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Fitness

Back Up Plans

Jefferson HugginsOctober 3, 20235 min read

“Two is one. One is none.”

This bit of wisdom is often shared between military operators, first responders, adventurers and anyone else who can’t afford to have a pivotal piece of equipment fail when they need it most. Herein lies a valuable lesson from those who can’t afford to fail; a plan is only as good as its backup. 

Look, we get it. You’re motivated to make positive change and you’re ready to put in the work, but sometimes it feels like you have no control over your own time. Meetings pop up, deadlines get pushed in the wrong direction, and you still need to save time to show up for your friends and family. The more unpredictable life feels, the more reactive you become. So how do you begin to turn the unpredictable into the expected? Let’s talk about some strategies to help you proactively stay on top of your commitment to health and wellness. 

  1. On a piece of paper, write down the specific items which require a plan for the upcoming week. These can be “make time to exercise 3 times per week,” “stick to my nutrition plan,” or “drink 3 liters of water per day.”
  2. For each category, write down the last 3-5 events that have gotten in the way of your plans in the past. This could be, “I had a work call come up during the time I usually work out” or “I had to go to a work lunch instead of eating the meal that I brought to the office.” 
  3. For each hurdle identified in step 2, write down an actionable plan that would have kept you on track. You might find that several hurdles fall under a single category and that one solution might solve multiple problems. 
  4. Put your backup plans into action! Note the results and adjust if needed. 
Below are a few helpful tips to staying on track. 

Making time to train

  • When possible, plan on a morning and evening training time. Always shoot for the earliest time slot and save the latter as a fall back plan. It’s okay if one time frame is shorter than the other, you can always shorten your session to fit within the time you have available but try to plan for at least 30 minutes. Remember that consistency and engagement are the two most important components for success! 
  • If you only have one time per day that you can get to a gym, have a backup bodyweight plan locked and loaded that you can do outside of the gym. The FORM-AI Movement Library has over 200 bodyweight exercises complete with demonstrations and pointers that you can use to assemble a quick, accessible training session.
    • When pressed for time, try utilizing EMOMs (Every Minute On The Minute) or womeAMRAPs (As Many Reps as Possible) to help make the most of the time you have. 
    • For EMOMs, pick two exercises that fit your goals for a given day. For a full body workout, pick one upper and one lower body movement. For each exercise, select a number of reps that takes 20-30 seconds to complete. At the beginning of even numbered minutes, perform the lower body exercise and then the upper body exercise on odd numbered minutes. If you have only 30 minutes to train, block off a 5 minute block each for a warmup and cool down, and perform the EMOM for a total of 20 minutes.
      • Example
        • Odd Minutes – 12 alternating forward step lunges
        • Even Minutes – 10 yard bear crawl forward and backwards
    • AMRAPs work in much the same way, except that the goal is to work through as many rounds as possible in a given amount of time. We recommend anywhere between 3 and 5 exercises. It is important to understand that lower repetitions will give you a higher cardiovascular effect while higher reps lend themselves more to muscular fatigue.
      • Example
        • 5 bodyweight squats 
        • 5 burpees
        • 6 alternating deadbugs

Sticking to your nutrition 

  • Make sure that you keep snacks which align with your goals easily accessible in case things get busy. One of the most common nutritional pitfalls is skipping meals throughout the day and then binging in the evening. Try to keep hunger at bay as much as possible by implementing healthy snacks. 
  • If you get pulled to a group lunch and aren’t sure if there will be options available that align with your goals, try to have a snack containing 10-20 grams of protein or a high volume, low calorie snack like an apple paired with a bottle of water to curb excessive hunger and help you make better decision once you arrive. 
  • For weight loss, prioritize lean protein and leafy vegetables, ask for sauces and dressings on the side and use a minimal amount, and try to select carbs that can be prepared without oil, such as whole baked sweet potatoes or white rice. When ordering a sandwich, ask them to prepare the bread without butter or oil. Skip dessert. 
  • Note – Sometimes a workday outing is meant to be fun and relieve stress. Don’t feel bad about enjoying some delicious food from time to time! However, if these events seem to take place nearly everyday, it might be wise to use some of the strategies above. 

Remember that a good solution in action is always better than a perfect solution forgotten. Hindsight is always 20/20 which is why it’s a great strategy to look at the events that have historically been problematic for you first in order to anticipate them in the future. Keep working hard, develop strategies that work for you, and enjoy the process!