Just doing a single training session this week. We focused on strength last week and will be doing the same for week 9, so this week the focus is functional strength and heavy cardio.
I've been taking it pretty easy with running for the past three weeks. Between fighting sickness and stepping up the intensity at the gym, I just haven't felt like I have the energy. But as of last week I started ramping back up, and it's feeling pretty good so far, even (inadvertently) hitting one of my better times on Sunday morning.
I find it amazing that I'm already in my 8th week of this stuff. Whenever I've approached fitness programs in the past, I was always put off by the 12+ week commitments required to get through them. I remember when my dad suggested I try Bill Phillips's Body for Life program back in high school. Twelve weeks when you're a teen feels like an eternity. (I didn't do it.)
But now I spit and a week has gone by. And I suspect that feeling is only going to get worse as time goes on. This is probably important to realize: the time will pass whether I'm doing something productive or not. I may as well do something that feels amazing in retrospect.
And it really isn't that difficult. The hardest part is always getting out the door. I used to think it would be this huge time burden. But really, it's like five hours per week. An hour a day. And that's including like... warm-ups and stuff. The difficulties are purely mental; me arguing with myself, trying to convince myself that it's okay to skip.
For me, the most important ingredient for success has been defining a schedule. In bed by 9p, read for a bit, asleep by 10p. First alarm at 5:10a, up by 5:30a (I do love that snooze button or two). As long as I hit those points, the rest of it is remarkably easy. With a good schedule, there are few excuses for not getting out the door. I got enough rest. I have enough time. I may as well go do it. I'll feel better after.