This would be a great time for setting some personal fitness/ health goals to begin working toward next summer. My problem is twofold: I'm uninspired at the moment as far as long-term goals, and I'm time-crunched for the foreseeable future (until, say, January). I know I need to get my butt moving again, but none of the off-season activities I was hoping to participate in fit in with my work schedule.
The masters' swim class I hoped to join runs too long for me to do it in the middle of the work day, and no other city recreation-type classes are available that fit my schedule. (Must be at work by 8, must stay until 5, lunch must be 12-1, NO schedule flexibility.) Ditto yoga and Pilates, although there are weekend classes available so I'll probably try to pick one of those up by late December. The bug's at an age where I can't take her in the jogging stroller anymore because she wants to get out and explore, but she can't go fast enough for me to get a workout that way. We do go for walks and hikes, but it doesn't count toward running time, for example.
I don't mean to whine, but I could really use others' suggestions. Here are the constraints:
- I can often work out over the lunch hour but 40 minutes is the absolute maximum time I have. That includes warm-up, cool-down, stretching, etc.
- As I'm single-momming it a good part of next month due to the rocket man's business travel, the only time I can work out in the house is 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Workouts outside the house will be erratic until January, between the weather and the single-mom situation. I can take the weather, just not the weather in conjunction with a tantruming two-year-old. Thus, I can't take regularly scheduled classes at the rec center, through city recreation, or anything fun like that. Maybe by spring.
So, all you athletes out there: How can I spend my copious free time recovering? What are your favorite recovery season training activities? Any thoughts on how to get around my schedule constraints? How do you get in QUICK workouts that are still worth the effort? Do tell.
5 comments:
Clearly no helpful information from me. I'm not "recovering" from anything, but I'd love some good suggestions as well. I'll have to check back and see if you get any good comments. Or if you get them emailed to you, let me know! I feel your pain on this one big time.
I think you might want to try walking during the lunch hour. There is less overhead in the prep/cleanup department, it's entertaining in the people-watching factor, and it's good, clean fun! I understand that in Boulder, walking is only considered a legitimate exercise if you're summiting Everest, but you're stronger than a little peer pressure, aren't you?
I assume the answer to this is no, but do either the rec center or the university gym have child care, so the bug could play while you work out? The one at DU does (and it's free with membership), and it seems to contribute to mom workout sanity. If not, you could do circuit training in the gym at lunch, which would give you a pretty intense workout in a fairly short amount of time. Here's one suggested 30 minute circuit training: http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blholidaywkout.htm. Or I suppose you could alternate with yoga or something like it in your late evenings (more power to you - by 8 I'm ready to tuck myself into bed!).
thinking of my after Ironman plans... i think you can take like 2-4 weeks of nothing in c-potato land, so after BB it sounds like you've met that objective...
next, 2-4 weeks of walking as per the Astrogal, and hiking, non-running, non-TRI type stuff.
but, for me personally, projecting to your constraints, the best thing you could probably do with your lunch hour is eat sensibly, and work that 8-10pm timeslot as bet you can.
and, Denise's suggestion is also outstanding, if viable, re childcare options freeing you up for group workouts.
i belonged to Lakeshore before im moved to Boulder, and their kidshore program was THE ticket.
hey, i'd offer some help here, but, i get nervous around bugs.
Clean house(over, under, and around),run stairs,rake leaves, wash windows,scrub stoves, clean closets....more in the way of total fitness, but ANY movement is exercise. Life is not linear, but three dimensional. The race is won by the tortoise! Love the bug!
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