How I’m Keeping my Workouts Fun + Fresh

And how you can, too.

Ah, the spice of life. It’s what keeps us all going, right? Shaking things up in your daily routine keeps the boredom at bay, adding a little variety into your foods, clothes, even what we’re watching, listening to and reading gives us the edge that makes us, us. That spice we sprinkle into these aspects of our lives allows us to grow and not stay stagnant. It feels good venture outside of the box every now and then. And of course, your workout routine and programs should absolutely follow this same path.

One rule of thumb I always keep for myself and to my clients is: Keep it Fresh, Keep it Fun. I live this in my business and in my style of training with my own workouts. If you don’t, your body WILL get bored and it WILL stop changing once it’s stopped being challenged – bo-ring! Why work if it won’t work, you know?

I totally understand this is easier said than done, but let me explain how I not only keep things fresh for my clients, but how I keep it fresh and keep myself on track while being in a gym daily for work, having two kids and begin 6 months pregnant (Especially this! Ideally, I just want to be eating Oreos and sitting on the couch right about now!). How do I make fitness a priority for myself during this busy season of life and for my clients who are equally as busy? Check it:

Keepin’ it fresh for my clients.

• I create their workouts with 1 year in mind. I talked about this on the Bold Base Performance Podcast I was a guest on this week, but the clients I have now consider this whole fitness situation as a lifestyle, not a quick fix. With an entire year in my mind, I am able to create a program for them that will keep their body changing and guessing through intentional training.
• Although the structure of their workout stays the same each session, I am mixing up their warm up, their core exercises, small changes in their main lifts, and their bursts of cardio throughout each and every workout. Always spicing it up and keeping them on their toes.
• I keep things fresh for them by giving them autonomy in scheduling their sessions on their own using my scheduling app. It may sound silly and simple, but a lot of trainers don’t work this way. Most clients have to train when they say and stick to that time. I strive to be different. I want my clients to come when it feels good and when it works with their schedule. So, sometimes, I have clients join a 7:15am session and the next day they’re training at 5pm. Keeping it fresh, you know?!

• Always train to a variety of good music – always.
• Offer my clients a variety of membership options. As a Loyalty Member, clients are able to train in their semi-private session for their 1-3 sessions a week and join in on my group fitness classes 4 times a month, on me. It’s good to spice it up, join a bigger group, get into a different dynamic and different style of training in once a week.
• Each month, I change up the style of lift they’re doing. Some months we go heavy weights and lift a low 6-8 reps, other months we are decreasing those weights and increasing their reps up to 15. Keep the body guessing and every changing is the goal.

Keepin’ it fresh for myself.

I’ve been in the fitness industry for 10+ years. I’ve seen it all, I’ve done it all. So, the importance of keeping things fresh for me comes and goes, to be honest. I sometimes crave a unique and different style of lifting or a class somewhere, and other times, I really appreciate, and know the value, in my style of training and follow my own programs – just like my clients, and there are even times when I hire a trainer for myself (because I know the value in a trainer!) to switch things up and get out of my own world and into theirs. Here are some other ways I keep my own personal fitness at the forefront of my mind:

• Do fast and effective workouts. I love going fast and going hard for a quick 20 minutes a few times a week. There is just nothing like that intense-holy-shit-this-is-so-hard feeling, accomplishing it and being DONE in 20 minutes. I love it.
• Make fitness fun. As you can imagine, when something is your job….it’s your job. It can easily become a tedious task, not enjoyable, and the one thing you want to run far far away from once your day is done. Honestly, fitness can be the same for me sometimes, so it’s crucial I keep things fresh and fun. I do this by making it a part of how I socialize with friends by hitting up a group fitness class around the city with them once a month. I knock out a little girl time, a little me time, and little fitness in one morning away – Perfection!
• Another day, I appreciate the slow, heavy and steadiness of a lift. See a theme here? It’s mixing it up that keeps things fresh – weird!?
• I get outside of the gym I work at. I find other gyms to train at, take my workouts outside to a park, or go to a class in Minneapolis like Cycle Bar, Alchemy, or CrossFit to just do my own thing.
• Train with my husband and kids. Just because we are in mom/dad life on the weekends, doesn’t mean our personal needs have to be pushed to the wayside – I mean how dare we!? A lot of times, I don’t train on the weekends at all because I got my 4 workouts in during the week and I just want to relax and rest and not think about work in any form, BUT if I didn’t or if we are itching to get out of the house, we pack the kids up and head to my husband’s CrossFit gym on a Saturday morning. We put the kids in the childcare and he and I get our workout in. It’s fun to do as a family and it’s a win win for everyone.
• I do what I enjoy. Fitness won’t work for anyone, myself included, if it’s not enjoyable. So, I forget about the hottest type of workout there is at the moment, and find something that works for me and I find joy in. Finding the right fit is key to keeping consistent in training.

How are you keeping this so fresh and fun with workouts?

Have a healthy day, 

Molly