It's Laura Bode https://itslaurabode.com Sat, 19 Apr 2025 15:43:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Build My Next Exercise Block With Me https://itslaurabode.com/build-my-next-exercise-block-with-me/ Sat, 19 Apr 2025 15:42:13 +0000 https://itslaurabode.com/?p=2223

In this article:

1) Framework, Frequency, and Focus
2) Form, Fundamentals, and Fun
3) Squat
4) Hinge
5) Rotation
6) Horizontal Push
7) Horizontal Pull
8) Vertical Push
9) Vertical Pull
10) Put It All Together
11) Let’s Get Lifting

I muddled my way through one semester of exercise science in high school and worked with a personal trainer at Goodlife Fitness for a couple of months as an introduction to working out. So, no, I am not certified or qualified to build legitimate exercise programs for people. But I’ve taken the time to learn what I can online and test stuff myself after almost five years of working out—only two years of consistently doing it. In those two years, I’ve honed a process for building exercise programs for myself that has helped me get harder, better, faster, stronger—all that good stuff.

Framework, Frequency, and Focus

I used to simply change my exercise program with every season, meaning my programs would be about three months long. This meant I only had to sit down and put everything together four times a year, which was nice, but I found I really started to get bored of my program in those last few weeks and anxious for something different. Most exercise programs fall within the four to eight-week range, so with this new spring program, I want to try a two-month block instead. So, this new program will last nine weeks, from March 30 to June 1. This way, I have one week to test-run my program and make tweaks if necessary.


Now to decide how many days a week I want to work out! I’ve been doing five or six-day splits for the past year or so, but things are really starting to ramp up with my business, plus, a girl’s gotta eat. So, I think this year I’ll be shifting more into maintenance mode for my fitness while I go into build mode for L’s Digital Solutions. The Heart and Stroke Foundation, as well as many other reputable sources, says that the recommended amount of exercise for adults is 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and muscle and bone-strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least two days per week. For starters, it sounds like two full-body workouts are on the menu! As for aerobic activity, running is my number one choice. I usually like to do a shorter run, around 5k, earlier in the week, then a longer run around 10k on the weekend. That plus my daily walks should get me to at least 150 minutes. Perfect! Let’s get building.

Form, Fundamentals, and Fun

For my programs, I like to keep it simple because, well, I’m not a professional. So, every week will be the same routine; the difference will be the effort I put in. With my weightlifting, I’ll be working within a six to ten rep range. I start with a weight that I can do at least three sets of six with. Once I can do three sets of ten, I go heavier. With my long runs, I’ll aim for one extra km every week. I’m currently back up to 8k since my winter legs have been “thawing out”. If successful, my final long run of the program will be 16 km. But I may get sick, have an important event, or simply need a deload week so I don’t injure myself. The furthest I’ve ever run is 13 km, so I’d be happy with a goal of running 15 km by June!

Now, let’s start with the fundamental movements in weightlifting.

Squat

This is perhaps one of the most practical movement patterns to train, because you use it every time you sit down and stand up! The primary muscles you use for this are the glutes and quadriceps. Some common ways to do a squat are with just your bodyweight, or adding weight with a barbell or by holding dumbbells, kettlebells, a medicine ball, or a cat, whatever’s handy. Lunges and split squats also count as a squat movement, you’re just using one leg at a time!

Hinge

This is also a very important movement you use in everyday tasks, mainly picking things up. Hinging primarily uses the glutes as well, and instead of the quadriceps (the front of the thigh), this uses the hamstrings (the back of the thigh). There are a variety of ways to train these muscles, the most popular being deadlifts, hip thrusts, glute bridges, and kettlebell swings.

Rotation

Moving up to our core, being able to rotate and twist your body also comes up a lot in our lives. There’s a reason Pilates has gained so much popularity – it’s extremely important to train your core! The most effective movements to train these muscles are woodchoppers, windmills, pallof presses, side planks, and bird dogs (you may need to Google some of these, I know I did).

Horizontal Push

Think of pushing away from something, hopefully this isn’t something you’re using on a regular basis, but this still targets a major muscle group: the chest.

Horizontal Pull

Important for posture, horizontal pull movements target your upper back. The best way to train this movement pattern is with push-ups and bench presses. The way to train this is with rows: bent-over rows, single-arm rows, seated cable rows, all the rows.

Vertical Push

Targeting your shoulders, the vertical push helps you lift things over your head. The way to train this is with presses: z-press, overhead press, push press, shoulder press, all the presses.

