Believe me, I get it. The weekend is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation. After all, you survived the work week, so you’ve totally earned it. But I’m going to suggest something that might sound a little radical at first, but just let it set in before you react…
What if you starting workout out on the weekend too?
For the folks out there that are already making exercise a regular part of your weekend routine, great job and keep up the good work!
For the rest of us (myself included), I challenge you to start implementing at least one workout per weekend. I think the benefits will be worth it and you might even start to enjoy it.
Working Out On The Weekend
I’ve been struggling with exercising on the weekend for awhile. My goal has been to do one Peloton workout each weekend- doesn’t matter which day.
Today I was able to actually accomplish this (first time in awhile I must admit) so I figured I’d rant about it a little. You know, for motivational purposes.
For me, the hardest part of getting a weekend workout is time management. Ok, I’m lying. The real hard part is a combination of motivation and energy (or lack of in both circumstances).
On the weekend, I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want to sleep in and relax, yet still be productive and get stuff done around the house.
This doesn’t sound too hard, but I have 2 small kids. With small kids in the house, and I know the fellow parents out there will back me on this, sleeping in on the weekend is impossible.
These days, “sleeping in” for me is waking up at 7:30 am. And I’m lucky if the kids let me sleep in that long.
I don’t understand it. The laws of physics don’t seem to work on weekends- my kids stay up later yet still wake up earlier than they normally do on week days.
I know they’ll eventually reach an age where they’ll start sleeping in more, but I have a feeling it’ll be a long time from now.
And once the kids are up and about, there’s breakfasts that need to be prepared. After that we just roll into whatever chores and activities we’re doing for the day and before you know it’s nap time.
And their nap time is also my rest time.
Actually, I usually find myself working on this blog while they nap. But I COULD use this time to exercise I guess.
Once naps are over, the afternoon is well on its way. We usually go outside and play or watch a movie or doing something else to entertain everyone in the afternoons. Again, not a great time for me to exercise.
Then it’s dinner time followed by bed time. Before you know it you’ve survived another Saturday with the kids. Now they’re finally asleep and you have some alone time.
I COULD use this time to exercise, but its the weekend and I probably want to have a few drinks and watch a movie or something with my wife. After all, it’s my weekend too, don’t I deserve some down time too?
So, long-story-short (I warned you this is a rant): it’s hard to find a good time to workout on the weekend while still enjoying the benefits of the weekend. Well, with small kids at least.
The only solution for me is to workout as soon as I wake up.
This morning (it’s Sunday when I wrote this) I woke up at 7:30ish when the kids wanted to go to the attic and watch a movie before breakfast.
I went up with them and got a ride in on my Peloton while they played and watched Goosebumps 2. I was able to get a 30 min ride in before breakfast and it felt great.
Benefits Of A Weekend Workout
There are all the obvious benefits of working out more, you know, burning calories and fat and losing weight and all that jazz.
But working out on the weekend gives you a few extra benefits. First of all, I feel like it’s a bigger accomplishment to actually get a workout in on a Saturday or Sunday.
I just told ya what my typical weekend schedule looks like and how tough it is to find time to workout. So when you actually do it, it feels awesome.
It really gets your day going to0. After a workout, you’re more energized. It definitely gives you more energy to tackle the rest of your day.
After my workout this morning, I showered and made breakfast for anyone. It felt great.
Lastly, I want to point out the fitness benefits of adding an extra workout to each week. If you’re trying to lose weight, a weekend workout can be a game changer.
If you normally workout 3-4x a week, adding the weekend exercise bout bumps that to 4-5x a week. If you’re starting to plateau or aren’t seeing the results you’re looking for, try adding an extra bout of cardio on the weekends- could make a huge difference.
If you’re already working out on the weekend and still plateauing, you’ll have to switch up something. Either your routines or your diet.
Overall, working out on the weekend feels great. It’s hard to do, but if you can squeeze one in I think you’ll enjoy the benefits. For me, the only solution is to exercise first thing in the morning (just like during the work week).
Ok, rant is over. Thanks for listening (or reading). Now get out there and start exercising (on the weekend).
