Short on Time but not Excuses

Yesterday was one of those days when things just felt difficult for no real reason other than life itself and nature personified, were seemingly resisting our will to do things. I believe that it was the hottest day of the year (so far) in good ol’ New York, and our plans were in flux from the get-go. The goal (confirmed earlier in the week) was to go to the beach, but last minute early morning scheduling with our friend meant that we were now going to be traveling to a spot much further away. Instead of the local public beach, we went to a private woodsy swimming hole upstate. Of course, that meant that the travel time would at least be doubled. It was a lovely spot, and I’m truly glad we ended up at a more secluded location, since we basically had the place to ourselves; and the benefit of having shade from the tall trees was a luxury that the beach simply could not provide. But the drive to and fro really took a toll on our emotions and bladders.

As soon as it became clear that I wouldn’t have the time for my planned workout, I knew I had to make an on the fly pivot to something different. When we finally got home from the excruciating drive from the country into the city, which consisted of mostly sitting in traffic with a spotty A/C (note to self: add coolant after publishing this post!) in over ninety degree heat, it was close to dinner time and I still had to wash the previous night’s dishes and get my mise en place. I could have thrown my hands up and said, “forget it, I’m exhausted from this whole ordeal,” but in reality, what did I actually do besides sitting around in a car? That’s a poor excuse, and one that in my opinion would be unforgivable, because I am fortunate to be willing and able to workout. I wanted to get a nice workout before dinner. More aptly, I needed one. I knew it would make me feel 100 times better.

Ignoring my growling stomach for the moment, I set a timer for a fifteen minute EMOM (every minute on the minute) routine, and did one of my favorite strenuous workouts when time’s a concern: five strict pull ups + ten push ups. The goal with an EMOM circuit is to finish each set with enough time to catch your breath and ease the tension in your muscles. Of course, good form should not be sacrificed for speed’s sake, especially with calisthenics and strength training. So doing this superset in under a minute (ideally somewhere between thirty-five and forty seconds) with solid form, is all the more challenging; especially as the voluminous amount of reps starts piling up. My arms and chest started quivering halfway through, and by the last round, my form was definitely shaky, but still spot on.

And don’t worry, I rewarded my stomach’s patience shortly thereafter!

So if you ever find yourself short on time, don’t make an excuse to skip out on exercise. Get a short set in any way that you can. You’ll be rewarded with feelings of gratitude, efficacy, and a robust heart rate and muscular pump.

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