Vertical Pull

This targets your lats (middle back) and also your grip strength because the best exercises for this are pull-ups, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns.

That was a really quick rundown of everything! If you do want to learn more about movement patterns in weightlifting, I definitely recommend following this link for all the details on everything.

Now that we’ve covered the form of the program and the fundamentals of exercises, it’s time to put the workouts together, AKA the fun part! Because if it doesn’t sound fun, you won’t want to actually do the workout. So “Fun” is very important here, and why I switch things up every couple of months so it stays fun!

One More Time

Since we’ve got to hit every movement pattern in each workout, let’s start by picking two for each:

Squat

I’m tired of barbell squats and feel like I’m hitting a plateau, so another way to do that is using the leg press machine. I also just did lunges in my last program, so let’s go with step-ups this time.

Hinge

Again, I’m really tired of doing the same old barbell deadlifts, so let’s do hip thrusts this time. I also like doing single-leg Romanian deadlifts, so even though I did them last program, I’ll keep them in for this one. That way, I have a compound and single-leg version for both the squat and hinge movement patterns.

Rotation

I loved doing side planks while holding a dumbbell with my top arm and reaching up and down while holding the plank, but I’m too comfortable with that movement now, so I should mix it up. Let’s go with side bends and cable chops.

Horizontal Push

I want to keep improving on my push-ups, so those are being repeated from my last program as well, but I’ll switch out the barbell bench press for a dumbbell press instead.

Horizontal Pull

Switching out a barbell bent-over-row for a single-arm dumbbell row, and we’ll do a seated cable row as well. Where possible, I like to do both arms and single arm movements, like with my legs!

Vertical Push

I finally got strong enough to do an overhead press with a barbell (45lbs) last fall, but I think I’ve plateaued on that movement, so let’s go with a dumbbell overhead press and then also work on my muscle imbalance in my triceps and do single-arm triceps extensions. I started this in my last program, but I’ll actually do two extra reps on my weaker side (my left) to balance my strength.

Vertical Pull

I can barely do a pull-up on my own, and once I do, my muscles are shot, and good luck trying to get another one out of me. So, the goal is to keep building those muscles! There’s an assisted pull-up machine at the gym that allows me to lift progressively more of my weight until I can handle my full bodyweight. I’m down to -30lbs, so I’m close! I’ll also repeat lat pulldowns from my last program because it’s a really good movement to help train pull-ups. Instead of pulling yourself up to the bar, you’re pulling the bar down to you.

Accessory Moves

My fellow runners may be squirming in their seats right now, “But Laura, what about calves?!” Hush now, I’d never forget to train calves. Since they’re not a major muscle group and don’t fall under any of the fundamental movement patterns, they’re considered an accessory movement. So yes, I’ll throw in some single-leg dumbbell calf raises. As for my other accessory movement, anyone following me on Strava knows my hip has been bothering me on my runs lately. To give it some love, I’ll add seated hip abductors to hopefully strengthen it so it shuts up. Anything but mobility work, am I right?

Can’t Forget About Core

I know we’ve already sort of covered core with our rotation movements, but we kind of skipped over the middle—and I’d never say no to a six-pack. So, if possible, let’s throw in the two best exercises to get visible abs: cable crunches and hanging leg raises.

Put It All Together

Now I just need to put everything in order. Typically, the best way to structure a workout is to start with your compound movements. They typically require the most strength because they target multiple muscle groups. Save them for the end, and you won’t be able to do them properly or very well. Then you move on to the unilateral moves (single-arm or single-leg). Lastly, we’ll finish with the accessory moves since they’re the smallest muscles and can still be trained properly even if you’re a little tired.

That sort of determines the order, but if you counted, we have 18 exercises that need to be split into two workouts. How do I split them? Honestly, based on what machines are grouped and what exercises use the same equipment. It makes things go a bit faster in the gym. What also makes things go faster is supersets! Since I’m doing three sets of 6-10 reps for each exercise, I’ll take 90 seconds between each set to rest. That can add up to a lot of time, so an easy way to make a workout shorter is to group two exercises that use different muscles together so you can combine their rest time. I usually leave the compound movements alone because they require a lot of effort, but it’s definitely doable for dumbbell work and unilateral moves. Now, let’s see how I can put this all together!

