I got very personal today! 👀
I talked about how exercise was a key piece of the puzzle when I was recovering from PTSD and depression.
It solidified to me how important exercise was in my daily life.
Ok, back to my usual chipper podcast show notes!
Have you wanted to implement an exercise routine but are confused about where to begin?
You are in luck because today I am talking all about exercise routine!
Get ready to learn about the five essential components of a successful exercise routine:
- Affordability and accessibility
- Compatibility with work and family commitments
- Adaptability to injuries
- Sustainability
- Personal preference
We all know that exercise has many benefits, such as regulating blood sugar, combating disease, boosting social life, reducing stress, improving self-esteem, increasing focus and concentration, and strengthening immunity.
However, just knowing the benefits will not create a routine for yourself.
Remember, when building a routine, you must recognize that your needs are dynamic.
They'll shift frequently, and adjusting your routine accordingly is essential to stay on track.
By the end of the episode, you will better understand how to start and where to go to have a successful exercise routine!
…..
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heather (00:00):
Hi and welcome to the Air we Breathe.
I'm your host, heatherSayers-Layman.
I'm a National Board CertifiedHealth and Wellness Coach,
certified Intuitive EatingCounselor and Certified Personal
Trainer.
I help you get organized andconsistent with healthy habits,
without rules, obsession orexhaustion.
The Air we Breathe the findingwellbeing that works for you is
a podcast created to help youestablish a trusted foundation
(00:22):
of doable, healthy habits andsmart self-care skills that can
endure every season and last youa lifetime.
My guest and I will share waysthat you can focus on your
physical and mental health withpurpose, flexibility and ease.
This podcast may contain talkabout eating disorders and
disordered eating.
We minimize mentions ofspecific behaviors and numbers,
(00:43):
but it's still a topicnonetheless.
There also could be some swearsand or adult language here.
Choose wisely if those areproblematic for you.
Hi and welcome to this episodeof the Air we Breathe.
(01:08):
Today I'm talking about exerciseroutines, but not in the sense
of prescriptive.
Here's exactly what you shoulddo.
Everyone should be doing thesame thing, and then we'll all
look alike and not any of thebiohacking.
Oh, this is the best thing andthis is the hottest trend.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
So many blahs.
I want to talk about theconcept of the best routine is a
(01:32):
routine you will do.
What I find is people lookingfor the best routine for the
most fat loss, for the mostgains, shaping this part of your
body, whittling away this partof your body, all completely
(01:54):
body-centric, and I get it likethat's 100% what we have been
conditioned to think of physicalactivity.
It is meant to change ourbodies and focus on how we look.
The good news is that's not allthere is.
(02:17):
There are a lot of other thingsthat we can benefit from having
a regular physical activityroutine.
A few things that we can get ifwe are a bit stumped on what
else we can do.
Physical activity helps all ofthe following it helps to
(02:40):
elevate and stabilize mood,boost energy.
It promotes better sleep.
It increases our longevity.
It can protect from injury.
It can help us regulate bloodsugar, combats disease, boosts
social life, reduces stress,improves self-esteem, increases
(03:03):
focus and concentration, reducesstress, improves self-esteem,
increases focus andconcentration and strengthens
our immunity.
So there's really not much itdoesn't do, and there's
literature on physical activitybeing more helpful than SSRIs.
And if you're taking meds, takeyour meds, don't just start
(03:24):
exercising.
I just some of that kind ofvein of talking about exercise.
I just don't find helpful.
What I think is good to focuson is what you can get from
exercise, and I know for myselfelevates and stabilizes mood is
(03:45):
a piece that's really importantto me.
Many years ago I had PTSD anddeveloped depression and at my
worst I was very aware that Ineeded to get back into
exercising regularly.
To get back into exercisingregularly, I was doing other
(04:08):
things also going to a group,going to individual therapy.
I started taking medication fora while because I needed to get
out of this rock bottom and Ihave exercised in a gym since I
was 15.
But this was different and Ireally have hung my hat on the
(04:33):
fact that it really helpedelevate and stabilize my moods
and I stand by that for sure.
So it is one reason where Ifocus on.
Physical activity is somethingthat I do regularly because I
know that it can help that piececoming out my ears and my
(05:01):
family.
My bloodline is very strong forhaving a lot of problems, but
there's also a lot of trauma inmy family's past but also in my
past, so it's just one of thosethings that I'm like you know
what, let's keep this up.
And also for myself.
I know you've heard me talkabout my back pain and it's
(05:22):
always very ironic when I talkabout like physical activity
benefits and protects frominjury is one, but also I injure
myself quite often.
It's it just, it is what it isand that's just where my body is
now at 53.
