I started practicing yoga about ten years ago after taking a free class from a fellow AOLer, Megan Griffith (now Cartier, owner of the now super successful Flow Yoga in Leesburg and Ashburn). Religiously, I practiced as I went through my divorce in 2005 and even dragged Bob to a few classes when we were dating. Inner Power Yoga in Sterling was my respite as I dealt with the sickness and eventual death of my mother in 2011, but somewhere after that, I lost the drive to go. Life got hectic and I actually dreaded going. The time commitment — 20-minute (30-35 in traffic) drive to the studio + 90-minute class + 30-minute return trip — was just too much time out of my already crazy day. Especially when I had already spent an hour doing some form of cardio earlier in the day.
Then, a few weeks ago, Flow Yoga opened just few minutes from my house. Plus, their classes are only 75-minutes and something about those fifteen minutes makes all the difference to my mental ability to commit to going. Since Flow opened in Ashburn, I’ve gone 2-3 times per week and this reinforces what I tell clients, make your workouts convenient.
Convenience is the number one most important factor in working out, at least for me and most people I work with. Life is busy. There are 100 other things that will pull your attention away, but if your workout is convenient, it makes it much easier to get there and get it done.
I was doing CrossFit for a while, which I’ll write about later – pros & cons, but about six months into my membership, they changed the schedule. The new class times didn’t fit into my routine. Originally, the class time was perfect for leaving my job and getting there with just a little time to spare. With the new class times shifting just 30 minutes, I had to either leave early (frowned upon by management) or stay later (frowned upon by my willpower). So I stopped going. That wasn’t the only reason I stopped, but it certainly didn’t help.
My recommendation, for your regular workouts, pick something that you can do without much thought or major preparation. Running and/or walking are great options because you just have to lace up shoes and go. Hop on your bike. Find a gym near your office or home. Pick a time where you don’t have other commitments. The fewer obstacles you put in your way, the more likely you are to get it done.
Coming soon on the blog, why I workout in the morning and why you should too.
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