In March 2020, when the world shut down because of Covid, I lost my routine. Week in, week out, L (my firstborn daughter) and I would go to the gym five or six days a week. It was our routine. I joined a gym as soon as she was old enough to be in the childcare room – just three months old. This continued until she was nearly two years old.
Almost every day, we’d wake up, get some breakfast, and head to the gym. I’d do my warm up, work out, and cool down, and then we’d go home and she would nap while I got some lunch. I scheduled appointments and play dates in the afternoon when possible so that we could keep our routine. It did occasionally change, but that gym time was not only my time to work out and practice, but it was also my “me” time. I needed that time to stay sane as a mom, not just to train. And it was so habitual – such a part of our life – that it was easy to keep it up.
When I lost the ability to have that routine (and the support of childcare staff), I had a bit of a crisis in figuring out how to stay motivated at home. By the time she was two, L was not napping anymore and quiet time was not happening. At first, I decided to just stop training, because Worlds was no longer happening. Shortly thereafter, I got pregnant with C and wasn’t able to train anyway. It was another year before I needed to get into a new training rhythm and figure out how to do so not only while homebound, but also this time with two kids.
While quite a bit has changed in my approach to training over the past few years since having L, one thing has remained: my ability to be disciplined. We can’t rely on motivation to get us where we want to go. In fact, it’s not a great idea to do that in general, because motivation ebbs and flows. Discipline, on the other hand, means that you can accomplish what needs to be done regardless of circumstance. Sometimes it looks a little different based on your phase of life, but with flexibility it can be done.
What I’ve learned since returning to dance post-kid(s) has been amplified since having C, but it is this: work smarter, not harder. I’m sure you’ve heard the popular turn of phrase, but have you ever sat down to contemplate its implications for your life? I have; I’ve had to. I don’t have hours a day without my kids to focus on dance and my training. The precious time I do get is often required to stay on top of housework and bills, even if I lower my standards and cut things from our schedule. I don’t have the margin to dedicate the same number of hours to feising, dance classes, and workouts as I once had.
Working smarter means focusing on what you need. Giving what you have when you have it. For me, this means efficiently-programmed workouts during the week, enough rest, and planning my dance practice days around my husband’s schedule. I do my training when I can – if I don’t seize the opportunity that is nap time/quiet time, there may not be another time that day. I can’t make excuses, I need to just do. Even if I don’t feel like it, I put one earbud in with my gym playlist, bring the baby monitor over to my workout space, and start. And once I start, I finish. I am disciplined.
It’s worth noting that training “smarter” includes an intimate knowledge of your body and its needs, and the ability to discern when you’re making excuses and when your body actually needs a break. Long-time readers will remember that last fall, I took over a month off my weekday cross training because I just couldn’t manage it. So this is my chance to remind you: rest is training, too. My rest days are non-negotiable. They are built in as minimums, not as maximums; meaning I get a minimum number of rest days each week and can always add. So if my body is telling me I need a nap because I didn’t get enough sleep, then I nap instead. If I’m feeling off or fatigued, I give myself an extra day. And I know that I’m not “being lazy”, because I have the discipline to remain consistent the rest of the time.
Do you work smarter, not harder? How could you implement this into your training? Without enough recovery, you’ll run your body into the ground. Your best strides ahead are with ample rest time and efficient training. I promise, you can do more in 30 targeted minutes than with two hours that are not focused on what you, personally, need to be doing. And, you’ll likely avoid injury and be less tired and sore, to boot.
Signed, a former chronic over-trainer who constantly ended up injured before majors.
Best of luck to anyone attending the North American Irish Dance Championships in Montreal! Stay tuned for the Ace & Deuce of Mothering column every month.