Full Body A

Full Body B

Hip Thrusts
Assisted Pull-Ups
SS: Seated Cable Row / Push-Ups
SS: DB Overhead Press / DB Step-Ups
SS: SL DB Calf Raises / DB Side Bends
Hanging Leg Raises

For my first workout of the week, I’ll start with my compound leg movement, then my compound upper body movement. First superset will be my horizontal pull superset with my horizontal push. Next, my vertical push superset with my single-leg squat movement. Then, my accessory movement superset with my rotation movement. Lastly, my core movement.

Leg Press
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns
SS: DB Chest Press / SA DB Row
SS: Seated Hip Abductors / SL DB RDLs
SS: Cable Triceps Extensions / Cable Chops
Cable Crunches

For my second workout of the week, I’ll again start with my compound leg movement, then my compound upper body movement. Then, I’ll again superset my horizontal push and pull movements. Next, since the triceps extensions and chops both require the cable machine, they should go together, forcing my seated hip abductors and single-leg Romanian deadlifts together. That’s fine, I can just put the dumbbells beside the machine and use them right after. Then, of course, I’ll finish with my core movement.

Let’s Get Lifting

So, that’s how I go from a chaotic jumble of “I should really do more upper body” thoughts to a structured, balanced, and fun workout plan. The key takeaways? Keep your framework simple, hit all your major movement patterns, plan for progress (but also for real life), and make sure your workouts are something you actually want to do. If it’s not fun, you won’t stick with it—and I say that as someone who’s quit plenty of un-fun programs halfway through.

Remember, you don’t need to be certified to build something that works for you. You just need a little intention, a bit of knowledge, and a willingness to try stuff out and tweak it as you go.

If you’ve made it this far and feel inspired (or confused, or ready to overhaul your own plan), I’d love to hear from you! Drop a comment, message me your favourite accessory movement, or check out my other posts on running, lifting, and building a fitness routine that fits your life—not takes it over.

One last note before you lace up: the only thing I didn’t touch on in this post is warm-ups and cool-downs. They’re easy to skip but incredibly important—so I’ll be dedicating a whole blog to them soon. Keep an eye out!

]]> How I Revolutionized My Night Routine https://itslaurabode.com/how-i-revolutionized-my-night-routine/ Sun, 16 Mar 2025 18:10:00 +0000 https://itslaurabode.com/hello-world-2/

In this article:

1) Yes, Sleep Hygiene Is a Thing
2) The Building Blocks of My Night Routine
3) The Bedtime
4) The 3-2-1 Method
5) The Closing Shift
6) The Cat
7) The 1-1-1 Prompt
8) The Book
9) The Actual Night Routine

I think we’ve all believed at one point or another that we’re just a solid morning routine away from the life that we’ve always wanted. 

Especially when you see that people like Benjamin Franklin, Michelle Obama, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, and Oprah Winfrey all swear by their morning routines. Unfortunately, it takes a little more than morning meditation and sunlight to be successful and happy – however you define those terms for yourself. 

Does this mean I’m against morning routines? Absolutely not – I wholeheartedly believe that wellness routines can set you up for success. And the secret ingredient to every good morning routine is a good night routine! (See what I did there?)

In this article, I’m going to cover what first got me interested in establishing a night routine for myself, how it’s improved my life, how I make it sustainable, and the routine itself. If you keep falling off your night routine or can’t stick with your morning routine, I hope this article will provide some clarity and insight on the subject or at least give you some ideas for your routines!

Yes, Sleep Hygiene Is a Thing

I couldn’t tell you when I first heard the term, but when more and more YouTubers like Keltie O’Connor and Ali Abdaal started talking about sleep hygiene, I started to become more aware of my sleep habits.

Yes, duh, obviously sleep’s important, but I didn’t really understand the scope of it.

Studies show that about one-third of the adult population is sleep-deprived, and poor-quality sleep can negatively impact your mental health, cognitive function, hormone balance, and immune system, as well as increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain.

Lately, there’s been a surge of interest in “sleep maxxing,” a term popularized on TikTok that essentially means optimizing every possible factor to achieve the best sleep quality. It’s the latest evolution of sleep hygiene, but with a more intense, almost competitive edge—think blackout curtains, temperature-controlled rooms, magnesium supplements, and high-tech sleep masks. My biggest concern with this trend is when it compels people to spend all this money on products they don’t really need. I found a cheap sleep mask that I love, but I’m not about to go buy an Eight Sleep mattress. Also, if you have access to a family doctor, definitely ask them before starting any new supplements, Magnesium or otherwise.

