Finding time for exercising can be difficult enough, but if you find yourself bored with the same routine over and over or fail to see the results you are looking for after a significant time spent working towards your goals, it’s high time to make some changes. Varying your workouts and avoiding the much dreaded rut can not only help you approach exercise with more enthusiasm but also help you break out from weight loss plateau.
Listening to music as a way to work out a little longer and/or harder is a well known efficient trick, yet it’s far from being the only one. From varying length, intensity and workout style to finding new ways to feel the burn are all super important in order to get better results over all and ace to your exercise session instead of being tempted to find excuses to skip it. Try some of these fun variations for a more enjoyable workout:
Go outside your comfort zone Once we find a workout we like we are often so grateful that we become slightly reluctant to try anything else. And, because usually the workouts we like the most are the ones we’re best at, we can easily fall into the trap of focusing mostly on those.
However, trying new workout styles can help us work muscles that were involuntarily neglected, find new challenges to tackle and who knows, maybe even expanding our view as to what’s fun and effective.
Focus on variations As we practice the same moves over and over, our body becomes efficient at them and less effort is needed. While a particular exercise style might be just what you need, variations are crucial in order to vary the difficulty of your workouts to keep your body guessing. Replacing leg lifts with side lunges, trying pistol squats instead of regular swats or alternating push-ups with burpees will quickly ensure you don’t neglect or underwork important muscles.
Turn to experts If you have the discipline of alternating your favorite exercise dvds and trying something new regularly, you’re doing a lot better than most people. However, while home exercising is extremely beneficial, turning to professionals from time to time is a good investment as they can offer valuable tips regarding mistakes, number of repetitions needed or exciting alternatives that are typically harder to figure out when we are the ones doing all the effort.
Try your favorite activities again As children, things like number of calories burnt, muscle groups used or required exercise time were pretty much concepts never taken into account. While tailoring our workouts based on such criteria can be a smart move to increase efficiency, it can also take the fun out of exercising itself. Give beloved childhood sports and activities another go for an extra dose of fun.
Head to the outdoors As the temperatures start rising, working out outside is a lot more appealing than staying behind four walls. Embrace your desire to spend time in nature without worrying that your workout will change for the worse. The resistance created by various surfaces and the thrill of discovering new routes will work as a workout enhancer.
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