How To Change Your Fitness Routine

A lot of people love the comfort of a routine – why?  Because it’s comfortable and familiar.  Routines can be good, but if your workout has become routine it’s time to take a closer look at what you can do to get you out of your comfort zone.  I like to tell my class participants that they have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Remember how you felt when you first started your current fitness routine?  You probably felt energetic, excited and had no problem fitting it into your day.  How did you feel a few weeks later?  How about a few months?  You may have noticed that you no longer felt that same motivation you felt in the beginning.  You may have even found yourself missing a few workouts here and there.  You probably noticed that you weren’t getting the same results you once did.  This is all perfectly normal.  When you do the same thing over and over again your body and mind adapt to it.  Your body will learn how to be more efficient which means you’ll be able to continue doing the same exercise while burning fewer calories! Our bodies will instinctively try to conserve energy as a survival tactic.  Your mind will get bored and you won’t have the focus you once had.  This is typically the time when a lot of people give up and before they know it they have no fitness routine and their health starts to suffer.

So when should we switch things up? Here are some signs that you should make some changes: you find yourself skipping workouts, you’re no longer seeing/feeling any results and you’re no longer excited about your workout.  Another big sign is if you’re constantly sore, have been getting sick or injured a lot, having trouble sleeping or have an increased resting heart rate.  These are signs of over-training which is just as bad as under training.

If you do the exact same routine at the exact same intensity every time you workout a good rule of thumb is to switch it up every 2-4 weeks.  For example if you run on the treadmill for 45 minutes on the exact same incline 3-4 days a week, try doing something completely different such as biking, swimming or trying a new class at your gym (you can do that for 2-4 weeks and then go back to your running routine if you like).  If you only do cardio, try adding a day or two of weight training – just make sure to talk to a trainer first so you know you’re doing it right.  If you only workout at a level that allows you to talk comfortably try upping the intensity a bit so you can only get out 3 or 4 words at a time.  Join a program such as bootcamp or indoor cycling where you know your trainers will push you and your class-mates will encourage/motivate you every time you come out.

Another good idea is to switch it up every single day!  If you like to run, try running for a longer duration, or using a new route that includes some steep hills, or adding random intervals where you go as hard as you can for about 30 seconds and then recover for a minute, or stopping to do something completely different such as push-ups on a bench.  Sounds a bit like bootcamp doesn’t it ;)  This will allow you to maintain a certain level of comfort because you’ll still be running, but these little changes will make a huge difference!  That’s why classes such as bootcamp,  indoor cycling and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) are so effective.  Every class throws something different at you to keep your body and your mind guessing and your results amazing!

The take home message?  You definitely need to change up your routine, but it doesn’t have to be an entire overhaul of your current routine.  Try adding a few small changes to your current workout routine  and get ready to reap the results!

In about a month I’ll be opening the doors of my new studio, Wholey Fit, where I’ll be running indoor cycling classes and some really unique interval training classes - I can almost guarantee you’ve never done interval training classes like the ones I’ll be offering!  If your current fitness routine has become stale and you’re no longer seeing results you’ll have to come by.  I’ll be announcing an exciting pre-sale in the next few weeks.