Sleep Maxxing ties into the broader trend of sleep gamification, where smart wearables like the Oura Ring, WHOOP, and Fitbit now track everything from your sleep cycles to your HRV (heart rate variability) and assign you a sleep score. While these tools can be great for awareness, they can also create anxiety around sleep, which ironically makes it harder to get good rest. I question how accurate these wearables really are, so I take the sleep data from my Fitbit with a grain of salt.

My relationship with sleep started with lots of naps – and no, I’m not referring to the ones I had to take in daycare. I’m talking all through high school my mom would often come home from work to find me napping in the chair in front of the TV. I didn’t think much of it, teenagers need lots of sleep. Then in college my sleep was all over the place, so there were many times I’d set an alarm for a quick 10-minute nap between classes. Again, it still felt within the realm of normal – college, am I right?

Now that I was in my early 20s and working in a hybrid position, mostly from home, I would still take a nap almost every day. Some days I simply felt sleepy, and some days I was depressed and wanted a break from being awake – if you know, you know. So at this point, my naps were getting a little out of hand. There was a key element missing from my life – physical activity! 

You need to spend energy to get energy. I know, it seems counterintuitive, but next time you’re a little sleepy in the afternoon, try going for a quick walk and see if you feel more energized. I bet you will!

When I started my fitness journey around 23 years old, I napped less and less as I exercised more and more. This also empowered me to get a better handle on my mental health to stop taking those damn depression naps as well. I still didn’t have a routine, though.

Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night isn’t enough to get restful sleep. There are other factors to consider, like how long it takes you to fall asleep, how many times you wake throughout the night, how long it takes to fall back asleep, and last but not least, having a fixed wake-up and bedtime. That’s right, folks, bedtimes are back.

Now that we all agree that yes, sleep is a huge pillar in your health, let me walk you through how I built a night routine that’s sustainable and covers all the bases.

The Building Blocks of My Night Routine

The Bedtime

This is something I continue to wrestle with because this bedtime isn’t exclusive to school nights; we’re talking the weekend too. (Yes, I’ve been out of school for 10 years, and I still call them school nights.)

Since I run my business by myself from home, I really have a lot of flexibility here. So you best believe I was sleeping until 10 am for a while. However, there’s this phenomenon that I can’t seem to explain: around four o’clock, I lose all motivation to work. I think, “Ah yes, the work day is over, I can relax now.” Even if my work day didn’t start until noon. I know what you’re thinking: just keep working anyway, right? Well, you try writing ads or designing landing pages when all you can think about is dinner and watching the latest episode of Kitchen Nightmares. The creative output is nowhere to be found. So, instead, after a totally reasonable amount of time, I realized the solution was to just wake up earlier so I had a bigger time frame to get work done.

I figured waking up at 6:30 seemed realistic, so subtract 8 hours, and that gave me a new bedtime of 10:30 pm.

The 3-2-1 Method

Having chosen my bedtime made it all the more easy to use this method that I came across from Dan Go. The 3-2-1 method is a simple way to wind down effectively and improve sleep quality:

  • 3 hours before bed – No more food. This gives your body enough time to digest so it’s not working overtime while you’re trying to sleep.
  • 2 hours before bed – No more liquids. This helps prevent waking up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip.
  • 1 hour before bed – No more screens. Avoiding blue light and overstimulation makes it easier to fall asleep when your head hits the pillow.

Of course, I don’t always follow this perfectly—sometimes I’m late to get dinner on the table or date night takes priority—but even sticking to it most nights has made a huge difference in how well I sleep. Honestly, the hardest part of this was filling that last hour of the day without screens! This is where the rest of the building blocks come into play.

The Closing Shift

This simple framework is what finally got me to clean my home consistently. I call it The Closing Shift because it reminds me of when I worked at Scoops Ice Cream as a teenager. When I was closing up for the night—mopping the floors, doing the dishes, cleaning the frozen yogurt machine—I always made sure to do a really good job, especially if I had the dreaded open-close shift the next day. Nothing was worse than walking into a messy workspace first thing in the morning.

I didn’t come up with The Closing Shift myself—I’ve heard others use the term, and I loved it so much that I adopted it for my own routine. Now, I apply it to my kitchen. Before bed, I make sure all the dishes are done—either left in the drying rack or put away—and I wipe down the counters so everything is fresh for the next day. That way, when I wake up, I’m not immediately greeted by a sink full of dishes or a sticky countertop. Instead, I can just make my coffee and ease into my morning without unnecessary stress. It’s a small shift, but it makes a huge difference in how my day starts.