But again, I just think that itis really helpful to keep
(05:43):
things moving.
One of the things if I miss acouple of days of exercise, I
really do start to feel stiffand my hips feel tighter.
My back definitely feelstighter.
So when I go to the gym, even ifit's not to do a major workout
I would say today I went becauseI had a little back flare up
(06:04):
last week and I did probably 40%of what I did was part of
actual our workout because I goto a group studio and the
workout is written for us andthe other 68 were just rehab
exercises.
That I was like no to this, butI'm saying yes to this.
So it really can be helpful fora lot of reasons and I think
(06:29):
finding your reasons isincredibly helpful to keep
yourself going and why do I wantto do this in the first place?
So back to the concept of thebest routine is a routine you
will do For ever.
I have seen people on thishamster wheel of sorts where
(06:53):
they really are looking at whereare my body goals and this is
what exercise is for.
Then the manner that theyapproach exercise definitely
isn't the routine that they willdo, because it might be too
(07:14):
punishing, it might be tooexpensive, it could be too far.
So I'm just going to go over acouple pieces that I think are
really helpful to assess whenyou're trying to decide if this
routine is the routine for me.
Also, another caveat is yourneeds are going to change and
(07:36):
they might change often.
They might change, if you havekids, what the kids have going
on, what's going on with yourparents, what's going on with
work, if you get sick, if youget hurt.
So I never want this to be astatic concept, but it's
absolutely the best routine forme today and you can assess how
(07:59):
often, however often you likeand think that would be
beneficial.
So first, your routine needs tobe affordable and accessible.
There are statistics I haven'tlooked them up in forever, so I
won't even try to guess what itis about how far people will go
(08:20):
and maintain their routine, andthe attrition level increases as
the distance from that locationincreases, which absolutely
makes sense, that we may bepretty jazzed to start driving
25 minutes to a gym, but overtime we feel less jazzed.
(08:41):
And would that be different ifwe only had to drive five or ten
minutes?
And obviously this is a luxurythat I'm talking about for
distance.
Not everybody has a placethat's close to them.
But then it also brings up like, maybe home is a better option
for me because I'm not going todrive 25 minutes but I can do
some stuff at home.
(09:03):
And the affordability piece.
I don't think Groupon is nearlythe thing that it used to be,
but I used to have so manypeople that were trying Groupons
and they were trying, like theVIP, super deluxe workouts,
which I always think.
That's the same as visitingeither a home you want to buy or
an apartment you want to rentthat's completely out of your
(09:26):
price range, because you'regoing to walk in there and
you're going to be like dang,this place is nice.
Oh, and if you are champagnedreams on a beer budget like you
don't want to do that, you wantto just look at what you can
afford.
So the same with exercise.
I just don't think it'sbeneficial to go to a super
(09:46):
bougie place that you're notgoing to be able to go to for
very long, because then youmight just feel more
disappointed in what you canafford.
So the best routine also fitswith work and family commitments
.
Again, those two things mightebb and flow for you, they might
remain the same, but it reallyneeds to be something that in
(10:10):
the long run, this is going towork.
I'm not missing out on a lot ofthings and I'm not
overscheduling myself to try toget this done Work before work,
during work, after work likewhat really actually works best,
what works well with mycircadian rhythm?
(10:31):
Oh boy, here comes Heather withanother caveat.
And sometimes we don't have theluxury of working with our
circadian rhythm.
I'm a morning person, and ifthere are times when my kids
were very young and I was single, I just couldn't exercise in
the morning.
If I wanted to do something athome which was not my favorite,
(10:54):
I couldn't do it because Ineeded to get up, we needed to
get ready for school, all ofthose things.
When I was married before that,then obviously I had a partner
that could do those things, sothen I could work out in the
morning that could do thosethings so then I could work out
in the morning.
But your family commitmentsmight take precedence over your
personal preferences, and Ithink that is fine.
(11:18):
Did you want another caveat?
I don't think it's fine to say,oh my goodness, my young
teenage kids can't getthemselves ready for school
because I need to be there andmake them pancakes every day.
We all have our personalpreferences and sometimes we do
(11:39):
more for others than maybe theyactually need and we say we
don't have time for ourselvesand we say we don't have time
for ourselves.
Again, that's full of nuanceand complexity, so it's not as
easy as that.
It's something to look atAbsolutely, because I definitely
know a lot of people that gettheir kids up until they leave
(12:01):
home, which I don't always thinkis like the best preparation
for them having to go to schoolor start a job and get
themselves up and prepare to bethere, like you can start that
training early.
Have you ever felt like thedo-it-yourself approach to
improving your healthy habitsends up doing nothing except
(12:23):
making you feel overwhelmed,guilty and defeated?
