How do I juggle work, life and training?
I work a full-time day job as a wine critic and journalist, alongside online coaching, creating content and being an ambassador for HYROX Hong Kong. I'll admit, a job in wine is an unconventional pairing with training for and competing at a high level in HYROX. It's hard. But not impossible.
My training is structured, with wiggle room to add or swap out 1-2 sessions, depending what I feel like that week. I follow a modified version of my Advanced Program, doing 9-10 sessions a week. I'm focusing more on strength at the moment and swapping out my runs for cycling to recover from a shin injury. So my current training block consists of: 3 bike workouts, 3 HYROX-style workouts, and 3-4 strength sessions.
I am consistent with early morning workouts. I train 6 mornings a week, plus 3-4 early evening sessions. Sometimes I don't manage this because of work, travel, illness or injury. Or when I need to take a deload week, or taper before a race.
But here are a few things that help me stay consistent.
I prioritise training and I make it part of my routine.
I find it easier to stick to a structured training program that has some built-in flexibility
For example, even though I’m swapping out my runs for cycling right now, I still following the same weekly training structure.
My partner and I meal prep on the weekend for our weekday dinners, which saves a lot of time!
DM me on Instagram for Shok’s gochujang chicken recipe ;)
We go to bed early, with an aim of 8 hours of sleep.
On weekdays, this means we’re in bed by 10:15pm to allow time to fall asleep and still get 8 hours before my alarm at 6:45am.
I limit my alcohol consumption (despite working in wine!) so that it doesn't interfere with my sleep and training the next morning.
If I’m out with friends, this means not having more than two drinks if I need to wake up early the next morning to train.
I set race goals for the season, with a long-term view.
This motivates me to put in the hard work!
I share and talk about my programming, training and goals with those in the community.
If you're struggling with juggling your training with other commitments, or you need help finding out how YOU can stay motivated, let me know!
