Are you reaching that point in your daily life where you are beginning to feel sluggish and lose steam for all those goals you set at the beginning of the year? I find that I still reach this point several times throughout the new year. I have discovered that this is completely okay and “normal”.
I have given myself the go-ahead to use these times as times for reflection; which is great because they occur about every 2 months. They may not happen for the same reason or over the same developments, but it still gives me that cue to sit down and look through my life and rearrange things.
I pull out a pen and a piece of paper and start to write. I write what I am doing, what I would like to do, and what I do not want to be doing anymore. I find that this helps me look over everything and get a good view. I will then use those lists to reset goals, gain my motivation back, or simply decide to start fresh by going a whole new route (try it out and see how it works for you).
When I write down that I am feeling sluggish, have a lack of motivation or feel fatigued, I know that it is time to reignite my life. It is time for me to revamp my exercise routine, my daily routine, and make sure I am living to my values and priorities in life.
Are you feeling any of those things? If so, then the tips below will help you! In this article I am sharing with you ways to reignite your exercise routine along with getting your motivation and life back!
How To Reignite Your Exercise Plan
I want to share a little story with you before I dive in. When I started my weight loss journey, it was great! I had changed my eating habits and had a great exercise routine going and I was steadily losing weight (perfect, right?). Not quite. I began to get frustrated because after a few weeks it all stopped. I was still eating right and exercising but my weight loss was at a standstill. Boy, was I getting mad and beginning to think that this was just another goal that I was going to fail! I began thinking things like “I had been a failure all my life, why would it change now?” or “I am not meant to be skinny, I am meant to live my life as a fat slob”.
I had to stop these thoughts and prove to myself that I could do it. I had to figure something out because I was going to lose the weight. I needed to lose it for my health and so that I could actively live with my family.
All-in-all I was feeling like I let myself down because I was doing everything right, yet I was not making any progress toward my weight loss goal. Does this story relate to you? Are you feeling like this now?
Take a moment right now to take a deep breath and say “I CAN DO THIS!” because you can. Weight loss takes work; sure there are ways to make it fun and get it done, but sometimes it doesn’t go the way we want it to. That is okay! There are many ways that you can get your plan back on track and start seeing the weight loss again.
Create Variety in Your Routine
Do you find yourself dreading your workout because it is the same thing as yesterday and the day before that and the day before that, or even the same as last week and the week before that and the week before that so much so that it is boring?
This is a common phenomenon and is often referred to as “hitting a rut”. Adding variety to your routine will help you overcome this feeling, plus it is a change for your body. After a while your muscles actually learn the exercises so well that they do not need as much effort to complete the routine. It is very important that you switch things up to avoid this occurring, in both your strength and cardio routines. By doing the same exercises day in and day out you will usually plateau more quickly than if you change it up. Try changing your routine every 2-4 weeks, if not daily.
Here are 5 Ways To Change Up Your Exercise Routine!
#1. Different Cardio Activities
Try a different cardio activity than your usual routine. The possibilities are endless. Try going outside instead of working out inside, try kickboxing instead of the elliptical, or try swimming instead of running. You have an endless pool of cardio exercises to choose from: hiking, walking, jogging, running, cycling, elliptical, swimming, trampoline, hula-hoop, indoor exercises, outdoor exercises, group fitness classes, DVDs, dancing, kickboxing, etc. The list goes on and on, so pick something you find interesting and try something new!
#2. Change the Amount of Time
As you become more fit, add more time to your workout. By adding just 10-15 minutes 2 or 3 days a week, you will burn more calories while also increasing your cardiovascular endurance. It’s like a 2 for 1 deal!
#3. Mix Up The Intensity Level
You could do this daily! Changing the intensity includes changing the incline, adding speed work, adding distance, or adding interval work. This would be a great place to add some HIIT (high intensity interval training) into your routine. With HIIT, you can workout at a higher intensity for a much shorter amount of time for the same, if not greater benefits.
#4. Different Styles of Strength Training
Change the way you are doing your strength training. Instead of using machines try free weights or instead of using body weight try using resistance bands. There are a ton of inexpensive items out there that you can use to change up your routine: BOSU ball, stability ball, free weights, resistance bands, medicine ball, etc.
#5. Increase Resistance or Number of Repetitions
As you increase your strength, be sure to increase the amount of weight you are using. This is why I love resistance bands since they adjust with your strength levels without you having to think about it. When lifting weights it is important that you lift to failure with each set. When you increase the amount of weight you are lifting make sure you adjust your number of reps as well. Instead of doing 12-15 reps, try doing 8-10 reps. Or, you could decrease the amount of weight you are lifting and perform 12-15 reps instead of 8-10 reps. Either option will allow you to mix up your routine to keep from stalling your results.
It is extremely important that you create variety in your exercise routine so that you can continue to lose weight and improve your fitness and overall health. You can create your own routine by getting some ideas in this article, or you can set up a time to work with me on creating the perfect exercise routine for you. I love hearing back from people, so let me know your thoughts by visiting my showcase page.