Have you been struggling tofind sustainable routines that
work for your responsibilities,lifestyle, budget and personal
preferences?
You don't need more rules,influencers or structured
programs.
Let me help you discover whatyou want, what works for you and
(12:43):
how to maintain healthy habitsduring the ever changing
circumstances of your life.
If you're ready to createsystems that stick head to
heathersayerslaymancom backslashhealth dash coaching and click,
let's do it.
The next piece is works withinjuries.
(13:04):
So, as a old, grizzled fitnessperson with multiple injuries,
there are just things I can't doanymore.
I absolutely can't jog.
Hiking is pretty iffy for me.
I can do fits and bursts ofcardio, but long cardio just
(13:26):
aggravates too much.
So whether that's walking orriding the bike for a long time,
it just the hip, it's a wholething.
So what I have to do is tailormy workouts to be kind to the
bits and pieces of me that arenot receptive to just doing
whatever I want.
(13:47):
I think that making sure you'retending to your injuries
certainly increases your qualityof life.
We could absolutely pushthrough and I'm going to tape
this and hobble through this butI really think that does
decrease your quality of life,because now you've got pain
(14:09):
often, so are there routinesthat create less pain for you?
I've seen people push throughnuts kind of pain and I don't
think it's a great plan in thelong run.
I think that you end up eithermentally really struggling from
(14:32):
the pain obviously physicallyyou already are but it starts to
really weigh you down and itmakes it easy then to quit and
not do anything.
So maybe I'm not doing the sameintensity as I was five years
ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago,which I'll just tell you I'm
not, and that's fine.
I'm doing what works for mybody at this stage of my life
(14:58):
and there's just nothing wrongwith that.
If that's is, you can stickwith it.
So this can mean a lot ofdifferent things.
I think that having a routinethat you will do definitely has
(15:21):
to take in consideration theweather.
I have lived in the Midwest andran in the Midwest year round.
That was very cold andsometimes snowy, sometimes rainy
, sometimes sleety, and I didn'tmind it.
I don't mind being cold in thatway.
And I also live in Phoenix,which is literally sitting on
(15:48):
top of the sun, and for a solidfive months of the year there is
no activity outside for meother than literally getting in
the pool and maybe putteringaround my yard.
It's hot and I can work out inthe cold.
I cannot work out in the heat.
I had heat stroke.
No, sorry heat.
I have heat exhaustion a longtime ago and it has really made
(16:11):
me so tender and delicate to theheat.
I don't think menopause helpseither, quite frankly.
So you could absolutely havetwo different routines a year
where, okay, like this inclementweather, like I'm not going to
do it, and some people don'tlike the cold so they're not
(16:31):
going to run in the winter, andI think that's a fine choice.
And I used to coach a lot ofpeople that said then they just
weren't going to do anythingduring those five months of the
year where it's too hot.
And I think that's where we canreally put on our thinking cap
(16:55):
and see for those five months,what else we can do.
If it's in the budget, you canabsolutely join a low budget gym
.
I think the closest one to meis $15 a month Not reachable for
some people, but some peoplecould be able to do that.
And then, obviously, home is anoption for you if going
(17:21):
somewhere is out of your budget.
But being able to stick with italso doesn't mean you're doing
the exact same thing 365 days ayear.
You're going to adapt and dowhat works for you at the time.
So, in the same vein of lookingat.
(17:44):
You can stick with it.
That means that maybe it hasenough variety for you that it
doesn't get too old.
Some people like doing the samething all the time.
Some people like doing kind ofthe same.
I like group training becauseit's the same.
(18:04):
We have heavier cardio days onTuesday, thursday, saturday.
We have more lifting days oh, Isaid that backwards.
You don't care, though.
Let's just say Monday,wednesday, friday.
So it's routines, but we'reemphasizing different things, so
that changes all the time, butI'm still going to the same
place at the same time seeingthe same people, and absolutely
(18:29):
that's something that I canstick with.
So you really have to look atyour personality and does your
personality desire doing totallydifferent things?
Then you could stream a lot ofdifferent things.
Or if you go to the gym, thenone day might just be cardio,
one day might be focusing oncore, one might be lifting, or
(18:51):
you can always do core, cardio,lift, and then the next day is
lift, cardio, core, and just mixit up like that.
But it has to be in a formatthat you can stick with.
If you know you're a personthat likes variety, then either
as you get started or as you aregoing along.
You need to be thinking aheadabout what is going to satiate
(19:16):
that variety monster inside ofyou, because just trying to
overwrite it isn't alwaysbeneficial.
It's hungry.
