How Many Days Should I Workout? What's The Best Workout? How Long Should I Workout For?

This may not be the answer you are seeking but there is no golden workout, no ‘perfect’ amount of time you should workout for. The best workout routine for YOU is the one you can stick to CONSISTENTLY!! 

How do you ensure you create a workout routine that will be consistent?

Ensure it actually fits YOUR free time and its something YOU enjoy 

TIME 

Firstly, It is all about quality over quantity. It’s not about finding more time, that's never going to happen, it's about using your time more effectively. So many people are stuck in the ‘all or nothing’ mentality. If they can’t do 5x1hour sessions then they allow that to become an excuse and end up doing nothing. 

Moving your body regularly is the secret. We all have ‘time’ - it just comes down to how you are using yours. 

Are you lying in bed hitting snooze in the morning and getting up 30mins later? That 30mins could have been a workout session 

Are you scrolling social media for 20mins a day? That could have been spent getting some steps in 

Are you coming home and watching netflix? That could have been a quick evening sweaty workout to end the day 

Look at your calendar across the week - what TIME do you have available to YOU? If its 20mins, 30mins or an hour dedicate it to exercise then figure out what is the most effective use of THAT time. 

The most effective use of that time will depend on your goals, your current body and equipment you have access to but rule of thumb - the less time you have the more intense you want to make the workout. The more time you have then the more you can focus on lifting heavier and breaking movements down to isolate certain body parts. 

Both ways will eventually get you to where you need to be, one might be get you there quicker (the longer sessions) HOWEVER the other way (shorter sessions) will still get you there which is 10000% better than the alternative of not doing any workout and not getting anywhere because ‘you don’t have time’

Secondly, if you want to do something consistently and longterm then it will need to fit YOUR schedule. I see so many busy women trying to fit workout routines into their schedules that have not been designed for super busy females leading hectic lives. 

IF your schedule doesnt allow you to workout 5 times a week then don’t

IF your schedule doesnt allow you to drive to a gym and then workout then don’t, workout at home

IF your schedule doesnt allow you to to workout for an hour or more, then don’t 

If the workout routine doesnt suit YOUR day to day life then it won’t last. 

Whenever I work with a new client my first question around their exercise is ‘how many days can YOU workout realistically within your schedule and for how long?’ then i design the workouts that will be most effective for THEIR time so they can stick it to the routine consistently and see results instead of stopping and starting because they are trying to make an impossible schedule fit their life

SOMETHING YOU ENJOY 

It will depend on your goals but if you are looking to tone up then resistance training will need to dominate your workout routine. 

There are LOTS of ways to make it something you enjoy, which is key to keeping the motivation to actually keep doing it longterm. 

If you don’t like working out alone there are amazing classes you can attend, even virtually

If you don’t like working out in a gym, then create your own workout space at home 

Get your friends involved as accountability buddies 

Join a community online with women on the same mission to support you and cheer you on 

Have a good playlist ready that will get you excited and in the mood to exercise 

Exercise is NOT something you ‘have’ to do - its something you GET to do. What a blessing it is to be able to move your body each day and strengthen it. The more you get caught up on ‘having’ to workout in order to LOOK a certain way the more it will feel like a chore. Try switching your mindset to: I get one body, one vehicle to get me through life and i get to move that body each day, to enjoy different experiences, I get to respect my body and strengthen it so it will reward me later in life.