“We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a great time”—The Curvy Girl Trainer Lacee Green shares the weekly routine she follows to keep exercise fun

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

If Lacee Green could bottle up her energy and positive mental attitude, we’d all want a sip.

A BODi Super Trainer, certified personal trainer (CPT) and personal coach of over 10 years, she believes fitness should be fun, judgement-free and accessible to everyone.

“We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a great time,” she tells Fit&Well, describing the mentality she tries to instill in people who are joining her classes.

Known as The Curvy Girl Trainer, she fronts BODi's new series of 10-minute, beginner-only workouts that are designed for anyone new to fitness or returning after a long break.

Low-impact and joint-friendly, they reflect her personal approach to fitness, one that’s recently been rocked by illness.

“I had brain surgery in December,” she says. “I was just cleared a couple of weeks ago but I wasn’t able to work out for two months and was in intensive care for four weeks.”

It was, she says, “a lot”, but Green also counts it as a “blessing”.

“Going back to the gym now, my endurance is really low. I feel like I’ve lost all my muscle. I can really relate to someone who’s a beginner, thinking I don’t know what to do,” she says.

It reminded her that one of the most challenging parts of fitness as a beginner is building consistency and just getting started.

“When you can break fitness down to say this 10-minute workout will count toward your health and that it’s not about the number on the scale or your pant size, it’s about your energy, it will help you have better sleep, it will improve your mood, I think that makes such a difference.”

Here, Green shares a taste of her typical week in workouts, plus some advice on how targeting early wins can make regular exercise a habit that lasts.

Lacee Green’s Weekly Workout Routine

Green says she trains six days a week, Monday through Saturday, typically around 9am.

Most workouts last around 45 minutes and she kicks each one off with a 10-minute incline treadmill walk or by marching on the spot to boost circulation.

However, while she’s rebuilding her fitness, she freely admits she’s had to strip her workouts back to shorter, lighter sessions, and occasionally hit pause to catch her breath.

Her overriding message: “As long as you press play again and keep going, that is where you’re going to find something deep inside of you that builds that winning mindset.”

Monday
Lower-body strength workout

Tuesday
Cardio and core workout

Wednesday
Upper-body strength workout

Thursday
Cardio and core workout

Friday
“Friday is my go-get-it day,” says Green—this could combine a functional full-body workout, like an AMRAP, plus a longer steady-state cardio session on a StairMaster.

Saturday
Group fitness cardio or HIIT class, depending on how her body feels.

Sunday
Rest day comprising a long walk with her golden retriever Payton, plus stretching and foam rolling.

Lacee Green’s advice for building a workout routine

Green firmly believes that you can get in the best shape of your life from your living room with just your bodyweight, or a set of dumbbells, and some positive intentions.

Set your intention

Before embarking on any workout, Green recommends identifying your why. For this, she uses a system called SMARTS goals.

“That stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound and, because I always have to change everything, I added the S for Self Love,” she explains.

“Ask yourself, ‘How is doing this workout going to lead to something better in your life?’” That could be more energy, better sleep or, for her lately, helping regain her fitness bit by bit.

“When you can exercise to focus on improving your health esteem—a strong, healthy body, not just a smaller one—it can make a real difference in how you push yourself.”

Set small goals

Green also recommends building some early wins into your workouts.

“For me, fitness is just an extreme metaphor for life,” she explains. “I would never give someone a 25lb dumbbell and say bang out 20 biceps curls.” That would inevitably lead to failure and quitting before you've really started.

Instead, start small, collect some early wins and build momentum.

“To build muscle and get better, you have to keep showing up and that means pushing ourselves a small amount at a time and proving to ourselves what we’re capable of.

"Earning those little, small wins makes such a difference."

Find the joy and drop the judgment

Another of Green’s trademarks, she promotes finding enjoyment and adding more life to your years, rather than simply exercising to add more years to your life.

“The number one thing that keeps people coming back to fitness is enjoyment,” she says. “I still think burpees are fun, but whenever you’re about to exercise, think, can we make it fun?”

Applying this mindset to every workout, fitness class or activity will keep you coming back for more and pay dividends now and in your future.

“What is the point of having a long life if when you get to your 70s and 80s, you can’t move or do things independently?” she asks.

“The point of exercise is to add more life to your years. If you can have fun while we’re doing it, my gosh, that makes such a difference.”

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