Recently, because of some work being done on the floor in my garage, I have been without my training space. I thought about getting a couple of day passes to a local gym, but I knew the time to get there would make it a nightmare to fit around school, run, and work.

It’s easy for things to crop up during the day to impede training. Getting it done first thing reduces the chances of this happening. Having a training space in my garage means I can get out of bed and train and not have to worry about my bed hair!

The allure of an array of different machines and more weights did nearly tempt me to the local commercial gym, but in the end, I took a different option.

Before my kit went into storage, I grabbed some kettlebells, dumbbell and a mat. I put them in the entrance to our now overflowing shed to be easy to hand. I checked the weather forecast and figured out that if mother nature was kind, I could train outside for the week. If not, I could use the kitchen.

Some exercises in my plan had to be changed, but on the whole, I could stick to the plan.

I learnt some things from this week.

• It feels good to take your training outside! I will not deny the beautiful sunny mornings helped. I will definitely not confine myself to the inside lifting as much.

• Don’t just chart progress, as the weight lifted, time it takes or number of reps. For me, that I excepted the workouts would not be perfect but still got it done was progress.

• It feels much better to celebrate the imperfect progress than dwell on that lack of perfection. I need to remember that for the future!

• You don’t need a lot of equipment to get a great training session. Here is a training session I did with two kettlebells and a dumbbell. You could replace the kettlebells with any heavy object. A rucksack filled with books is a great option.

Perform 3 rounds of each set. Rest as much as you need between each exercise and round. Take 2mins between each set.

 Set 1

Loaded carries for time or distance. You can pick any type of carry.

10 single arm cleans each side.

Set 2

Loaded carry. Pick a different variation from set 1. You could do a single arm, front rack or waiters carry.

10 push-ups.

Set 3

Loaded carry. Different variation.

kettlebell or dumbbell swings.

I also did this session and replaced the carries with different bear crawl variations. If you don’t have outside space, you can march in place for the carries or do short forward and crawl for time.

The above session won’t give you massive strength or muscle gain, but it will keep you moving and maintain your training mindset until you can get back to your normal routine.

Not every session will be perfect, and you can’t expect a PB every day. Training for a healthy life is a long-term commitment. It doesn’t always go according to plan. Don’t be hard on yourself. Look for the bright spots.

Do things keep impeding your training time? Let me take the planning aspect of your training off your hands. You can then just focus on the doing. For a 1:1 online coaching slot with me, apply at http://www.laurawoodley.com/apply-.html

If you struggle to be consistent with your exercise, maybe it’s time to look at what you are spending your time on. I had an interesting conversation recently with a prospective client. Time was a big barrier to their training. Once we went over their non-negotiable time commitments, such as family time and work, we noticed something interesting.

They spent a sizeable chunk of their time doing good deeds for others, whist missing out on projects to help themselves. There is a great deal of good in performing selfless acts that help others, but be careful you don’t fall into the trap of thinking helping yourself is selfish.

If you enjoy being seen as hardworking and have a hint of perfectionism, it’s hard to say no to requests for your help. Problems arise with this way of thinking when it leaves you too exhausted to progress in your own life.

Having a clear idea of your top priorities in life helps you to know where you need to focus your time and energy.

Here are a couple of exercises that will help.

Think of your time as a jar, which you can fill with finite rocks, pebbles, and sand. Your big rocks represent those things most necessary to feel fulfilled in life. They often include family, health, and livelihood. Your pebbles add extra fun and satisfaction to life but aren’t essentially things such as excelling in work or sport and hobbies. The sand represents bonus activities, those that things that are enjoyable but are not crucial to sustaining a long fulfilling life. On the sand list would be things like scrolling social media, watching TV, partying and gaming.

Fill your jar with too much sand or too many pebbles. First, you want to have enough room for the big rocks, things that are most important for your survival and wellbeing.

Now grab a pen and paper and write what your big rocks, pebbles and sand activities are. Go through your diary and highlight how much time you are spending on each type of activity. If you find that most time spent is on the small stuff, make some changes so it better reflects your priorities.

It’s not selfish to put your health first. It means you will have more physical and emotional strength when faced with enormous challenges.

For online health coaching that fits around your big rocks in your time jar, apply for one of my online coaching slots. http://www.laurawoodley.com/apply-.html

Figuring out what exercise is going to give you the most for your time and effort can be confusing. If you are struggling to know what to choose, here are some tips to help you navigate your way through the process.

Fit the exercise to you, not yourself to the exercise.

Just because everyone else is doing an exercise doesn’t mean that it’s right for you. Think about what you want to achieve from your training. If you want bigger legs, you have got to work on your legs, not follow the latest social media trend for biceps.

Can you perform the exercise pain free?

Before you answer, you need to know the difference between pain and soreness. Pain can occur suddenly during the movement. It can be sharp, stabbing, tingling, and intense. You may feel pain performing the movement or have a limited range. Pain after exercise that doesn’t improve and can be felt at rest should be checked out by a medical professional.

Soreness will make your muscles feel tired and achy and usually happens anywhere between 24-72hrs after the muscle has been overloaded. Muscle soreness should not give you any discomfort at rest and movement aches should progressively ease after a few days. It is normal to feel soreness when you do a new exercise for the first few times. Once your body adapts, this will ease.

If you experience pain with an exercise, adjusting how you perform it might fix it. This could be as simple as changing your stance, grip, or lifting height. If that doesn’t work, select a different exercise for the muscle group. As with the above, you don’t have to do any exercise because everyone else does. If barbell back squats cause you back pain, try a different squat variation. There are no must do exercises. Listen to your body, not your ego.

Can you perform the exercise with confidence?

You don’t have to have a perfect technique from the get go but you need to feel confident that you can control the movement you do. Start simple, over technical exercises slow progress if you don’t feel confident to add load.

Make sure you have a mix of exercises you enjoy and some that you don’t!

We are all guilty of selecting the exercises that don’t push us out of our comfort zone. You should include these in your program. After all, if you hate what you have to do, the likelihood is you want to do it often or at all. Problems arise if you only include your favourites. To move forward towards your goals, only doing the comfortable stuff doesn’t cut it. Put in exercises that challenge you physically and mentally. Your body needs overload to adapt and progress.

After addressing all the points above, if you are still unsure what exercises to go with, hiring a coach is a great option. You don’t have to even be in the same country as your coach. I offer online coaching that you can access anytime and anywhere in the world. To apply go to http://www.laurawoodley.com/apply-.html