WHAT TO DO IN A EXERCISE RUT?
Let me ask you. Are you someone that has been going to the gym doing the same thing on the same day at the same time and months later you look the same or worse? What about the people around you exercising? Do they look the same? What about getting excited to get started back into fitness maybe around the New Year but within a few weeks you stop going?
If you said yes to any if these questions you are in a rut. When it comes to fitness variety is the spice of life. You need to change up your routines on a monthly basis. You can’t be running on the treadmill or elliptical 5 days a week and do nothing else. Your body will adapt to what you are doing and stop giving you results. The same applies with weight lifting. You can’t do the same chest workout every week and expect gains in your physique. You need to change it up. You need to increase the intensity. If you are able to read a magazine on the treadmill you aren’t working hard enough. You should not look pretty once you are done working out.
Not only will doing the same routine over and over stop you from getting results but even worse you will get bored with your routine. Who wants to go exercise if it gets boring? No one. Exercise is just as important mentally as it is physically. You have to keep yourself excited about your next workout routine. You want to look forward to it.
Pick a new class at the gym to attend. Change up your music on your ipod. Do intervals on the treadmill instead of one steady speed. Instead of bench press do push ups on medicine balls. Try Yoga aka the fountain of youth. Whatever you do you need to be constantly changing your program.
I don’t repeat the same workout routine in any given week. Once I learned to do this the magic started happening. I am always trying to keep it fresh. Some weeks I use weights. Some weeks I use resistance bands instead but do the same exercises.
So if your scale has stayed the same, or your bored, or you simply just don’t want to workout, then you are in a rut and its time switch it up.
Variety is the spice of fitness. Live by it.
Dave