It's hungry for variety.
So you want to figure out howcan I give you variety that
works in my schedule, that'saffordable, accessible, works
with my work and works with myfamily commitments.
(19:38):
And I think this is a greatplace to get out problem solving
hats, to talk to people who doexercise and see what they do
and what helps them stick withtheir program as well.
The last piece is you like it?
Now?
I've talked before about thewhole.
I'm not super jazzed into thejoyful activity.
(20:03):
I find meaningful movementworks for me because it means I
feel better, it means I sleepbetter, my back doesn't hurt as
much and I don't hate it becauseI absolutely have had different
stints in physical activitywhere I went to spin for
(20:24):
probably a year and I hated it.
I will say I was working on athing of okay, is this going to
help my hip?
Because I couldn't run workingon a theory and I just my
biggest beef.
It was so loud.
I felt grandma complaining allthe time.
(20:46):
Because it was so loud I had towear earplugs and I had a
decibel meter on my phone.
This is 110.
This is too loud.
They're actually like literallycausing hearing damage.
Again, I had to bounce becauseI just I didn't love the workout
enough to deal with the hassleof losing my hearing as well.
(21:08):
Or you get on the bike and youget all set up and then the
workout starts and then I forgotmy earplug.
So then I got to get up andclip out and put my earplug.
That was the whole thing and Iseem to just like gym stuff.
I don't like doing a lot ofcardio, I don't.
I don't like doing things likePilates per se, just weights,
(21:34):
throw in a little bit oftreadmill bike for a couple of
minutes.
That's way more up my alley.
So I would say I like it, likeit's good, it's fine, and there
are so many options for peopleto choose from because again now
there are different types ofplaces you can go.
There are general places youcan stream at home.
(21:56):
You can get workouts literallyfrom some of the resources at
your library.
But what is really important isthat you like it.
You're not sobbing every timeyou have to go or on the way
home that you're like, oh, thatwasn't bad.
And when you leave you feellike, okay, I'm glad I did that.
(22:17):
So if those things aren'thappening for you, it might be
time to inspect a little bit.
And is there anything else Iwould like to do that fits in
with my family commitments, mywork, it's affordable, it's
accessible, it works with myinjuries and sometimes if you're
(22:39):
in a season of life of no likewith my work schedule, this is
it it.
Then there is a little bit ofemotional and mental work to do
to accept that okay, with thesethings going on, this is as good
as it gets right now, andtelling myself that when these
(23:02):
things lighten up, then I willchange my exercise routine.
But I just need to hang on so Ican cross the finish line with
some other things.
So the liking it has the samekind of context and nuance as
well.
But I do think finding a way tobe happy with what you're doing
(23:25):
can be really helpful, can bereally helpful and at the same
time, looking at if I'm nothappy, what could I change, that
I might like a bit more.
So hopefully that helps.
I feel like when I'm talking innuance and different situations,
(23:45):
the difference is there's neverlike one answer, which this is
what bugs me so much aboutpeople that focus on one answer.
There is not one answer foreveryone.
If people are really likelifting heavy and doing Olympic
lifts and they're like this isthe best thing for everyone,
(24:06):
absolutely not.
It's not the best thing foreveryone, because you really
need to take context, personalpreferences, budgets, time, all
of those things intoconsideration, and when people
are giving kind of pat answers,they're either selling something
or they're misinformed or theyare willfully ignorant.
(24:31):
Really, it could be any ofthose.
I keep seeing this gif goingaround and it has, of course,
women and they're doing like abungee class or they're drumming
on like the big giant physioballs and the title is what
women will do to avoid liftingweights, which I don't even know
(24:54):
where to start with this, Mindyour business, like.
What women are doing reallydoesn't matter to you or affect
you.
Then quit making dumb memesabout it, because if what gets
somebody's blood pumping isdoing a bungee routine, great.
If drumming on a ball likereally gets them excited about
(25:19):
working out, super, do that.
I just also think people arebeing jerks.
And that conversation and justknowing that's out there, I
think wedges people into areasof working out that maybe
they're not jazzed about, butthey know also there are these
(25:42):
big bullies out there that arejust going to make fun if they
do something else.
If they do something else, andyou just have to be really
comfortable with the fact thatyou are doing what works for you
, and I think that takes alittle work to drill down to the
confidence piece of knowing no,yes, this person is a big
(26:02):
expert and they have a bigfollowing, but what they're
doing doesn't work for me and Idon't have to do it.
Hopefully these pieces help.
Remember routine is affordable,accessible, fits with work and
family commitments, works withinjuries.
You can stick with it andyou'll like it.
