How to Be Consistent With an Evening Workout Routine
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Welcome to this episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast.
In this episode, we will explore how to get more consistent with your workouts. In a previous episode, I discussed the significance of establishing consistency in morning workouts, as it resonates with many of you.
However, there are some listeners that thrive during the evening hours. Despite the perceived "ideal" timing, I am aware of various challenges that prevent you to maintain regularity in evening workouts.
That’s why in this episode, I am thrilled to share practical tips and effective strategies that will empower you to maintain a steadfast commitment to your evening exercise sessions.
What I discussed:
Set realistic goals.
FUEL YOUR BODY!
Put it in your calendar.
Remind yourself you can do anything for 30 minutes.
Find joy in movement.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Episode 339 - How to become a “morning person” with your workouts…
Movement with Julie | App - sale.movementwithjulie.com
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Instagram: @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-6bda1ca8?ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_pub_influencer-6bda1ca8_dp_DgsIam9salgfi
Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let's go.
Welcome back to another episode on Embrace Your Real, where we are working to build a healthier relationship with food, fitness and your body. Today I want to dive in with how to get more consistent with your workouts.
Recently I just put out an episode on how to become more consistent with working out in the morning, and for some of you, that's the best time to work out or that's something that you're working towards wanting to do. But I know that there's a chunk of you guys listening who are like, Yeah, but what if just mornings they don't work for me, they will never work for me, and it's just not the best time, regardless of it being the best time. I know that you might run into obstacle after obstacle that prevents you from being consistent with your workouts in the evening. And so that's why in this episode, I want to try and share some tangible tips on how to stay consistent with your evening workouts. If that is just what works best for you in this season of life.
But before we dive in, I wanted to share this review. It comes from Lynn, M.T. 2011. She gave a five star review and said:
I finally found the podcast. Julie You don't know how much you have helped me. I struggle with discipline and binge eating. Your podcasts, workouts and just your outlook on health and fitness and life in general has really been helping me to overcome these obstacles. I finally feel like I'm not going to live the rest of my life in this misery and I cannot thank you enough.
I love this. Thank you so much. First and foremost for tuning in to the podcast. I am so grateful that these podcasts are helping you. That is my hope. That is my prayer. Every single time that we can put out content that either encourages you, inspires you, empowers you, educates you, all of those things. So thank you for taking time out of your day to send this in.
Also, if you haven't already subscribe to Apple Podcasts, be sure to do so. It is 100% completely free. You get brand new episodes straight to your phone, download it for free on Mondays and Thursdays. So Mondays kind of kick off your week Thursdays to close out your week with some inspiration. Also, before we dive into today's tips, I just want to remind you that we are all on a journey and it's perfectly okay to stumble along the way. The only thing that matters is that we keep stumbling now, like, remember, it's about being consistent, not perfect. So if you stumble, that's okay. Okay, so let's dive into the workout.
I hear you, sister. After demanding day at work or demanding day of dealing with the little ones, it can be incredibly challenging to summon the energy and motivation to hit your workout, whether that's at the gym or you're working out at home. If you feel like it's one of the hardest things in the world, don't worry, you are not alone. But there are some small things that we can do to help make it easier and set ourselves up for success.
Number one, you've got to set realistic goals. I know so many of us, when we try to be consistent, we do resort to immediately making these big audacious goals that we have, and they oftentimes are unrealistic. We go from not working out regularly to wanting to work out, you know, five evenings a week. And we can't do that to ourselves five nights a week. Then we just beat ourselves up because it's just not possible and endless going from 0 to 100 overnight. And this is why I recommend starting out, committing to three nights. Three nights. So if your workouts are going to be in the evening being consistent with three nights a week only. The other thing is that I don't want you to commit to these 60 minute long workouts again, just like I mentioned, in how to become a morning workout person. I am going to say the same thing because it is so helpful when you're just starting something or you're starting something up.
