“I focus on the everyday movements”—a trainer explains why daily habits matter and shares her weekly workout schedule

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.

Siri Chilazi is a group fitness instructor, Pilates teacher and barre trainer based in Boston, Massachusetts.

She's been a trainer for over 20 years and has developed a varied exercise routine of her own that incorporates a range of movement styles.

“I work out because it feels great in the moment, it helps my physical health and mental health and it sets up the foundation to be healthier later on in life,” Chilazi tells Fit&Well.

“It's such an ingrained part of my life that I can't even imagine my life without moving,” she adds.

Here, she's shared what a typical week of exercise looks like for her, as well as the daily movement rituals that help her stay active throughout the day.

Siri Chilazi's weekly workout routine

Chilazi makes sure that she walks, jumps on her mini trampoline, takes the stairs and does some gentle joint mobility work every day.

On top of that, she does the workouts below.

Monday 12pm
50-minute treadmill run and 15-minute core workout

Tuesday 12pm
60-minute Pilates session

Wednesday 12pm
50-minute run and 20-minute core workout

Thursday 12pm
25-minute skipping workout and 35-minute upper-body strength workout

Friday 12pm
Beach run

Saturday 12pm
30-minute yoga routine

Sunday 9am
60-minute yoga class

Sunday 5pm
30-minute HIIT and strength workout

Siri Chilazi's tips for building a consistent workout routine

1. Prioritize everyday movement

“As you can probably see from my routine, I focus on the everyday movements that aren't exercise per se,” says Chilazi.

The trainer prioritizes walking, climbing stairs—she lives on the 15th floor of her apartment building—joint health exercises and trampolining, as part of her daily movement rituals.

“The biggest thing that drives your caloric expenditure isn't actually the 45-minute workout—it's how active you are in those other 16 hours,” she explains.

2. Protect time for exercise

“I try to design my schedule in such a way that I have protected time for exercise,” Chilazi says.

“If people ask me if I can meet at a certain time but I've planned on working out then and that's the only window I can squeeze in a workout, I tell them I'm not available.”

3. Set micro goals

“My high level goals revolve around being healthy, active and setting myself up for a good future,” says Chilazi.

“But at any given moment, I might have some more specific fitness goals.

“Sometimes, I might be working on my cardiovascular endurance. Other times, a few months later, I might be working on consciously building muscle mass.”

According to Chilazi, smaller goals can help you feel more motivated to exercise, as you'll see progress quicker.

4. Set input not outcome goals

“We naturally set goals based upon outcomes. For example, I want to lose 10 pounds or I want to run a 5k,” says Chlazi.

“But when you're starting out, it can be more helpful to set the goal based on the process or the input,” she says.

“For example: “I'm going to commit to going on a walk every day, even if it's just for five minutes,” or “I'm going to commit to doing a strength training workout three times a week”.”

“It doesn't matter how much muscle you gain or how much more weight you can lift, just focus on taking the right steps that will move you in the right direction, without focusing on the outcome,” Chilazi concludes, adding: “You have to get yourself in that consistent flow, and then you can start optimizing around the outcomes.”