How do I fit my fitness regimen into my routine? This has been an experiment I have been running for many years and I must admit, I haven’t yet found the perfect answer. I may be close to an answer though.

I have been running a lot lately. I do Yoga. I do a High Intensity workout on my own in the evenings on days I don’t run. The more I work out the more I fall in love with my desire to stay fit.

But, it is often a squeeze to fit in my work out between the end of a day’s work and dinner . I have discovered that personally for me, working out in the evening is far better than the morning. The mornings are for Yoga and Meditation. They leave me refreshed. In the past when I did an intense cardio workout in the morning, it used to leave me lethargic during the day. Evenings are best for a cardio or high intensity workout. But as mentioned, it can be a challenge to squeeze a workout into the schedule in the evening after you reach home, what with the wife asking you when you are going to eat your dinner and the hard stop on the time to get your daughter to bed . I have walked into gyms near the office a few times in the years of working at Raffles Place. But then the time consumed in the process of changing into your exercise gear, completing your workout, changing back into work clothes after the workout and heading home or back to your desk at work just consumed too much time to make the experience practical.

I had heard of Ritual before.  http://www.ritualgym.com/locations

But given I was already using kettlebells and was regularly doing HIIT workouts, I didn’t think Ritual would particularly add any value to me. But on one of my random web surfing during a mental break at my desk, I went to the Ritual website and on an impulse registered for a 7 day trial with my first appointment at lunch time the following day. I didn’t even process whether it was a paid trial or a free option.

I couldn’t make it for the lunch time appointment but didn’t cancel on it and postponed it to later that afternoon. The assessment session was quick and short. I went through exercises that I was used to. There was some minor refinement of my postures, hand and leg positions in some of the routines. And after an approximately 25 minute session I left. Allen at the gym gave me a 10 day trial to compensate for the long CNY weekend that fell in the middle of my 7 day trial. He also gave me a red envelope containing my temporary password and a drink voucher. When I saw the rates for the gym, I must admit I did feel it was a bit of an indulgence especially since I didn’t lack the discipline to exercise on my own. But then I was determined to use my trial fairly and so I have been back there twice over the following 3 days. The one day I didn’t go there was because I went for a long run. The day I had the long run, I was particularly stressed about getting out of office, finishing my run and being in time for dinner and my daughter’s bed-time ritual (different from the Ritual) that I am responsible for. That put an enormous amount of strain on me that evening and despite my best attempts ended up being late getting home. The exchange I had with my wife before my run and after I reached home that evening ended up in a row, quite an unpleasant one at that.

The next day it hit me that the Ritual could be my blessing and the incident at home after the run gave me a glimpse of a solution for the time challenge I was running into. The hours around 3 or 4 pm in the afternoons are usually where I have a real urge to take a break. A workout in that break would be particularly refreshing. Now why would the Ritual be different from other gyms in the area? Simply because I can get up from my desk and instead of walking into a coffee shop for a cup of coffee at that hour, I can walk into the Ritual. I don’t need to take anything with me as long as I have booked my slot. Not even a pair of shoes.!I change into the clothes they provide and exercise barefeet. The routine itself takes about 15-20 minutes. Including the walk to and fro, the shower and the change before and after the exercise, I am set back by no more than 60 minutes in all. No one would even notice I was away, at work or at home. Now arguably I spend lesser time if I exercise at home because I don’t have to change into work clothes again after the exercise, but since I am planning to use up a part of the time I would otherwise have spent in a coffee shop during the afternoon break, I am net neutral on time consumed away from work or from home. Besides I don’t have to worry about rushing home in the evening after work and answering the inevitable question from the wife if I am able to come straight to dinner or if I will disappear for a workout! I don’t even have to reveal I have worked out that day because it is not impinging on precious family time in the evening.

The only question of course is whether a 20 minute workout is sufficient because even when I work out at home I do it a bit longer than 20 minutes. But the pulleys and rows available in the Ritual gym are additional props that provide me a more holistic feeling. It has just been 3 workouts there so far and I am going to complete my trial diligently and will perhaps even sign up. I will explore what it does to my body. My mind does feel contented at the end of the workout and there is a general feeling of wellness in my body. The exercise routine feels a bit more holistic than my own home routine where I focus largely on my lower body.

I will still do the runs in the evenings on some days. But the Ritual can replace my workout on other days. It can be own personal secret getaway during the day!