With America’s obesity
epidemic on the rise, it has never been more important for people to get
regular physical exercise. There are a
great number of benefits gained by getting regular exercise at the gym, but a
big problem with regular exercise is that it can get very boring. Here’s how to spice up your workout routine in
order to make going to the gym a pleasure, not a chore.
1 1. First of all, take steps to prevent injury—there’s
nothing like a sprain to keep you from coming back to the gym. If you want to get the most out of your
workout, make sure you do a proper warm-up; it will increase your body
temperature, warm your muscles, increase the elasticity of the ligaments and
tendons, help prevent injury, and prepare your body and mind for the upcoming
workout. Start out your workout with
some type of cardio activity, and ease into it.
Don’t start really working until you’ve warmed up for about 10 minutes.
2. Change up your workout. If you normally head to the treadmill every
day, you’re bound to get bored. Try the
elliptical or some weight-lifting exercises in order to make things a bit more
interesting. If you’re unsure of how to
use a certain machine, make sure to ask an employee how it works before trying
it.
3. Try swimming. Swimming can be a refreshing change of pace if
your gym features a pool. Swimming is
great low-impact cardio and is perfect for those with arthritis or other joint
problems. There are pool exercise
classes you can join as well.
4. Change the time of day you usually go to
the gym. Instead of a mid-afternoon
workout, try one later at night or earlier in the morning. You’ll never know if you don’t check it
out—perhaps you’ll find a slow time where you can work out in private, or a
more busy time if you like the hustle and bustle.
5. Bring a friend. It can be a lot of fun to have a gym buddy—not
only is it nice to have the company, but you’ll feel more motivated to go and to
work harder if your friend does, too.
6. Get some new music. If you’ve been listening to the same workout
mix, and it’s not really getting you pumped anymore, it’s definitely time for
some new tunes.
7. Buy some new workout clothes. Perhaps you’ve been feeling less than
motivated—looking at those worn-out workout clothes doesn’t exactly inspire you
to get going. Some new and well-fitting workout clothes may be the jumpstart
you need to get to the gym and burn some calories.
8. On
your way to and from the gym, get a good leg workout in by constantly
alternating between pushing the brake pedal and gas pedal as hard and as fast
as you can.
9. As
mentioned in #2, it’s important to change things up every now and then. If you notice that you’ve been saying
“Oooooooooommmf” a lot when picking up heavy items, try switching to “Uuuuuurrrrrrrrghhh”.
10. If
you’re still reading this, I hope that you realize that #8 and #9 are jokes.
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