Crossroads Fitness Blog

Variety is the spice of life.

There is some truth to that statement. You get into your daily routines of schedules and can do many tasks without thinking too much about them. You may eat at the same time, go to work at the same time and take out the garbage on pick-up day.

Routines can be a good thing in many situations.

Think about your fitness routine. Are you doing the same exercise, going to the same class, walking on the same treadmill or lifting the same weight for every workout?

Maybe it’s time to change up that routine.

In the area of fitness, adding a little spice just may help the boring become more exciting and motivating. Sometimes you may hear the words “change” or “different” and associate them with “new” and “uncomfortable.” Being creatures of habit, it’s OK to like your comfort zone of being familiar with surroundings, people and activities.

Although doing exactly the same thing over and over may be comforting, it does have drawbacks. Without variety, things can get pretty boring. When talking about fitness routines, it’s important to spice it up a bit. Let me introduce you to cross-training.

Cross-training is simply combining two or more types of physical activities and is one way to create that change that you may be lacking. There are numerous benefits to adding cross-training to your fitness routine.

First and foremost is the motivation piece. Keeping interested and motivated to exercise is an important piece. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. Cross-training can help you burn more calories by exercising regularly and using different muscle groups. You reduce your chance of injury by doing a variety of exercises.

For example, performing a high-impact sport like running one day, followed by a yoga or Pilates class the next day.

It’s simple to create a variety-filled exercise program. For you to be successful, plan a complete workout that includes the three areas of physical activity: cardiovascular; strength; and flexibility. Under each area, write down what activities you like to do or would like to try. Some activities fit under more than one area.

For example, cardio can include running, jumping rope, walking the dog or riding a bike. Strength can include pushups, lifting weights or yard work. Flexibility can include stretching or attending a yoga class.

Changing a fitness routine can be beneficial in more than just eliminating boredom. It actually can help your fitness level. Our bodies are adaptive and get used to an exercise. It becomes difficult to make changes in our bodies once it has adapted to a specific fitness routine.

Because of this adaptive nature, it’s important to keep our bodies guessing and mixing up the exercises we perform.

How do we go about changing up our workouts? Try something new. Often times we get our minds set into what we think we can do and what we really could do if we try.

If there is a favorite exercise machine you use often and don’t want to give up, try changing the intensity, speed and/or grade. By gradually changing how hard you work, you will keep your workout challenging and not routine.

Remember, when changing up your workout routine, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Once you choose your activities, plan them into your week. Allow for variety and flexibility. Experiment with different activities to find out what really interests you.

Continue to enjoy your favorite activities, but challenge yourself to try something new. Spice it up!