I hope that you can take a fewminutes and work through those
(26:26):
things and then put on the oldthinking cap if you want to
change anything.
Good luck to you.
Thanks so much for listeningtoday.
Do you know what would bereally fun if you popped over to
my Instagram at Heather SayersLehman and dropped me a DM and
let me know what topics you wantme to cover?
Something bugging you,something holding you up?
(26:48):
Please just let me know and Iwill tweak some content and get
an episode out just for you.
As always, please follow showor you can leave a five-star
review on apple or spotify.
That would be fun too.
See you in the next episode.
Hi and welcome to the Air we Breathe.
I'm your host, heatherSayers-Layman.
I'm a National Board CertifiedHealth and Wellness Coach,
certified Intuitive EatingCounselor and Certified Personal
Trainer.
I help you get organized andconsistent with healthy habits,
without rules, obsession orexhaustion.
The Air we Breathe the findingwellbeing that works for you is
a podcast created to help youestablish a trusted foundation
(00:22):
of doable, healthy habits andsmart self-care skills that can
endure every season and last youa lifetime.
My guest and I will share waysthat you can focus on your
physical and mental health withpurpose, flexibility and ease.
This podcast may contain talkabout eating disorders and
disordered eating.
We minimize mentions ofspecific behaviors and numbers,
(00:43):
but it's still a topicnonetheless.
There also could be some swearsand or adult language here.
Choose wisely if those areproblematic for you.
Hi and welcome to this episodeof the Air we Breathe.
(01:08):
Today I'm talking about exerciseroutines, but not in the sense
of prescriptive.
Here's exactly what you shoulddo.
Everyone should be doing thesame thing, and then we'll all
look alike and not any of thebiohacking.
Oh, this is the best thing andthis is the hottest trend.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
So many blahs.
I want to talk about theconcept of the best routine is a
(01:32):
routine you will do.
What I find is people lookingfor the best routine for the
most fat loss, for the mostgains, shaping this part of your
body, whittling away this partof your body, all completely
(01:54):
body-centric, and I get it likethat's 100% what we have been
conditioned to think of physicalactivity.
It is meant to change ourbodies and focus on how we look.
The good news is that's not allthere is.
(02:17):
There are a lot of other thingsthat we can benefit from having
a regular physical activityroutine.
A few things that we can get ifwe are a bit stumped on what
else we can do.
Physical activity helps all ofthe following it helps to
(02:40):
elevate and stabilize mood,boost energy.
It promotes better sleep.
It increases our longevity.
It can protect from injury.
It can help us regulate bloodsugar, combats disease, boosts
social life, reduces stress,improves self-esteem, increases
(03:03):
focus and concentration, reducesstress, improves self-esteem,
increases focus andconcentration and strengthens
our immunity.
So there's really not much itdoesn't do, and there's
literature on physical activitybeing more helpful than SSRIs.
And if you're taking meds, takeyour meds, don't just start
(03:24):
exercising.
I just some of that kind ofvein of talking about exercise.
I just don't find helpful.
What I think is good to focuson is what you can get from
exercise, and I know for myselfelevates and stabilizes mood is
(03:45):
a piece that's really importantto me.
Many years ago I had PTSD anddeveloped depression and at my
worst I was very aware that Ineeded to get back into
exercising regularly.
To get back into exercisingregularly, I was doing other
(04:08):
things also going to a group,going to individual therapy.
I started taking medication fora while because I needed to get
out of this rock bottom and Ihave exercised in a gym since I
was 15.
But this was different and Ireally have hung my hat on the
(04:33):
fact that it really helpedelevate and stabilize my moods
and I stand by that for sure.
So it is one reason where Ifocus on.
Physical activity is somethingthat I do regularly because I
know that it can help that piececoming out my ears and my
(05:01):
family.
My bloodline is very strong forhaving a lot of problems, but
there's also a lot of trauma inmy family's past but also in my
past, so it's just one of thosethings that I'm like you know
what, let's keep this up.
And also for myself.
I know you've heard me talkabout my back pain and it's
(05:22):
always very ironic when I talkabout like physical activity
benefits and protects frominjury is one, but also I injure
myself quite often.
It's it just, it is what it isand that's just where my body is
now at 53.
But again, I just think that itis really helpful to keep
(05:43):
things moving.
One of the things if I miss acouple of days of exercise, I
really do start to feel stiffand my hips feel tighter.
My back definitely feelstighter.
So when I go to the gym, even ifit's not to do a major workout
I would say today I went becauseI had a little back flare up
(06:04):
last week and I did probably 40%of what I did was part of
actual our workout because I goto a group studio and the
workout is written for us andthe other 68 were just rehab
exercises.
