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I had pizza last night. I washed it down with some beer too. I won’t tell
you how many.
I’d been writing most of the day and didn’t feel like cooking. Plus, the kids had NOT spent the day
trying to eviscerate each other (for once) so I figured we all deserved it.
I just wanted to let you know I’m human.
Before we start, recall what
I wrote in Chapter 6: the time of day that you workout has no impact on your metabolism. Choose a time that works best for
you and your family, period.
Let’s divide this chapter into two sections: weightlifting, and everything else.
Weightlifting
Unless you’re the type of guy who always sweats like a personal injury lawyer standing in
line at the Pearly Gates then I’ve got some good news. Even after an intense weight workout you probably don’t
need a shower – this is what makes the lunchtime workout possible. When I go for a run I sweat buckets, but weightlifting
for strength and size doesn’t make me sweat more than a little, no matter how hard I do it. When I get changed to go
back to work I use some paper towels to wipe out my pits (sorry for that image), reapply the deodorant, and I’m good
for the rest of the day.
If you really do sweat a lot then you could always get a dermatologist to stab Botox® injections
into your pits. I’ve heard that works well.
If you’re a regular sweating guy and also have a good gym close to your job then the lunchtime
workout should be an option. I realize that most of my examples here relate to an office job – it’s what I know. I’m sure
you can figure out how it applies to your situation if you work in a different environment.
Before Work
As I mentioned in Chapter 2, morning exercisers have the highest adherence rates. The day hasn’t
had a chance to wear them down and provide them with excuses not to exercise. As dedicated as I am this can happen to me;
if the morning is a complete cluster fuck then I might end up working through lunch or de-stressing at the Chinese food buffet.
Pros:
- High adherence
- Gym is less busy (if you dislike crowds)
- Can jump out of bed and go and then shower afterwards
at the gym facilities
- Gym location can be near home, allowing for easy weekend visits, or anywhere along your commute
(if you drive or bike)
- If the location is at work, driving in early allows you to miss some of the rush hour traffic.
Cons: - You
have to get up early – this can end up precluding helping with the kids’ morning routine. My wife appreciates
that I’m not gone before the kids wake up. If you have school-age children you know they often need cattle-prodding
to get their asses in gear and out the door. I don’t think it would be fair to make my wife do it all the time.
- If you need
to wear a full business suit then this can be a pain to haul with you to put on afterwards
There are times that I have lunch meetings and usually select getting up early and going in the
morning to compensate. I shower at home and put on exercise clothes, changing into work clothes afterwards.
Lunch Time
Pros: - You don’t have to get up early or get home
late – it allows for more sleep and family time.
- It promotes healthy eating because instead of going out
for lunch you go to the gym. This means you have to bring your lunch from home, making it easier to follow Diet Rule #1.
- It can re-energize
you for the afternoon. When I choose the buffet pig out over workout at lunch time I drag my ass the rest of the day.
- If you work
at a place with other exercisers you can all go over to the gym together – this is great for adherence (it doesn’t
mean you have to workout together).
Cons:
- Feeling of time pressure – you can’t screw around
- Work can interfere with adherence
- It requires
that you join a gym close to work
- It can be very busy
- It is difficult to complete in an hour. If you
work at a place where they are rigid about the one-hour lunchtime it may not be an option.
- If there is a “going to
lunch together” group at work then you often end up not participating
- Requires eating at your desk,
in most cases
Although there are more cons than pros,
the pros are great ones and the cons aren’t that bad.
After Work
Honestly, I can’t see how this one works well for the family guy. It means not getting home until quite
late, and unless you really don’t like your wife and kids then you may not prefer it.
Pros: - Can sleep in
- No time pressure at lunch (although there may be pressure to get home)
- Allows for lunch
meetings and having lunch with co-workers
- This seems to be the time when the hottest babes are there
- Gym can be close
to home
- If the gym is close to work then by staying late you can skip rush hour
Cons: - Less family time
- Gym is busy
- Lower adherence
– work wears you down and you feel like skipping it
If
you have a job where you finish early then this could work for you. Or I may have reached beyond my target market and you’re
a childless single guy who doesn’t need to rush to get home and wants to use the gym to meet women (or men). If that
appeals, then go for it.
Weekends
I can’t think
of a way to do a pro and con analysis of this one because it is more related to additional weight workouts. You can’t
only lift weights on weekends and achieve lofty goals.
The gym has to be close to home, but it can also be a family event
if you find a gym at a large community center. Some of these places have lots of good activities for kids and wives. Your
wife may want to go to the gym with you while the kids are skating, swimming, taking some kind of lesson or whatever.
Making it a family event is
good for a lot of reasons because it can promote higher adherence if the kids are pestering you to take them to do something
fun, and you and your wife can be supportive of each other’s fitness goals.
Aerobic Training / Other Activity
My opinion is that you should do most of this away
from the gym. You might want to do a little on the aerobic training machines in the early stages to start building up your
endurance, but once you can do more than ten or fifteen minutes it’s time to move on to something else like I outlined
in Chapter 15.
In the early stages you can do your aerobic training at the same time of day as your weight training (on a different
day, of course). When you’re starting out and lifting weights twice a week and then after a while add in an aerobic
day or two this is still only at most four days a week. You can do four mornings, or four lunches, or four after work sessions.
Realize that for aerobic workouts you need to factor in shower time afterwards.
Once you start working out more frequently,
however, then you need to be adaptable. I workout an average of seven times a week. Four of these are weight workouts done
at lunch (45 minutes each) and the other three are runs that each last an hour, often while the kids are in karate class.
If you do have kids then some advance planning can allow you to take advantage of the various shuttling to and fro that family
guys have to do. You don’t have to run like I do, but you could bring a bike or a pair of inline skates with you. Running
burns more Calories per hour, but the important thing is to take advantage of these opportunities to exercise.
If you pick aerobic activities
that are fun, and not just some hamster-wheel-like machine, then it can become a family activity. In the summer my wife and
kids and I will often go down to the river where the kids ride their bikes, my wife inline skates, and I run (I’m always
in last place). We finish it off with a bribe of ice cream for the kids to get them to not start whining about being tired
after just four miles.
The thing about aerobic training is that it allows for a lot of flexibility and is something that
can be done with family. Instead of trying to fit it into your schedule, it can become something that makes you a better dad
because you’re doing something fun with your family. Take them skiing, swimming, running, biking, skating, climbing,
hiking or do anything else you can think of.
The whole family will be better off for it.
It’s time to take the kids to karate and go for my run
now.
Later.
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