After a long break, I want you to commit to 30 minutes. Or if 30 minutes feels daunting, I want you to commit to ten. I call it the commit to ten. So commit to 10 minutes, 10 minutes of movement. So when you are going 0 to 100, it can feel so overwhelming and you're just thinking about it the entire day. You're like, I can't do this. Oh my gosh, I can't do the 60 minute workout. It's going to be it's going to take so long, I don't have the time. And that is typically the hindrance or what hinders us from not getting the workout in at all because we just say, I just don't have the time and we overthink it when in reality, if you just start with the commit to ten or if 30 minutes doesn't feel daunting and you can do that committed to 30 minutes.
The beautiful thing about 30 minutes, three days a week is that is truly all that you need when you are starting to build the body that you want, so long as your workouts are programed effectively in those 30 minutes and you're hitting all the major muscle groups and you're doing it in a way to ensure that you are properly training your body, you're doing lower body, you're doing upper body, you're doing full body, you're hitting all those major muscle groups throughout the week. You can absolutely 100% see results.
I have so many women inside the Movement with Julie who are, you know, either brand new to working out or they're just busy moms, busy professionals, and they just don't have the time to commit to five days a week. And they're seeing amazing results, even doing the 30 minute workouts three times a week. That's all you genuinely need. So if you're interested, if you are needing some workouts, I do have demo only workouts for women. I do have a workout app. It's called Movement with Julie. It's a weekly workout plan where I put out five brand new workouts every single week. Again, you don't have to do all five of them. You can pick which ones you want to do. There's a 60 minute, a 30 minute for every single workout, depending on your time constraints and what just feels realistic and maintainable for you in this season of life. If you want to learn more, you can go to sale. That's S-A-L-E dot movement with Julie dot com. I will link in the show notes below.
But going back to what I was initially saying, just start small three days a week, three evenings a week start for 30 minutes. If 30 minutes feels daunting, commit to ten.
Number two, to fuel your body. It's crazy how often we say, Oh, I just ate. But yet when you actually think about it and look back at when you ate in accordance to your workout, it was you were eating at 12 and now you're working out at six or seven. That's almost 7 hours in between lunch and your workout. You have to have that extra boost. You cannot run on an empty tank for your workout. It's so disempowering.
I know from just speaking from experience, like when I don't eat before my evening workout, even if it's just a snack, if you don't have to have, you know, a large dinner or a big meal before your evening workout, if that's not something like if you feel sick, I know person to person. This will vary depending on your preference, but you've got to have something like you've got to have something in your tank. It can be a recipe for disaster. It can lead to not feeling strong in your workouts. You're just feeling lethargic. You're kind of just slugging through your workout. And I know that many of us and this was me, you guys, for so long, I was stuck in this eating loss mentality or I can't eat until I've worked out because I need to deserve the food. Like that is such a toxic mindset to have. And I'm telling you that when you are resistance training, especially if you're doing my demo only workouts, you have to eat, you need the fuel, your body needs fuel to build more muscles so that you can see the results that you're looking for.
So even if that's grabbing a small snack or having a light meal, you know, an hour or 30 minutes before your workout, this is going to vary from person to person. Some people can have a huge meal and then work out right after and feel fine. Other people, they can't have that. But at the very least, I want you to prioritize some combination of carbs that will give you a quick energy boost, protein for some muscle repair and recovery, and then also some healthy fats for a steady release of energy. But obviously anything is better than nothing. So don't get hung up on, oh my gosh, what should my pre-workout be? It will vary from person to person.
I personally love to have sometimes a protein shake or I'll have some rice cakes with some almond butter and some bananas on top, or I'll have a piece of toast with some avocado and a protein shake. Like it will vary from day to day, but I have just found that it helps so much not only with my focus and my energy, but my training session as well. Like when I'm wanting to push the weight, when I'm really wanting to make sure that I'm using the adequate amount of weight that my muscles need to build the body that I want, it's important that you are fueling your body.
