You have been wondering and I am here to answer.
I went to my first HIIT class on a Tuesday morning and loved it but could not move properly for almost a week. Doing an excessive number of squats and burpees with a body that is not used to that many squats and burpees left me extremely sore. Go figure. With only one rest day between the Tuesday/Thursday classes, I just couldn’t swing it.
Then we were at the lake for a week, and then I was home solo for a week with a child not old enough to be left alone. Then my husband got pneumonia. He was sick last Tuesday morning so I was on kid duty, and last Thursday morning – our wedding anniversary – was spent together in urgent care. And this week, for the first time since becoming a mother, I am in my own house without my children. I’m sorry – ain’t no burpees happening this week.
Spoiler alert: there is not a single Tuesday/Thursday morning that will work for me before September. Whomp, whomp.
I’m going to have to admit defeat and accept the summer is a write-off for attending in-person classes…but I have my eye on the fall when the range of classes (and times) will be significantly larger and, of course, I will have a far more concrete routine because of the school schedule.
Your turn. Do you find it hard to stick with a routine in the summer? I exercise and read significantly less every summer. It used to bother me, but now I recognize it’s just the rhythm of the seasons, and it makes me extra excited for the structure that comes in September.
Header photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash
Jenny
You did have a string of bad luck there! I think regrouping and setting your sights on fall is a good idea. I do have a suggestion though- you could start doing just a little bit of squats and burpees at home, so you’re not SO sore after the first class again! I do know that feeling, and it’s not fun.
Elisabeth
YES! I know I need to do this and started with the best of intentions and then…stopped. Summer is just such a gong show with very little by way of predictable routine. I think I need to do some simple pairing like: 10 squats before I brush my teeth or 10 burpees before I prep lunch. Honestly, though, I’m unlikely to do many until the fall at this point.
I could not believe how sore I was; years ago I did in-person classes regularly and remember being similarly sore but never since then. I literally could barely walk for a week!!!
Birchie
Girl, give yourself some grace! The things that stand out are:
– the downtime between Tues and Thurs isn’t long enough, so even if you had nothing else going on, you’d need to take the classes at a slower pace.
– um you have other things going on and will need to miss classes for family vacation/taking your hubs to urgent care/all the stuff that’s going on in August.
So if you like the class, go when you can and at an interval that works for your body!
I don’t miss workout sessions in the summer specifically, but I do miss them when I go through phases where life happens.
Elisabeth
Yes! Agreed that only having Wednesday as a rest day is NOT enough buffer. I don’t think the fall schedule is out yet, but maybe I’ll aim for one HIIT class a week and 2 yoga classes?
I loved the idea of getting in to a routine of classes in the summer, but it will be so much easier once we hit September and settle in to a very predictable (I hope!) weekday routine.
Ally Bean
Back when I went to in person exercise classes, summer was hit or miss. Don’t be hard on yourself, accept that things get more consistent in the fall. Always.
Elisabeth
Yup – I’m embracing the laid-back nature of the summer and realizing it will just make me better appreciate the predictable routine of September when it arrives…and the summer is flying and it already feels like school will be back in session before I know it!
Diane
Well, you went once, so you know that you *can* do it and it isn’t terrible and that you can do it again – I think that’s worth a lot right there. That’s not defeat at all! It’s just regrouping.
I feel like summer is the worst for having a routine at our house. Schedules shift constantly, this camp then that camp then vacation then swim team than weekend overnight, then work then some time off…. The wide open slate makes it hard to do anything consistently.
Elisabeth
Exactly. Going once felt like a huge step (it had been over a decade since my last in-person class). It wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t horrifically expensive, it’s close to home etc. So definitely a great move in the right direction, and regrouping is a perfect way to phrase things!
There is no set routine this summer. Every week looks different. As someone who thrives on routine and structure it can be a bit dizzying at times, but for the most part we’ve had a really nice summer and I recognize it’s a season – when fall comes things become waaayyyy more structured. There’s a time for everything and, for me at least, summer is NOT the time for organized exercise.
J
I haven’t been to an in person class is so long, I don’t even know…maybe horseback riding lessons in 2009? I took yoga before that, and used to belong to a gym…but I think I’ve done everything on my own since 2009 or 2010. I think the structure of paying for (and thus being motivated to show up for) a class is likely a good thing.
I hope that in the fall you can find a class that works with your busy work/kids schedule, and that isn’t QUITE so early in the morning.
Elisabeth
I am just not good about sticking with home-based workouts (other than walking; I walk A LOT).
Can I admit I also hope it’s not quite so early in the morning. I did the 5:30 am wakeup thing and survived it, but don’t really want that to become the norm!
Lisa's Yarns
You have had a lot going on! But I would agree with Birchie that a Tues/Thur HIIT class is probably not a great cadence for something that is so intense! Is there another class that you could take this fall so you aren’t doing 2 HIITs so close together?