The Cat

Every night when I climb into bed, it’s not long before my cat, Harley Quinn, hops in behind me. Given her portly stature, she can’t quite reach everywhere when grooming herself, so the vet recommended I brush her every day. I figured—what better time than when we’re already cozy in bed together, winding down for the night?

This has been a newer addition to my night routine, and honestly, it might be my favourite. There’s something so calming about the quiet rhythm of brushing her, especially when she starts purring. People often assume she’s standoffish and doesn’t like attention, but the truth is, she’s just a little sassy about when and how she receives it. And now that she gets daily brushing sessions on her terms, her coat is noticeably fluffier—it’s a win-win!

The 1-1-1 Prompt

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to start journaling regularly. This resolution isn’t new—I’ve tried (and failed) to stick with it before. The closest I got was writing down one thing I was grateful for each day, and while I kept that up for a while, it never really felt like proper journaling. I wanted something that would help me reflect more deeply, but without feeling like a chore.

Everything changed when I came across Sahil Bloom’s 1-1-1 Method on Instagram a couple of months ago. It’s a simple yet effective framework that makes journaling feel both meaningful and manageable. Here’s how it works:

Every evening, at the end of your day, open up your journal (or favourite digital tool) and jot down three simple points:

  • 1 win from the day – Something you accomplished, big or small.
  • 1 point of tension, anxiety, or stress – Getting it out of your head and onto paper is surprisingly therapeutic.
  • 1 point of gratitude – A moment, person, or thing that made you feel thankful.

The whole process takes about five minutes—though if I’m feeling inspired, I’ll sometimes write more.

The beauty of the 1-1-1 Method is in its simplicity. It encourages self-reflection without the pressure of writing a full journal entry. One win keeps me motivated, one challenge helps me process my thoughts, and one moment of gratitude shifts my focus to the positive. Since starting this habit, I’ve actually enjoyed journaling for the first time ever, and that’s saying something!

But, let’s be real—sometimes I struggle to come up with a win or a point of tension, depending on how my day went. It’s like looking for a snack in the fridge and not finding anything. My trick? Lower your standards and look again, and you’ll find something! If I really can’t pick just one thing for each point, that’s okay too. Some days, I list multiple wins, stresses, or moments of gratitude. Journaling doesn’t have to be rigid. As long as I feel like I’ve cleared my mind and reflected on the day I just lived, I consider it a win.

The Book

I used to have the hardest time actually falling asleep when the time came. Just lying there alone with my thoughts? No thanks. Another problem I had was whenever I tried to curl up with a book in the afternoon, I’d always fall asleep. It wasn’t that the book was boring—it was just the act of reading that made my eyes heavy. So, what did I do? I added reading to my night routine, of course!

Some nights it works within 10 minutes, and I’m out cold. Other nights, I can get through a chapter or two before I start nodding off. I read until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore, then I close my book—well, Kindle. One of the greatest gifts I ever got was being able to lie on my side without having to hold up pages. I mean, seriously, why didn’t anyone tell me about this sooner? The dark mode option is also a game-changer for reading in low light.

The only time this strategy didn’t work was when I was deep in my thriller phase, reading books like Verity and The Housemaid. I was so riveted, my eyelids never got heavy. Moral of the story: Choose your books wisely!

The Actual Night Routine

7:30 pm: Last meal of the day

8:30 pm: Last sip of water

9:30 pm: Closing shift

9:35 pm: Brush teeth & wash face

9:45 pm: Brush cats

9:50 pm: Journal

10 pm: Read

10:30 pm: Sleep

Your Path to a Better Night's Sleep

Building a solid night routine has been a game-changer for me. From setting a consistent bedtime to embracing the 3-2-1 Method, making time for a closing shift in my home, bonding with my cat, journaling with the 1-1-1 Prompt, and winding down with a good book, each of these small practices has added up to a much better night’s sleep—and a more peaceful mind.

If you’re struggling to create your own night routine, don’t be discouraged. The key is consistency and flexibility. You don’t have to follow every step to the letter—just find what works for you and make it a habit. The beauty of routines is that they can evolve as your life and needs do. Remember, a good night routine is like a cog in your wellness machine, helping everything else in your life function more smoothly. (If you’re interested in learning more about building your wellness system, keep an eye out for an upcoming article on this!)

I encourage you to try incorporating some of these strategies into your own life. Whether you stick to one or implement them all, you’ll be on the right track to better sleep, better health, and a more relaxed you.

Now, I’d love to hear from you: What’s your favourite part of your night routine? Drop a comment below and share your go-to wind-down ritual—I can’t wait to see what works best for you!

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