Working out regularly, with an irregular schedule?

Are you a person who works rotating shifts or has work hours other than a typical 9-5? Or is your daytime schedule a 9-5, but your evenings are scattered in their schedule because of family commitments? These different hours do present an additional challenge when trying to schedule a fitness plan, but don’t despair.  Here are a few suggestions to accommodate an irregular work/life schedule:

1) If you work a rotating schedule (e.g. day shift for one week and night shift for one week) ask your trainer to put together a night shift workout plan and a day shift workout plan that matches your time and energy for the corresponding week.  Or if you have more days off one week and less the next, ask for 2 different weekly programs to accommodate this.

2) Now, does your schedule vary each week?  Then perhaps scheduling workouts in a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday fashion just won’t work.  So, make yourself a checklist.  One that has listed how many total workouts for the various components of fitness you need in a week.  Next, look at your schedule each day, and figure out which you can tick off your list on which day.  Also consider your needed rest time (i.e. don’t schedule two upper body weight workouts back to back).

If your schedule isn’t a “regular” one, again, don’t despair.  I have had positive comments from shift workers I’ve worked with telling me that “I have very small windows of time to workout and as such, I just get it done because I know I can’t put it off until tomorrow!”  Keep trying, adjusting your schedule until you find the workout recipe that’s right for you.  You’ll get there!

Message me if you need a hand building a flexible, but effective workout plan: deanna@deannalangfordcoaching.com

In health, and irregularly scheduled fitness,
Deanna 😊