Hey there, Happy Friday! I hope all of my fellow Ontarians have stocked up on liquor for the long weekend in case the LCBO goes on strike (lucky for me, I already have seven bottles of wine on hand from various wine tasting trips, so I’m all good. Plus, I prefer beer…)

Anyway, on to today’s topic – creating a workout schedule that gets results but doesn’t leave you feeling like you spend every second of your spare time at the gym.

It’s taken me awhile to figure out an exercise/healthy eating routine that works with my current schedule and lifestyle. Since becoming a homeowner, I’ve obviously had more responsibilities on my plate, which makes it harder to fit in exercise and cooking.

At the same time, now that I’m living with Josh, I find myself wanting to hang out with him after work instead of going to the gym most nights. So here is what an ideal week looks like and why it works out so perfectly.

In a good week, I’ll cook three nights a week (one large meal that makes lots of leftovers on Sunday night and two regular meals during the week) and workout five days a week (one weekday morning, two weeknights and both days of the weekend).

On a busier week, I’ll skip one workout and only cook once or twice and then have ingredients on hand to throw together a quick meal on the go. My schedule usually goes something like this:

Sunday – Unless I’ve had a late night the night before, I’ll usually go for a quick jog, take a spin class or go to hot yoga. Sometimes Josh and I will meet up with friends to go rock climbing in the afternoon. In the evenings, we cook a big meal that makes 6-8 servings so we’ll have leftovers for the work week.

Monday and Tuesday – I like to do a BodyPump class before work on Monday morning and then take a rest day on Tuesday. This gives me two evenings to rest, cook dinner, read a book, chill out with Josh and catch up on my favourite TV shows.

Wednesday – After a full two and a half days of rest, I’m more than ready to return to the gym for Pump on Wednesday night. By this point in the week, we have three meals’ worth of leftovers so I don’t have to worry about cooking. And since Josh usually has basketball on Wednesday nights, I’m not tempted to blow off my workout to watch Homeland with him.

Thursday – Similar to Wednesday, I don’t have to cook on Thursday nights and Josh has volleyball, so I have no reason to skip the gym. On Thursdays, I go straight to BodyCombat from work and eat leftovers when I get home.

Friday – Ideally a rest day but I’ll sometimes do a BodyPump class before work as a back up if I missed a workout earlier in the week. Occasionally, Josh and I will go climbing in the evening.

Saturday – Like Sunday, Saturday’s workout is whatever I feel like doing. I’ll either do BodyPump (only if I didn’t go on Friday) or a Les Mills cardio class, go for a run or a hike, go rock climbing, do yoga or take an optional third rest day. It depends on how much activity I’ve done during the week, my energy level, my plans for the day, my mood etc.

The nice thing about all of this is that it’s totally flexible. I don’t feel like I have to plan my life around the gym or like it’s a constant struggle to stick to my workouts and prepare homemade food. I also have a lot of down time so I don’t feel like I’m spending all of my spare time at the gym.

Which I think should be the basis of any healthy living or fitness routine – make it work for your lifestyle, not the other way around.

Have you discovered a workout routine that works for you?