That I was like no to this, butI'm saying yes to this.
So it really can be helpful fora lot of reasons and I think
(06:29):
finding your reasons isincredibly helpful to keep
yourself going and why do I wantto do this in the first place?
So back to the concept of thebest routine is a routine you
will do For ever.
I have seen people on thishamster wheel of sorts where
(06:53):
they really are looking at whereare my body goals and this is
what exercise is for.
Then the manner that theyapproach exercise definitely
isn't the routine that they willdo, because it might be too
(07:14):
punishing, it might be tooexpensive, it could be too far.
So I'm just going to go over acouple pieces that I think are
really helpful to assess whenyou're trying to decide if this
routine is the routine for me.
Also, another caveat is yourneeds are going to change and
(07:36):
they might change often.
They might change, if you havekids, what the kids have going
on, what's going on with yourparents, what's going on with
work, if you get sick, if youget hurt.
So I never want this to be astatic concept, but it's
absolutely the best routine forme today and you can assess how
(07:59):
often, however often you likeand think that would be
beneficial.
So first, your routine needs tobe affordable and accessible.
There are statistics I haven'tlooked them up in forever, so I
won't even try to guess what itis about how far people will go
(08:20):
and maintain their routine, andthe attrition level increases as
the distance from that locationincreases, which absolutely
makes sense, that we may bepretty jazzed to start driving
25 minutes to a gym, but overtime we feel less jazzed.
(08:41):
And would that be different ifwe only had to drive five or ten
minutes?
And obviously this is a luxurythat I'm talking about for
distance.
Not everybody has a placethat's close to them.
But then it also brings up like, maybe home is a better option
for me because I'm not going todrive 25 minutes but I can do
some stuff at home.
(09:03):
And the affordability piece.
I don't think Groupon is nearlythe thing that it used to be,
but I used to have so manypeople that were trying Groupons
and they were trying, like theVIP, super deluxe workouts,
which I always think.
That's the same as visitingeither a home you want to buy or
an apartment you want to rentthat's completely out of your
(09:26):
price range, because you'regoing to walk in there and
you're going to be like dang,this place is nice.
Oh, and if you are champagnedreams on a beer budget like you
don't want to do that, you wantto just look at what you can
afford.
So the same with exercise.
I just don't think it'sbeneficial to go to a super
(09:46):
bougie place that you're notgoing to be able to go to for
very long, because then youmight just feel more
disappointed in what you canafford.
So the best routine also fitswith work and family commitments
.
Again, those two things mightebb and flow for you, they might
remain the same, but it reallyneeds to be something that in
(10:10):
the long run, this is going towork.
I'm not missing out on a lot ofthings and I'm not
overscheduling myself to try toget this done Work before work,
during work, after work likewhat really actually works best,
what works well with mycircadian rhythm?
(10:31):
Oh boy, here comes Heather withanother caveat.
And sometimes we don't have theluxury of working with our
circadian rhythm.
I'm a morning person, and ifthere are times when my kids
were very young and I was single, I just couldn't exercise in
the morning.
If I wanted to do something athome which was not my favorite,
(10:54):
I couldn't do it because Ineeded to get up, we needed to
get ready for school, all ofthose things.
When I was married before that,then obviously I had a partner
that could do those things, sothen I could work out in the
morning that could do thosethings so then I could work out
in the morning.
But your family commitmentsmight take precedence over your
personal preferences, and Ithink that is fine.
(11:18):
Did you want another caveat?
I don't think it's fine to say,oh my goodness, my young
teenage kids can't getthemselves ready for school
because I need to be there andmake them pancakes every day.
We all have our personalpreferences and sometimes we do
(11:39):
more for others than maybe theyactually need and we say we
don't have time for ourselvesand we say we don't have time
for ourselves.
Again, that's full of nuanceand complexity, so it's not as
easy as that.
It's something to look atAbsolutely, because I definitely
know a lot of people that gettheir kids up until they leave
(12:01):
home, which I don't always thinkis like the best preparation
for them having to go to schoolor start a job and get
themselves up and prepare to bethere, like you can start that
training early.
Have you ever felt like thedo-it-yourself approach to
improving your healthy habitsends up doing nothing except
(12:23):
making you feel overwhelmed,guilty and defeated?
Have you been struggling tofind sustainable routines that
work for your responsibilities,lifestyle, budget and personal
preferences?
You don't need more rules,influencers or structured
programs.
Let me help you discover whatyou want, what works for you and
(12:43):
how to maintain healthy habitsduring the ever changing
circumstances of your life.
If you're ready to createsystems that stick head to
heathersayerslaymancom backslashhealth dash coaching and click,
let's do it.
