While yesterday I wrote a bit on managing stress by taking control of your email inflow, today I want to cover a bit of the other side of the stress equation: your workouts. I am not talking about the big picture issue of building a manageable workout schedule (although I will get there…don’t think you are off the hook!), I am just talking about executing your daily workout.
Gordo Byrn, one of my favorite sources of inspiration, captured it best when he answered: “The best protocol is whatever gets you out the door.” The question was “What’s the best training protocol?” And G is right, just getting out the door is better for your fitness than just sitting there. But even getting out of the door can prove to be a bit challenging if you haven’t set yourself up right.
For my early morning workouts I spend 5 – 10 mins the night before setting things up. Consider this a daily review from an exercise perspective. My mornings have three major components: my meal, my gear, and my workout. I take care of the workout the night before by reviewing what’s on tap so I can prepare. My meal is always the same (I’m a simple guy!): peanut butter and honey on toast. If it’s a big day, I might slice up a banana on top. And a cup of coffee. So the night before I prepare my coffee machine and set the timer so it’s ready when I get up. The smell of my Peet’s coffee definitely helps me get my butt out of bed.
The last piece of my morning is the gear. A quick check of the weather the night before gives me a pretty good sense of what I’ll need. I take it all out and set it up in the kitchen, so I can get geared up while I eat / digest. During the dine+dash procedure, I’ll quickly review my schedule for the day and take another quick peak at the weather to make sure I’m adequately prepared…and then it’s out the door.
It might seem like a lot, but better to get most of this done the night before. This way your transition from bed to the road is as quick as possible.
Tip for the weather: Bookmark the active radar widget for your region so you can refer to it quickly before you head out. I don’t mind getting cold, but I really want to know if I am going to get wet. I personally use the Map in Motion from Weather.com. Just enter your address then select Radar and then Map in Motion. Then just hit Control+D to bookmark the page, and you are set. Mac users can actually download a widget to put on your desktop so you can see it live with a click of a button. You can get the widget here.
Hi, I'm Patrick McCrann. 
