Add some variety to your workouts
Q. Want to know the number one secret to getting results from a workout routine?
A. You have to follow it.
Fitness, to a certain extent, is as simple as that. The fact that getting exercise becomes a routine is much more important than what workout program you pick. You can buy the most amazing workout program on DVD, but it won’t do you any good collecting dust after you get bored with it. You can only do the same 10 workouts so many times in front of your TV.
You need new and different things to keep your mind engaged and motivation up. Your body acts the same way in response to exercise. If you perform the same workout over and over, your muscles will adapt and you’ll stop seeing improvement. Your progress will plateau and you’ll be stuck in a rut.
If you are going to make health and fitness an part of your life, you need to challenge your mind as well as your body. The only way to do that is to introduce variety into your exercise regiment. It will keep your motivation up and your muscles growing.
Ways to Increase the Variety in Your Workout Routines
Try varying these things to add some spice to your fitness program.
- Intensity: Different workout intensities not only have different fitness benefits, but they provide a very different workout experience. If you’ve done lower intensity exercises for a while, give high intensity workouts a try.
- Focus: As you know from our piece on the foundations of real fitness, being truly fit involves more than just strength or speed. If you have focused on a narrow aspect of fitness, then expand your horizon and work to be better rounded.
- Exercises: Different exercises and variations of tried and true exercises keep each workout new and exciting. For example, there are 20 kinds of push ups listed on this site. Each one will work your body in a slightly different way. Find some new exercises here.
- Location: An easy way to make any workout seem new is to change the place where you do it. Home workouts are great because you can do them at the park, beach, office, or anywhere.
- Goals: Having a fitness goal is incredibly motivating, especially when you can see progress. So don’t stop with just one goal. Choose a running goal and a pull up goal or anything else that is important to you. Every day you can work towards achieving a different goal.
Last of all, have fun with fitness. If it is going to be a sustainable part of your life, you better enjoy it.