The next piece is works withinjuries.
(13:04):
So, as a old, grizzled fitnessperson with multiple injuries,
there are just things I can't doanymore.
I absolutely can't jog.
Hiking is pretty iffy for me.
I can do fits and bursts ofcardio, but long cardio just
(13:26):
aggravates too much.
So whether that's walking orriding the bike for a long time,
it just the hip, it's a wholething.
So what I have to do is tailormy workouts to be kind to the
bits and pieces of me that arenot receptive to just doing
whatever I want.
(13:47):
I think that making sure you'retending to your injuries
certainly increases your qualityof life.
We could absolutely pushthrough and I'm going to tape
this and hobble through this butI really think that does
decrease your quality of life,because now you've got pain
(14:09):
often, so are there routinesthat create less pain for you?
I've seen people push throughnuts kind of pain and I don't
think it's a great plan in thelong run.
I think that you end up eithermentally really struggling from
(14:32):
the pain obviously physicallyyou already are but it starts to
really weigh you down and itmakes it easy then to quit and
not do anything.
So maybe I'm not doing the sameintensity as I was five years
ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago,which I'll just tell you I'm
not, and that's fine.
I'm doing what works for mybody at this stage of my life
(14:58):
and there's just nothing wrongwith that.
If that's is, you can stickwith it.
So this can mean a lot ofdifferent things.
I think that having a routinethat you will do definitely has
(15:21):
to take in consideration theweather.
I have lived in the Midwest andran in the Midwest year round.
That was very cold andsometimes snowy, sometimes rainy
, sometimes sleety, and I didn'tmind it.
I don't mind being cold in thatway.
And I also live in Phoenix,which is literally sitting on
(15:48):
top of the sun, and for a solidfive months of the year there is
no activity outside for meother than literally getting in
the pool and maybe putteringaround my yard.
It's hot and I can work out inthe cold.
I cannot work out in the heat.
I had heat stroke.
No, sorry heat.
I have heat exhaustion a longtime ago and it has really made
(16:11):
me so tender and delicate to theheat.
I don't think menopause helpseither, quite frankly.
So you could absolutely havetwo different routines a year
where, okay, like this inclementweather, like I'm not going to
do it, and some people don'tlike the cold so they're not
(16:31):
going to run in the winter, andI think that's a fine choice.
And I used to coach a lot ofpeople that said then they just
weren't going to do anythingduring those five months of the
year where it's too hot.
And I think that's where we canreally put on our thinking cap
(16:55):
and see for those five months,what else we can do.
If it's in the budget, you canabsolutely join a low budget gym
.
I think the closest one to meis $15 a month Not reachable for
some people, but some peoplecould be able to do that.
And then, obviously, home is anoption for you if going
(17:21):
somewhere is out of your budget.
But being able to stick with italso doesn't mean you're doing
the exact same thing 365 days ayear.
You're going to adapt and dowhat works for you at the time.
So, in the same vein of lookingat.
(17:44):
You can stick with it.
That means that maybe it hasenough variety for you that it
doesn't get too old.
Some people like doing the samething all the time.
Some people like doing kind ofthe same.
I like group training becauseit's the same.
(18:04):
We have heavier cardio days onTuesday, thursday, saturday.
We have more lifting days oh, Isaid that backwards.
You don't care, though.
Let's just say Monday,wednesday, friday.
So it's routines, but we'reemphasizing different things, so
that changes all the time, butI'm still going to the same
place at the same time seeingthe same people, and absolutely
(18:29):
that's something that I canstick with.
So you really have to look atyour personality and does your
personality desire doing totallydifferent things?
Then you could stream a lot ofdifferent things.
Or if you go to the gym, thenone day might just be cardio,
one day might be focusing oncore, one might be lifting, or
(18:51):
you can always do core, cardio,lift, and then the next day is
lift, cardio, core, and just mixit up like that.
But it has to be in a formatthat you can stick with.
If you know you're a personthat likes variety, then either
as you get started or as you aregoing along.
You need to be thinking aheadabout what is going to satiate
(19:16):
that variety monster inside ofyou, because just trying to
overwrite it isn't alwaysbeneficial.
It's hungry.
It's hungry for variety.
So you want to figure out howcan I give you variety that
works in my schedule, that'saffordable, accessible, works
with my work and works with myfamily commitments.
(19:38):
And I think this is a greatplace to get out problem solving
hats, to talk to people who doexercise and see what they do
and what helps them stick withtheir program as well.
The last piece is you like it?
Now?
I've talked before about thewhole.
I'm not super jazzed into thejoyful activity.
