Last week I really wanted to get five full days of workouts in. All was going well until I ran out of time before my uncle’s Christmas party on Saturday morning. The second I realized that a workout was just not happening, not even a twenty-minute at home one, I started beating myself up over it. I got super grumpy and went on a huge rant. I couldn’t believe I didn’t plan better, I couldn’t fathom how I thought I’d really be able to do it all (how STUPID of me), and I just got so mad at myself. Despite my busy schedule, I barely ever use the “I don’t have time” excuse, and I just felt like a failure because that’s what ended up happening this weekend.

I think I was so dramatic about my missed workout because I indulged on Thursday night at a Christmas get together, and I knew I’d be eating a lot on Saturday at my family’s Christmas party too. Exercise is also my stress relief, and on Saturday I really could have used a solid sweat sesh to keep my stress levels in check for the day.

After a lot of grumbling, Tim finally intervened and said, “Athena, when you DO have to take an extra day off than planned, it’s OKAY. This is why you work so hard the rest of the time.”

And sometimes, I just need him to intervene and say something as SIMPLE as that to make me snap out of it.

“There is a huge difference between ALWAYS saying that you don’t have time versus having ONE weekend when you actually do run out of time.”

Okay, well when you say it like that…

After my conversation with Tim about it, I decided to stop dwelling and being so hard on myself. I told myself I was lucky to get the four solid workouts in that I did do, I told myself I was lucky to be alive and healthy and able to exercise as much as I do, and I told myself that I simply tried my best. And then I didn’t think about it for the rest of the day, enjoyed my family party, and got a great workout in on Sunday instead. One day does not define me. The entire journey does.

Last Week’s Workouts

Sunday
Off

Monday
Actually took a spin class at Oak Square for the first time in a LONG time. It felt nice to be back on the bike there!

Tuesday
Took Kickboxing, then taught my class with a mini circuit theme. Here’s the workout I taught:

Wednesday
Wednesday I did well with the whole “I don’t have time” thing. I knew I couldn’t work out after work, and I didn’t want to work out in the morning because I wanted to get a good night’s sleep, so I opted for an at lunch sweat sesh at work. I did my 3-2-1 treadmill workout (my favorite go to) for 25 minutes, but I upped the mph to 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5 for speeds since the last time I did this workout at 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 I didn’t feel like I pushed myself hard. After the treadmill, I did five minutes of planks and called it a day.

Thursday
Taught my 6am class with my go to upper body Tabata strength workout. In between rounds, we did lower body exercises such as squats, lunges, etc. with the format of 30 seconds highest intensity version (ie jump squat), 30 seconds regular move (squat), and 30 seconds of the pulsing version (squat pulse). We finished with a couple of core exercises, and I left sweaty and happy.

Friday
Off

Saturday
Off because I simply just didn’t have time (there, I said it). I was sad to miss Monique‘s kickboxing class, but it’s OKAY.

This Week’s Workouts

• Sunday: 20 minute treadmill workout + three rounds of five strength exercises
• Monday: Cardio and core strength
• Tuesday: Taking kickboxing, then teaching my Interval class with a holiday theme. I can’t believe it’s the last Tuesday night class of 2013!
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Teaching my 6am class. I’ll use my holiday playlist again!
• Friday: Workout TBD
• Saturday: Workout TBD

Are you ever hard on yourself for missing workouts or not exercising? How do you snap out of it and show yourself some self love instead of beating yourself up for it?