Daily execution of an effective training plan is one of the most overlooked and challenging aspects of training. As a time-challenged athlete, there are multiple forces competing for your time and attention. Part of the process of setting a schedule is imposing your will on those actual forces; part of the process is also determining where your schedule best fits. This article focuses more on the latter, setting up a schedule that will fit into your daily routine. Look for other strategies on how to impose your schedule in future articles.
The most important thing you can do is to set a sleep schedule. Most active adults need anywhere from six to eight hours of sleep a night. Your goal here should be to plan for eight hours a night and then strive to get as close to that benchmark is possible on a daily basis. Eight hours may seem unattainable now but 85% of the time that’s just because you haven’t tried it. Give yourself a week where you prioritize your sleep and then you can decide whether or not it’s feasible. The effect of consistent sleep on the average endurance athlete is so positive that most folks are willing to do whatever it takes to make it stick.
Once you’re set on your optimal sleep duration, it’s time to determine your optimal sleep window. You can begin the process of selecting your sleep window by figuring out what time of day your evening actually winds down. For me I know that when the clock hits in 9 p.m., my day is effectively done. It’s time for me to sit down and with my wife, or read a book, or zone out to some television. All I’m aiming for here is the 10 p.m. bedtime. If for some reason I stay up later and the news comes on, I have a much harder time going to sleep. I’d much rather scroll to the news at my own pace the next morning than have to listen to it all at night anyway.
Once you have the start to your sleep window is easy to do the math and figure what time to be getting up. Of course, there are a lot of other items that can affect what time you actually wake up in the morning such as family, workouts, etc.. Do your best to have a fixed wake-up time in the morning. It’s better, in other words, to always get up at 5:30 and modify your bedtime instead. So if you need to get more done than to go to sleep at 10:30, get up at 5:30, and get seven hours. If you have to work late or something comes up and you can’t get to sleep until 11, you are still getting 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I suggest sticking to this rule unless it means you’re going to get less than six hours of sleep on any given night. In that case I suggest that you relax the rules a bit and sleep in to get a minimum of six hours.
I personally like to get up at 5:30 every morning as this means I have an hour to myself before everyone else wakes up. I use this hour to eat my breakfast and to plan my day. Depending on my schedule, I may also get a quick workout done. Since I work from home, I have more flexibility than the average bear in determining my exercise schedule. It’s worth noting that sleep is typically the first thing to go when athletes decide to add more to their schedules. By embracing the 10 hours a week methodology that places key workouts before simply working out, the likelihood of your being able to implement a set sleep schedule is that much higher.
Do not underestimate the importance of being well rested on a daily basis; not only does it help you to work but it will make each of your workouts that much better and therefore help your overall raising goals as well.
Happy Sleeping,
Coach P
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