Why I No Longer Chase 1-Hour Long Workout

Don’t get me wrong. If I can get a 1-hour undisturbed, totally focused workout, I would still take it without skipping a beat. 

But ever since I became more than just myself—meaning a mom, a wife, an entrepreneur—chopping up the productive hours within 24h is a constant work. It was so often for me to get burned out because I felt like I needed to keep my whole routine when it was just a whole me, myself and I even after I add a husband, a child, and a business into the mix. 

It wasn’t for long until it became clear: an hour-long workout actually needs about 3 hours (at least!) for it to make sense. Let’s say you live in a busy city like me, Jakarta. Which means I need to get ready about an hour before the actual Yoga practice begins at the studio. I gotta leave at least 40-minutes before so I can get there at least 10-minutes before the class starts just like the studio rules read. Then, the actual 1-hour class commence. Finally, I’ll need another total of 1 hour to chit-chat with my studio friends and travel back home to get to my husband and child. 

Spending 3 hours for a 1-hour workout quickly felt counterproductive. It was no longer serving the stress-relieving benefit I usually got after numerous times of being chased by the time to get back to my laundry and preparing lunch for my family. 

With that, turning to a home-workout session would be the next best thing. Until I realised that 1 hour at home doesn’t necessarily feel like 1 hour at the studio. You have the tv going, washing machine beeping, people going back and forth because they live there too, not to mention in my case, a toddler jumping around my back as I workout 🤪 An hour home-workout simply doesn’t hit the same. 

What I want to share with this story is that I was truly stuck in my egoistic mindset of needing a full, focused hour of just me moving with myself. As if that version of a workout was the only one that counted.

But I’m simply no longer just myself.

With the growth of life, there’s also a need to evolve the structure around it. That includes the way I approach movement.

And honestly? Now I celebrate the 20-30 minutes I get on the mat whenever I can. 

I honor the short walks I take while waiting for dinner to cook. I stretch while I fold laundry. I breathe deeper while brushing my teeth.

These may look like small, scattered moments—but they’ve become my sanctuary.

So no, I don’t chase hour-long workouts anymore.

I chase peace.

I chase presence.

I chase consistency in whatever form I can hold.