I’m Really Busy. Here’s How I Get My Training In.

Somehow, post-lockdown life seems busier than ever. And my old gym routine – whatever that was back in 2019, I can’t remember – just doesn’t seem possible anymore.

I run my own business, so the mornings are really the only time I have to exercise. Going to the gym after work is always thrown off by a client emergency, networking event or – If I’m really lucky – an attempt to keep friendships alive. Whatever the scenario, after-work workouts just never happen.

So the morning it is. But the issue, like most of us, is time. My partner and I have a dog, and the mornings are my walks. So I also have to squeeze that in, alongside a 40-minute walk to the office plus the usual morning paraphernalia. Going to the nearest gym in the morning is just not possible without getting up at 5 am. 

I live in a small house in the city, with an open plan downstairs. There’s no gym or dedicated workout space, there’s about 700 sq feet total. It’s teeny tiny. So I couldn’t imagine that working out from home would really be possible for me. Quite a tough brief for a personal trainer, right?

Exercise-wise, I like to incorporate strength training into my routine to help me tone up. I like running, but an old knee injury and subsequent surgery mean I have to be careful not to overdo any impact activity. So whilst 30-minute runs are really convenient time-wise, I can’t do that every day without aggravating my knee. I was getting frustrated with just how impossible it seemed to work out and get back into a fitness routine that doesn’t totally disrupt my life.

I explained all of this to my Another Round coach, Tash. I asked if it was possible to reach my goals (lose the remaining lockdown weight and tone up) in just 30 minutes or less if I trained every morning at home, in combination with a healthy diet and my average of 11,000 steps per day. The answer was yes, absolutely.

Tash suggested that I invest in a small dumbbell set (£79.99 on Amazon). I tuck this away in a small basket in my living room, on hand but out of sight. My weekly routine is 3 X strength sessions per week designed by my coach, 2 X outdoor runs and 2 X yoga sessions. I like having something every day, even at weekends, so that I don’t break the daily habit.

This is totally achievable for me. Even after just a few weeks of training, I feel much better, more in control and ready to face the day - whatever it throws at me. I’m exercising in a way that doesn’t niggle my injury and doesn’t cause a huge imposition in my day.