I remember, when I was living in Frankfurt working out consistently was easy. My local gym was close to where I lived. So that on my way back from uni or from work, I could just step in and do my daily workout. When I started working remotely, sticking to my workout rhythm became much harder. My daily schedule became more flexible and as a frequent traveler, my environment changed more frequently.
Remote work brings freedom. But with that freedom, we must make extra sure to maintain our fitness habits.
If you’re a remote worker who’s struggling to stay consistent with his workouts, the following four tips will help.
Practice the Sunday Habit
Having flexible schedules makes it hard to stick with rigid routines. My number one tip here is to take 15 minutes every Sunday to mark in your calendar which days you want to exercise or perform whatever kind of physical activity, including time and location.
For example:
Monday, 9am: Bodyweight Strength Workout (at home)
Wednesday, 5pm: Run (outside)
Thursday, 6pm: Bodyweight Strength Workout (at home)
Saturday, 3pm: HIIT class (gym)
Your weekly workout schedule might look very different. However, if you take just a few minutes each week you will create clear but flexible weekly routines that will keep you active in the long run.
To make sure you don’t forget about your new Sunday habit, why not put a weekly reminder in your calendar right now?
Purchase equipment that fits your travel bag
Even if social media makes you want to believe it – you don’t have to go to the gym to get fit. Your own bodyweight plus some super basic equipment is more than enough.
Here are my top 3 gadgets for home or outdoor workouts that fit every travel bag:
1. A TRX or some comparable sling trainer (way cheaper)
2. A set of good resistance bands (don’t go for the cheapest pair)
3. A jump rope (great for warming up, coordination, and cardio )
Start the day with a quick morning routine
To prepare yourself not only physically but also mentally to live a more active and healthy life you should start every day moving your body. You don’t have to do a full workout, not even half a workout. It can be a 5-minute yoga routine or a combination of some holistic full-body exercises such as Squats, Push-Ups, and Supermans.
The idea is to make it quick and easy, so you can do it every day and make it become a healthy morning habit.
Follow the “Golden Rule”: Never skip a workout twice
“Ok, I skipped all the workouts I had planned for last week – now it doesn´t make sense to get back to it anymore” – Have you had that thought before?
Most people manage to follow a routine for a while, as long as their motivation is high enough. As soon as life happens, they miss a workout, then another one, until their efforts get less and less and they fall back to zero.
To prevent that from happening it makes sense to follow a thing I call the Golden Rule. The idea here is that missing workouts is inevitable. It happens, even to the best and most determined athletes. So, if it happens to you, don’t judge yourself. Rather focus on the next workout and make very sure that you don’t miss it. Get back on that horse. As soon as possible!
Following this simple rule helps keep up the momentum and stay continuous – even or especially in difficult phases.
If you made it down to this paragraph then please also do the next step and try these out. From my own and my client’s experiences, I can tell that all of them have remarkable effects on your long-term fitness.
