Obviously, there are an infinite number of possible workouts out there. What we choose to do on any given day depends on a lot of different factors, but let me suggest that there are two that we particularly need to pay attention to: time and energy.
When we have plenty of both time and energy, we can do whatever the heck we want. Those days we can go on that long run or that endurance bike ride or take forever working up to our one rep max lift on a number of exercises. That one’s easy to figure out.
When we have not much of either, it’s also pretty easy to figure out. That’s a great time to do half an hour of yoga or cardio (and, hey, that cardio might just give you a little more energy!). We stretch a bit, move a bit, and get on with our days.
When we have a fair amount of time but not a ton of energy, we can try a class to reduce the mental load. We can lean into our flexibility work, yoga, or Pilates. We can go for a walk or choose some less-vigorous version of our cardio. This is also a good time for social workouts, like finding a friend to play pickleball or bike to the farmer’s market.
If the energy is high and the time is low, we can go with interval training or Tabata-style weight workouts.
One note: there are certainly days when the energy level is so low that the right answer is to work out by rolling over in bed. Rest is as important to our fitness and our health as working out.
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