Number three, this is important. You've got to put it in your calendar. One simple yet powerful technique to really help you stay accountable and prioritize your evening workouts is to put them in your calendar. I want you to treat your workout like an important appointment, just like you would make that commitment to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment. I know it sounds cheesy, but it works.
When you go to plan something, you look at your calendar and then you plan around it. I also, once you put it in your calendar, so whether it's Google calendar, if you have a notion calendar, whatever it is, some people use the old school pen and paper. I love that for you. I personally just I will put it somewhere and then I'll forget where it is. But I know that I'll always have my phone on me. I always have my Apple watch on me. So if I can schedule it into my calendar. And then on top of that, you've got a set of notifications, a set of notification one hour before 30 minutes before and 10 minutes before.
By scheduling this workout into your calendar, you are giving it the significance and priority that it deserves. It deserves to become a non-negotiable in your day. Let me say that again. Your workout deserves to be a non-negotiable part of your day, just like a work meeting is just like a doctor's appointment is. So why would you not implement your workout just the same? It's so effective and it works.
Trust me when I say I've done it, I've done it for years. I tell any and everybody who is struggling to get their workouts in, I always ask them, Are you scheduling in your workouts like you do an appointment? And nine times out of ten they're saying no, right? So you've got to figure out what specific time slot is going to work for your workout. Sometimes this is going to vary from day to day, and so I would encourage you to sit down with your significant other on Sunday or if you plan out even further in advance, then just sit down with them and say, Hey, I want to plan out my workouts. What time would work best so that you can watch the kids while I get this done? Or you just make the plans that are necessary in order for you to get it done. Or you just know, Hey, the kids are going to be running around. I'm going to try and entertain them with something while I get my workout in. But you have it in your calendar and you do not. Away from that.
Number four, remind yourself that you can do anything for 30 minutes, even on the days that you're feeling tired, even on the days that your day didn't go the way that initially was planned or you're lacking energy, remember that it's only 30 minutes. You've got this.
It's amazing what we can accomplish in such a short amount of time. So whatever type of workout you're trying to commit to, I want you to just push through for that half an hour. The best part is once you get going, you'll most likely get a second wind, especially like I was talking about earlier, that committing to ten like you commit to 10 minutes. All right, I got 10 minutes done. Okay. I can go for another ten. Okay. I can go for another ten. And you're already at 30 minutes, right? It's like unlocking a whole new level of energy and determination. But even if you stick to the original plan and you only go for 10 minutes or you only go for the initial 30 minutes, that will make a difference no matter how hard those 30 minutes may be to push through.
Some days you're going to love how much you feel afterwards. Pretty soon you'll realize that laying on the couch feel so much better once you've gotten your 30 minutes of work out of movement in whatever it is, even though you really don't want to workout, you'll still really want to work out because you will realize how amazing you'll feel. And even on those hard days, you just have to put yourself in a future mindset. You have to visualize yourself, okay, how am I going to feel once this workout is done and it genuinely will push you to be able to get it done and you will be so proud of yourself and that work ethic. I talk about this all the time, but the work ethic and the commitment that you make to your workouts that really does carry out throughout the rest of your responsibilities in life. And it really can build character in just following through and commitment. And it will serve you so well in your life far beyond your workouts.
This is why so many women love to have a plan to follow when it comes to this. Because once you're like, okay, I can do this for 30 minutes. The next hurdle that many women struggle with is, okay, now that I tell myself I can do it for 30 minutes now what am I going to do? Right? And that can put a hindrance on your energy when you're trying to figure out what to do. Now, once you've decided, okay, I'm going to do it the next step, okay, what am I going to do? That's why a lot of people love that moment with Julie out because you genuinely just open up the app and you follow the plan and it gives you video demos, it gives you the sets, the reps, it gives you alternate exercises. If you need an easier or a no bench or a bodyweight or a low impact, whatever it is, you have alternate exercises for you so that you can use that energy and that brainpower towards crushing your workout instead of trying to program your workout. So again, if you want to learn about the app, I will put the link in the show notes below.
