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Run gym repeat
08 March 2021
Do you ever find yourself getting bored by your exercise routine? Don’t worry — we’ve all been there. What was once exciting now starts to feel routine, and we’re not even sure if it’s even working anymore. The scales aren’t changing, morale is low, and that waistband isn’t getting any looser.
Let me ask you a question.
When was the last time you changed things up?
The body responds to consistent exercise and routine so we can progressively overload our muscles and start to see results. Most of us know enough to increase our weights, speed or distance over time to challenge our bodies as we get fitter and stronger. But after a while our body can adapt to our routine and even the exercise modalities we’ve chosen.
Changing how, when and what we exercise every 4-8 weeks can make a big difference to our health and fitness.
Not sure where to start?
Here are few things you could try:
- Hill walking or running instead of a walking or running on a flat surface
- Changing your equipment from a barbell to dumbbells
- Giving Pilates a go instead of yoga
- Exercising in the afternoon verse in the morning - or vice versa
- Swapping around your group exercise class regime
- Taking a week off to focus on stretch, rest and recovery —you’ll be amazed what this does to your training when you get back into it!
I personally exercise in 8-week blocks. I like to try different training programs or apps, swap my indoor workouts for outdoor ones, use machines instead of heavy weights and try new fitness classes such as boxing and circuits. I find my body responds really well to this and most importantly, I feel mentally stimulated and engaged. Motivation can be a hard thing to find some weeks – if it’s exciting and challenging and you have clear direction, you’re more likely to stick to it long term!\
Have any questions about exercise and routine? Ask one of our Mates4Mates Accredited Exercise Physiologists.
Written by Mates4Mates Exercise Physiologist, Lauren Kelly
