When I first started Tony Horton’s P90X about a year ago, I was motivated and ready to change my body. I pressed play every day, did some kind of workout seven days a week for the first 8 weeks. The 9th week, I took Sunday off. It is, after all, an optional workout day, and the workout is just stretching, so, really, Sunday is a recovery day. (BTW, this assumes you started the program on a Monday, which I’m guessing most people probably do.)
As my body moved more toward the shape I wanted, as I started feeling happier with it, and better about it, Saturday workouts, which for me was a cardio, would also sometimes slip.
In other words, I started treating the weekend days as optional workout days.
I don’t think that would work for my brother, who is a bit of a fitness nut, but it works for me.
Look, I work out pretty hard during the week. I don’t dog it. I’m pushing the boundaries of what my muscles can handle. I also tend not to get enough sleep. I need my downtime on the weekends to recover.
The only thing I really try to do on the weekend is one of my two weekly ab workouts — 15 minutes max — and that’s just to get something in, i.e. not be totally lazy for two whole days.
Then it’s up to my body and mind. What are they telling me?
Feeling sore? Maybe a cardio workout to loosen things up. Cardio is always good, because I always feel really great after, for example, Kenpo/Cardio Plus or Intervals, and I think it’s generally a good idea to get the blood circulating hard through the body every so often.
Feeling pretty good? How about a little yoga to improve strength, balance, breathing … you name it.
Yeah, those are both good ideas, and sometimes I’ll make ’em happen. But I don’t feel bad if I skip ’em.