But that is one thing that I have seen just help and consistency overall. That's the number one thing that I see in the movement, which is a community of people saying that they've gotten out of this program is, Dang, I have never been this consistent. And I'm telling you, if you are inside the Julie app, when you get to see that green dot on the calendar, there is really nothing better than that.
Honestly, when you get to see look back at the month and say, Dang, look at all those green dots. Like I know it's something so silly, but there are so many women, myself included, that are pretty much addicted to those green dots and seeing those. So again, if you want to learn more about the app and the programing, you can click the link in the show notes below.
And lastly, number five, you've got to find joy in the movement. If you're dreading your workout, maybe it's time to switch things up and there's no shame in that. From season to season, it's going to vary based on how you're feeling and what you're into and it's got to excite you genuinely. So maybe if you've been resistance training for a while, maybe you want to switch it up or you want to incorporate some other movement on top of that. There is no shame in that. I am here to tell you we're in this for the long haul and the only way that you're going to be in it for the long haul is if you actually find joy in the movement. If you don't love it, you're not going to stick with it. Like just be realistic with it or you're going to stick with it, but you're going to dread it and then you're going to be like, Oh, it's is not fun anymore. And it's so much harder to get yourself up and get yourself doing.
The beautiful thing about Summertime is that in addition to workouts or if you want to, maybe previously in this past season you were doing five workouts a week resistance training. Maybe you want to cut down and do three workouts and then, do you know, two outside joining a sports league, going hiking, trying different fitness classes or dance classes or whatever it is. There's so many activities that you can do outside in the summertime, which is awesome. But ultimately I want you to enjoy what you're doing. I don't want you to feel like it's a chore because that is going to be key in order for you to stay consistent, especially with these evening workouts.
Okay, so there you have it. Those are my best tips for staying consistent with your evening workouts. Let me quickly recap those. Number one, you've got to set realistic goals. Number two, you've got to feel your body. Number three, put it in your calendar, schedule it in just like you do. I don't. Sir. Doctor's appointment and schedule the necessary things around that to make sure that you can really focus in your workout. Number four. Remind yourself that you can genuinely do anything for 30 minutes. And lastly, number five, find joy in movement again, if you are looking for a program. I've got a demo only program.
All you need is a few pair of dumbbells, a small space in your phone. It's so convenient, especially if you're on the road. You're traveling a lot. I mean, I have seen so many people in the last few weeks as the weather's getting warmer, people are starting to go RV camping. There's a few women that are actually living in the RV full time and they're doing movement with Julie and it is so inspiring. They have a few pair of dumbbells. They're getting it done either outside in the campground or wherever they are, or in their living room in the RV. And it is so convenient. You genuinely you don't even need a bench for all the movements that I have programed in the app. With a bench, I always have a no bench alternate so that you don't have to worry about even having that. So you really only need a few things. And I'm telling you, when you have a plan to follow that only requires a few pieces of equipment, few pairs of dumbbells, your bodyweight, small space, it eliminates so many barriers to entry when it comes to wanting to make excuses. And that's why I love it so much.
So again, if you want to learn more, you can head over to sale. That’s S-A-L-E dot movement with Julie dot com. And also if you haven't already tuned in to Episode 339, I share tips on how to become a morning workout person. If that's what you want to do. Maybe you've been an evening person workout and these were helpful for you. Or maybe you do a hybrid. Maybe, you know, two days a week you're going to be a morning workout person and a few days a week you're going to be a night person that I want. These tips will help you for either way. So I will link that in the show notes as well. That is all that I have for today's episode. I hope it helped you. I love you so much. I mean it out in the next one.
All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie, a lot better. Yes. It's with an eye in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.