As the old saying goes “variety is the spice of life.”
When it comes to fitness and working out, we couldn’t agree more. Mixing things up can make the mildest routines super beneficial! Adding some variety to your workout routine can have major payoffs. Just like you may get bored with the same meals over and over again, your body gets bored with the same exercise time after time. Your muscles become immune to routine movements and exertion – making your workouts less effective over time.
Everyone knows that regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but it can sometimes get dull or feel like a chore. This is especially prone to happen if your routine doesn’t change much from day to day. Perhaps you only run outside or walk the treadmill, or even take the same CYCLE class every day. Maybe you only lift weights and do the same reps or moves on a rotation. Whatever your exercise routine, variety is the key to both enjoying and benefiting from your workouts, plus sticking with your commitment to fitness.
Before going into detail on the benefits and how to switch things up to benefit you, we suggest you start by finding a motivator and staying flexible.
Find a motivator
Try exercising with a family member or friend, or join a Studio Fitness or Team Training class at FITNESS PROJECT. Not only can it be fun to work out with others, but you also increase your likelihood of sticking with it.
Stay flexible
To maintain healthy, flexible, and strong muscles, it’s important to stretch daily. Flexible muscles help your body maintain a greater range of motion in your joints. Stretching also reduces your risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage when you do make use of your muscles. Strong, flexible muscles also lead to better balance and posture. Better balance now will help keep your body nimble as you age. Also, consider adding a RECOVERY Class regularly to your routine to help keep your body in tip-top shape!
Here are a few of the best reasons why (and ways) you should add a little variety to your fitness routine.
Overcome workout boredom
Let’s face it, when you do the same thing over and over again, it can become tedious and boring, no matter what area of your life it is. The same holds true for workouts. If you always do the same thing, you may tend to get tired of it. Go dancing (Zumba is an option), try a new class at the gym, train with a new coach, or just mix up your workout flow! You may end up finding a new activity that you didn’t know you liked, giving you reasons to keep trying even more new things!
Break the monotony, boost your motivation, & prevent workout burnout
If you ask most people why they stopped working out, they’ll probably say they lost motivation and interest. Committing to an exercise plan is hard enough, so if it’s also monotonous and boring, you’ll have an even harder time sticking with it, long-term. Something as simple as changing up your walking or running route or doing a different weight circuit at the gym can boost your motivation and keep you going back for more, day after day.
Meet New People
When you begin a new activity, you will inevitably meet new people. These people may have similar health and wellness goals and these are excellent people to surround yourself with to reach your goals and expand your immediate fitness community.
Make exercise more fun and discover new things you enjoy
If you always do the same workout routine, you’ll eventually get bored or feel unchallenged. Exercise shouldn’t be just about burning calories and building muscle: it’s about having fun while staying active. Some people love H.I.I.T training, while others hate it. Some people enjoy BodyBalance or Yoga, while others enjoy Zumba or BodyCombat. With new exercise styles coming out all the time, there’s a lot to choose from, so make it a point to occasionally try something new that appeals to you.
Burn more calories and break through your plateau
Our bodies are very efficient in conserving energy, Once the body gets used to performing a certain type of exercise, it becomes easier and our bodies do not have to work as hard to do it. Challenging our muscles in new ways results in burning more calories or breaking through weight loss plateaus.
Work out different muscle groups to balance your fitness
Cardio, strength training, and balance/agility practice all work different areas of your body and improve unique aspects of your fitness. Even though it can be tempting to stick with what you know and are comfortable with, it’s important not to focus too much on any one aspect. For balanced fitness, incorporate a variety of workouts that touch on all three of these fitness aspects.
Prevent injuries
Performing the same motions over and over again without adequate rest can lead to severe injuries such as pulls, sprains, tears, and stress fractures, many of which require excessive recovery time. This is why, runners may schedule regular Cycle classes or swim to offset the repetitive motions of weight-bearing, and all fitness enthusiasts can benefit from yoga and stretching. Keeping your muscles strong, balancing the stress on different areas of your body, and maintaining flexibility are all important to staying healthy and injury-free.
The bottom line is that there are as many reasons to mix up your workout as there are ways to do it. Get out there and have some fun! That’s what life is all about! Considering these benefits, it should be obvious how important it is to maintain variety in your exercise routine. In fact, don’t let it become routine. The more you mix it up, the greater the enjoyment, the longer you’ll stick with it, and the faster you’ll reach (or even exceed) your fitness goals.
