There’s a common habit people have which, hypothetically, sounds smart but, in reality, is at the root of all their issues.
The need to plan your training TOO FAR in advance.
It’s the “Okay, for the next 6+ weeks, I’m going to train every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.”
Sure, it makes sense. Having a routine, sticking to it—we preach this constantly. BUT the toxic part lies in the rigid mindset that often comes with it. When life inevitably gets in the way, we “fall off the bandwagon.” Maybe you had to skip Tuesday because you got called into work early, or you missed Friday because you went away for the weekend.
This rigid mindset means we are so hard-core drilled into the routine that we often forget to take a step back and see the other opportunities to make up sessions, and plan for missed training sessions.
When we miss a day in our rigid routine, the mind likes to play a few tricks. We hear it say things like “I missed a session, so I’ll start fresh next week”, “I can’t make that session today anymore, so I’ll just skip this week”, “I didn’t hit my planned 3 sessions this week, now my goals are failing”.
We need to find a balance between routine and flexibility. Routine, structure, and boundaries are good. But lack of flexibility, an all-or-nothing mindset, and the inability to adapt to life? That’s where the trouble starts.
Instead of telling yourself “I missed a session, so I’ll start fresh next week”. Change it to
“Do I have a window of opportunity to make something work?” Maybe you could fit in a shorter session, or could you reschedule for a different day or time?
Getting it done in “any capacity” means you continue momentum, which helps build motivation, you stick to your word (which prevents negative feedback cycles) and you are still working towards your goals. It means we do not beat ourselves up when we miss a session or stick to our routine.
Why Can Long-Term Planning Be Toxic?
If you are someone who works a 9-5 it may actually be great. BUT, if you are someone with an ever changing schedule, we have the easiest habit EVER er for you. Like… ever, ever, ever.
Here’s the trick. Plan weekly.
Instead of “For the next 12 weeks, I’ll train Monday, Wednesday, Friday,” we need to look and plan out our schedules weekly.
For example, on Sunday night, look at your next week ahead (aka. The next 5-7 days) and slow your training sessions in where they best fit. With week to week adjustments – you are allowing yourself to adapt to your routine, and still tick all the boxes!
AND always remember – something is better than nothing. If tomorrow morning is the ONLY time you can train but now you have to go in early, getting to the gym for 30 minutes instead of 60 now, but getting there instead of not going, is 1000x MORE IMPORTANT.