(20:03):
I find meaningful movementworks for me because it means I
feel better, it means I sleepbetter, my back doesn't hurt as
much and I don't hate it becauseI absolutely have had different
stints in physical activitywhere I went to spin for
(20:24):
probably a year and I hated it.
I will say I was working on athing of okay, is this going to
help my hip?
Because I couldn't run workingon a theory and I just my
biggest beef.
It was so loud.
I felt grandma complaining allthe time.
(20:46):
Because it was so loud I had towear earplugs and I had a
decibel meter on my phone.
This is 110.
This is too loud.
They're actually like literallycausing hearing damage.
Again, I had to bounce becauseI just I didn't love the workout
enough to deal with the hassleof losing my hearing as well.
(21:08):
Or you get on the bike and youget all set up and then the
workout starts and then I forgotmy earplug.
So then I got to get up andclip out and put my earplug.
That was the whole thing and Iseem to just like gym stuff.
I don't like doing a lot ofcardio, I don't.
I don't like doing things likePilates per se, just weights,
(21:34):
throw in a little bit oftreadmill bike for a couple of
minutes.
That's way more up my alley.
So I would say I like it, likeit's good, it's fine, and there
are so many options for peopleto choose from because again now
there are different types ofplaces you can go.
There are general places youcan stream at home.
(21:56):
You can get workouts literallyfrom some of the resources at
your library.
But what is really important isthat you like it.
You're not sobbing every timeyou have to go or on the way
home that you're like, oh, thatwasn't bad.
And when you leave you feellike, okay, I'm glad I did that.
(22:17):
So if those things aren'thappening for you, it might be
time to inspect a little bit.
And is there anything else Iwould like to do that fits in
with my family commitments, mywork, it's affordable, it's
accessible, it works with myinjuries and sometimes if you're
(22:39):
in a season of life of no likewith my work schedule, this is
it it.
Then there is a little bit ofemotional and mental work to do
to accept that okay, with thesethings going on, this is as good
as it gets right now, andtelling myself that when these
(23:02):
things lighten up, then I willchange my exercise routine.
But I just need to hang on so Ican cross the finish line with
some other things.
So the liking it has the samekind of context and nuance as
well.
But I do think finding a way tobe happy with what you're doing
(23:25):
can be really helpful, can bereally helpful and at the same
time, looking at if I'm nothappy, what could I change, that
I might like a bit more.
So hopefully that helps.
I feel like when I'm talking innuance and different situations,
(23:45):
the difference is there's neverlike one answer, which this is
what bugs me so much aboutpeople that focus on one answer.
There is not one answer foreveryone.
If people are really likelifting heavy and doing Olympic
lifts and they're like this isthe best thing for everyone,
(24:06):
absolutely not.
It's not the best thing foreveryone, because you really
need to take context, personalpreferences, budgets, time, all
of those things intoconsideration, and when people
are giving kind of pat answers,they're either selling something
or they're misinformed or theyare willfully ignorant.
(24:31):
Really, it could be any ofthose.
I keep seeing this gif goingaround and it has, of course,
women and they're doing like abungee class or they're drumming
on like the big giant physioballs and the title is what
women will do to avoid liftingweights, which I don't even know
(24:54):
where to start with this, Mindyour business, like.
What women are doing reallydoesn't matter to you or affect
you.
Then quit making dumb memesabout it, because if what gets
somebody's blood pumping isdoing a bungee routine, great.
If drumming on a ball likereally gets them excited about
(25:19):
working out, super, do that.
I just also think people arebeing jerks.
And that conversation and justknowing that's out there, I
think wedges people into areasof working out that maybe
they're not jazzed about, butthey know also there are these
(25:42):
big bullies out there that arejust going to make fun if they
do something else.
If they do something else, andyou just have to be really
comfortable with the fact thatyou are doing what works for you
, and I think that takes alittle work to drill down to the
confidence piece of knowing no,yes, this person is a big
(26:02):
expert and they have a bigfollowing, but what they're
doing doesn't work for me and Idon't have to do it.
Hopefully these pieces help.
Remember routine is affordable,accessible, fits with work and
family commitments, works withinjuries.
You can stick with it andyou'll like it.
I hope that you can take a fewminutes and work through those
(26:26):
things and then put on the oldthinking cap if you want to
change anything.
Good luck to you.
Thanks so much for listeningtoday.
Do you know what would bereally fun if you popped over to
my Instagram at Heather SayersLehman and dropped me a DM and
let me know what topics you wantme to cover?
Something bugging you,something holding you up?
(26:48):
Please just let me know and Iwill tweak some content and get
an episode out just for you.
As always, please follow showor you can leave a five-star
review on apple or spotify.
That would be fun too.
See you in the next episode.
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