Shake Up Your Workout

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for both your body and mind, but make sure you're putting all that energy to work in the best possible way. I often find that when I've been doing the same exercise (it could be a particular route I walk or a weight training routine) that I get bored. My mind is bored, and my muscles are too. Here are a few ways to shake up your workout to make sure you are getting the most benefit from your efforts.

When you do the same activity day after day, week after week, both your mind and body get bored. I do both solitary and group exercise, and both get old after a while. I am always looking for new ways to keep exercise interesting. So to keep your body and mind interested in working out, change things. Try a hike instead of your your regular walking route. Go to a different neighborhood to walk for a change. Take different classes at the gym. Your body will respond positively to this change, and so will your mind.

Make sure that you balance your cardio exercise with resistance training. It's so easy to jump on the bike or treadmill for 30 minutes and consider that a great workout. No, it's really not. Most of us don't push ourselves on these machines, we just sort of go through the motions. It's important to combine cardio with a high intensity, total body resistance routine to really get results. A study at Skidmore College found that people who combined both resistance training and cardio lost twice as much belly fat over a 12 week period as those that followed a moderate intensity cardio plan.

We've all been told that long, slow workouts are good for us, especially as we age. Well, they are good, but they are not the fat burning exercise you may want. In order to burn fat you need to turn the brisk walk into one where part of the time you are doing intervals, that is, going faster and getting your heart rate up. You will burn more calories overall and definitely more fat.

The tips I just gave you come from Prevention Magazine, and I read this at just the right time. For the past week I have been struggling to exercise, watching the clock during my workouts, and in general, not really enjoying my normal exercise routine. Now I know why. I have to change my program a bit, so my muscles don't get lazy, so I don't get bored. One of my resistance trainers has been telling me for months about the spinning class and how much she loves it. I am going to give it a try. It is the best workout you can imagine, yet I have always resisted doing it. I will try it this week. I am also going to try another strength training class, as the one I take now is getting routine. I need to mix it up enough. Maybe all this talk about changing my exercise program will also motivate me to be more careful about what I eat. I watched a new show last night about people who lose a lot of weight in one year and transform themselves. If that program doesn't motivate you, then I don't know what will.