Don’t Fall Into an Exercise Rut

Nothing changes unless something changes. That statement speaks volumes in the fitness realm and should be printed in bright bold lettering throughout fitness clubs. It stands to remind us that in order to facilitate change in our bodies and reach our personal fitness goals, we must continuously change our workout regimen.

We all have our favorite form of exercise. It keeps us motivated and consistently active. But over time, there are a variety of pitfalls that may be encountered by engaging in only one fitness activity.

Overuse Injuries: If a carpenter uses the same hammer every day, eventually, that hammer will weaken and break. You can expect the same results in your body if cross-training is not incorporated. Performing the same workout over and over puts a tremendous amount of strain on the same muscles.
Muscle Imbalance: Think of your car. When the tires are not balanced properly, one tire wears out, rendering the car unsafe. Muscles that are not involved in your workout tend to become weaker. This can lead to muscular imbalances between the intrinsic muscles and the extrinsic muscles, which may lead to injuries and postural misalignments that can cause pain and discomfort.
Autopilot Syndrome: When you continuously perform the same workout, you often push the autopilot button, particularly on days when you may be fatigued or simply not in the mood. By being passive in your workout, you may actually get less out of it. Doing something out of the ordinary will force you to be more active and engaged.
Boredom: Imagine if you ate your favorite food every day for months on end. First of all, you would eventually tire of it. Secondly, your diet would not be healthy and balanced. Even your favorite form of exercise can get to be a bit mundane. It then becomes a task, and once that happens, the motivation factor vanishes.

In order to avoid these pitfalls, other forms of exercise must be incorporated into your workout routine. Cross training by incorporating a variety of exercise formats will give you a full-body workout, reduce the risk of overuse injuries and decrease the chance of becoming bored with exercise.

A well-rounded fitness program is very much like a well-balanced, healthy meal. It contains a variety of elements that, when put together, allow the body to unlock the door that leads to greater successes. There are three key components to achieving a complete workout: cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility. Each type of exercise has specific benefits and by combining all three, you will attain peak total-body fitness.

Cardiovascular endurance: Cardio workouts fuel weight loss, strengthen the heart, reduce stress and increase energy.

Strength: In addition to strengthening, toning and firming your muscles, resistance training will also increase your metabolism so that your body will burn more calories.

Flexibility: Flexibility reduces muscle tension, expands range of motion, increases circulation and lowers risk of injury.

Without cross training, you stand the chance of falling into an exercise rut, which can lead to lackluster results. To become the strongest, healthiest version of yourself, you must incorporate other forms of exercise into your regimen. It will keep you in the game longer.