Words by Wilf
As a return to the office rolls around, Wilf details how to balance work & gym, giving you the tools to succeed in your fitness journey.
A job is time-consuming. Account for the commute and a 9-5 looks 7-7ish – and with jobs being either mentally or physically taxing (or both), the idea of working out afterwards can seem improbable. I’ll go the next day becomes a week missed. And before you know it, old habits creep in, making the gym and fitness an afterthought.
To avoid that happening, you need to prepare. And if you’ve read any of previous posts on The Urban Journal, you’ll know that preparation and discipline is the first thing you need to get right.
PREPPING THE NIGHT BEFORE
Meals, water, snacks, gym wear, supplements, whatever you require to facilitate an optimised workout should be prepped and packed away the night before, giving you one less thing to worry about during the inevitable morning rush.
You’ll kid yourself thinking you can leave it till the morning, and granted, you might be able to for a couple of days, maybe a week if you’re determined enough, maybe longer, but eventually, you’ll slip up and then starts the downward spiral.
I personally use a checklist on my notes app to guarantee I’ve ticked all my required boxes.
FUEL YOUR BODY
When overwhelmed with the stress of meetings and deadlines, it’s easy to forget to eat or hydrate during working hours – leading to a lethargic feeling. The gym is the last place anyone wants to be when lacking energy, much less after a full day’s work.
If you must, schedule breaks during your day to consume meals and alarms as a reminder to hydrate. The more energy you have, the fresher your body and mind feel – and in turn, the more motivated you are to work out.
THE HOME TRAP
Going home to ‘rest’ before you go to the gym? Come on, we all know what that means. You’ll sit down on your favourite couch, turn the TV on, call a friend to catch up, browse social media, or get summoned to do household tasks – hours silently trickle by, and suddenly it’s bedtime. “Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow.” Potentially, not likely though – in all honesty. Hence why I call it a “home trap” – do your best to avoid it.
I would take my workout clothing with me and either change at the office before departing or at the gym, cutting out the need for a home visit. By now, you’ve noticed the trick with navigating your gym aspirations around a 9-5: remove as many possible excuses as you can.
DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
Sometimes you have to decline social invites to meal prep and get an appropriate amount of sleep, wake up earlier to lift before work instead of after if you must – or prefer to – and give the post-work drinks a miss to stop skipping leg day. “Do what you gotta do” (shout out to Descendants 3, someone tell Disney I’m available for the right fee).
I get asked a lot if I find it easy to work out after a 9-5: Yes. Admittedly, it was difficult in the beginning, however, for the better part of two years now, whether working from home or the office – my routine is set: prep meals the night before, eat said meals during the day, get in the gym as soon as possible after work. That’s how you balance work & gym.
It’s a successful formula, so why tinker with it?