Group?
If you are working out and not finding the motivation you need to really reach your goals, sign up today for your free 30 Day Trial in SweatFlix, giving you immediate access to the Insider Group. You can see how you like the world's largest platform of workouts and Challenges, and also see what this Group is all about. If you don't love it, you can cancel any time without paying a dime!