Summer is kind of the same as any other time of year for us since our kids are in full-time childcare year-round. If they were home with me, things would shift significantly! I am such a creature of habit so dare I say I am glad our summer looks the same as the rest of the year??
Elisabeth
Agreed – one rest day for a 45-minute very intense class is not sustainable for me, at least not every week. I’m thinking maybe I’ll try to do one of the HIIT classes a week and then two yoga classes?
I also love structure so there is definitely a part of me that wishes summer had a very predictable rhythm but it doesn’t and there are perks to that as well. But I’ll be very ready for September when it arrives.
Joy
Summers are hard to get a good rhythm when you have children at home. They’re so different than the school year.
Kudos for you for trying. Waiting until fall is a good idea.
I can’t find classes that fit into my schedule so I workout on my own at the gym or at home. But summer is harder because I’m also fitting in gardening and that sometimes replaces the gym.
Elisabeth
Yes! Summer really does feel like a completely different mode of parenting. Priorities are different, schedules are different. EVERYTHING feels different. And I’m mostly embracing that this year. I’m not disappointed the morning exercise classes didn’t work because I really do think that going the once was the most important step. I figured out the process to register for that yoga studio, I got the “lay of the land” and now feel very confident about pursuing classes in the fall.
Coree
I find the summers really sporadic and can’t get into a set routine, so don’t give up hope for the autumn. We don’t have much in the way of local classes so I have to go into the city, which is fine when I’m in fairly regularly for meetings anyways, but seems a faff when I have to make a special trip. Yesterday, I convinced A and T that they really wanted to go into the city and climb a hill, to get a lift rather than a bus 🙂
Elisabeth
Summer is a completely different “beast” for us.
I’m a bit worried if I’ll keep it up in the winter because I hate cold, so the thought of driving to a class and then coming out all sweaty into the frigid air is NOT appealing, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it 🙂
NGS
I used to do a yoga class that started at 5:30/6am. I liked it because I’d be halfway through the class before I realized I was awake. That class isn’t offered anymore or I’d probably still try to fit it in. Oh, well.
Last night I was the only student in my yoga class. Attendance at fitness classes ALWAYS goes down in the summer because people are watching children, going on vacations, etc. I think you’re within the norm for it not being great for your schedule.
Elisabeth
I think San says the same thing…
MY BODY KNOWS, ENGIE. I am painfully aware any time I’m awake before 6:30 am.
Michelle G.
It’s so hard to stick to a schedule during summer! I’ve never tried to attend regular exercise classes during the summer, but there’s so much to do outside, so I count that as exercise!
Elisabeth
Good point. I tend to hate heat, so am less inclined to do long walks etc in the summer, but I’m still moving my body daily and fall is traditionally my favourite time of the year for…just about everything. The weather. My body always feels more limber. I eat more healthfully. And my brain LOVES the routine.
Stephany
It is SO HARD to get into a normal workout routine. It’s challenging for me and I just have myself to worry about! I’m not trying to take care of two kids, have a husband who’s out of the country a lot, have a house to run, etc. Summers are going to be harder with your school-age children! I think it’s good to start small. When I started going to the gym, I just wanted to go twice a week and I tried to space them out. Like HIIT class on Wednesday and then another group fitness class on the weekend. Once I did that for a month, I bumped it up to three times a week. Now I’m regularly going four times a week – and doing two HIIT classes a week, which is crazy to me haha. Give yourself lots of grace right now. You’ll figure it out!
Elisabeth
I think I tried to fight the fact that I do have a busy life that really changes dramatically in the summer (until this year, the kids were largely home during the days all summer). This year I’m embracing it (ironically, the year my kids are gone THE MOST so far in their lives). Planned exercise can wait until the fall. And this week I’ve fit in daily walks which has been lovely.
Wow – that’s AMAZING! You are just slaying it with gym attendance.
sarah
I HATE exercise classes, but I do work out 5 days a week at 5:30-ish. I, too, am thinking of trying classes in the fall for the same reasons.
Elisabeth
I think your nickname needs to be Energizer Bunny. I get exhausted just reading about all you fit into a day!
San
You might not want to believe me, but I have “seasons” to where things fall off the bandwagon… it’s what it is. I accept that certain things happen in “phases”. But I am excited you still want to give morning exercise a new try in the fall.
Anne
I only see wins here – you made it through class, you recognized your current limits and you also adjusted to accommodate… your life. You got this – fall is a completely different story (and schedule!). <3
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Sorry it doesn’t work out right now.
I totally get not going in when you have the whole house to yourself. Nope, gotta use that freedom wisely.
Yesterday I checked my calendar and realized I have been doing yoga at least once a week since February 12. I was very surprised and proud.