You Can Shake Up Your Training – The Benefits of Varied Workouts!

Summer is fast approaching which means longer days, warmer weather, and an excuse to wear your summer wardrobe. Whether you’ve trained for events throughout the year or, like so many others, gave into the holiday hibernation temptation, you don’t need to worry. Today we’ll be going over ways to break your training out of its routine. So whether you’re in it for a more toned core or prepping for your next marathon, you’re set for success!

Why Vary Your Workout

To put it simply: it helps. When you switch up your workout regimen, it benefits you both physically and mentally.

Many people find their workout routines to be just that: routine. It’s like when you eat your favorite meal for a week straight, you become tired of it by day 3, and hate it by day 5. If you perform the same actions every time you go to the gym or run the same route, you’re likely to feel bored. The mind craves excitement which it can find in a new exercise or by literally running on the road less traveled.

Did you know that your body doesn’t like routine, either? When it comes to exercising, at least. If you follow a strict pattern that lacks variation, you can be wasting your effort and find yourself hitting and staying on a plateau. Why? Because your muscles adapt to repetitive techniques after 6-8 weeks. By altering your regimen, your muscles don’t have time to adapt and are consistently improving (You have to keep them guessing!).

So how can you spice up your routines? Try one of these three easy, natural methods:

• Cross Training
• HIT – High Intensity Training
• Trail Running

What Is Cross Training?

Cross training is adding a second technique to your regimen to improve your preferred method of working out. Athletes take up a second sport to improve their main focus. For example, football players have been known to participate in dance classes to improve balance, flexibility, and speed.

The same holds true for your workout. Swimmers can take up boxing while runners might want to add a couple of yoga classes to their weekly plans. The benefits of cross training are complementing areas where your workout falls short. Yoga increases flexibility and is especially helpful for those of you who don’t like to stretch before hitting the road. Whereas boxing helps swimmers with your upper body strength and abdominal muscles and have some fun outside of the water.

It doesn’t necessarily matter how you vary your training, but adding a new activity will be sure to help!

Turn Up the Heat by Increasing Intensity

Not interested in changing your routines? That’s fine, you can breathe new life into your workout by making it tougher. Adding intervals of high intensity, like sections of sprints or taking shorter rests, increases your heart rate. Your muscles do not become accustomed to a set pace or motion and are able to continually improve because of it.

Try Trail Running!

Trail running is something of a growing craze in the United States- and for good reason! Trail running takes your normal run off of the streets or treadmill and gets you out into nature. It may seem like the same activity, but it’s an entirely different experience.

Where you could just zone out and run, you’ll find yourself zoning in to the ground and environment ahead of you. Paved roads are clean of distractions (other than the occasional passerby or car, depending on where you run), but nature paths and woods don’t provide that luxury. You’ll be watching out for roots and branches, climbing hills, and losing yourself with the natural world.

Apart from clearing your head like no other exercise, your muscles get a great workout too. Forests’ varied terrains will employ muscles in both your legs and arms that your regular routine probably neglects (to no fault of its own). Just be ready to be a little more fatigued and have a slower time than usual, but the results will be worth it.

Bonus Tips to Improve Your Workout

Altering your routine isn’t the only way to get the most out of your workout and create a better you. You can adopt other habits or try certain practices to give you that little extra push!

• Workout Consistently
  • If you’re changing your routine or starting a new one based on our suggestions, your efforts won’t amount to much if you don’t stick with them. If you take two weeks off, you lose the progress your efforts gained. So don’t give up! Even small steps add up.
• Bring a Friend!
  • You might find having someone tag along with you to the gym or the trails works better to inspire and motivate you. There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to help you push through that last set a little stronger or run just a bit quicker.
• Take a Break
  • Rest is necessary, too. You might want to push yourself to your limits, but working out daily is not as beneficial as you might hope. Some studies show that you need to take two days off to repair your muscles, so be sure to give yourself a break when needed. Not only will your muscles not repair, but you may strain them in doing so. And don’t forget to sleep! Healthy sleep habits relate to physical performance.
• Eat Right
  • Exercising isn’t the only factor that leads to a healthy body. Eating right is the majority of a properly functioning physique. By eating multiple smaller meals throughout the day, your metabolism works consistently and you can feel fuller. By eating well balanced meals, your body receives all the necessary nutrients to lose weight and workout harder.
• Try Supplements
  • In addition to the above you can consider using supplements which may give your body the boost you want. Check out the Plantiva formulas, especially ImmuneDx and AllerDx for optimizing respiratory health. They’re all natural, ground-breaking formulas created with your health in mind.

There you have it. There’s still some time to get ready for the summer and beach-weather before they actually arrive. Now, go workout hard and smart, and most of all, have fun! You’ve got this!