Humans are creatures of habit. We have comfort foods, songs, places, people, and exercise routines are no different.
We often hear, ‘consistency is key’. Of course, a routine and habits are incredibly important to fitness. But, repetition can be the biggest fitness killer for fitness progress, when not leveraged. Maybe you only go for the same weights every session. Or you have a favourite body part to train. But this can lead to fitness plateaus, and importantly, boredom, meaning you slip out of the routine your body loved so much. So, what’s the solution then?
Variety.
Variety breathes many benefits into your exercise routine, helping you stay on track, and achieve your goals effectively.
Here are a some reasons why you NEED to add variety in your exercise routine.
Avoid Fitness Plateaus
Imagine if you lost 5kg this year, but it’s been six months, and you haven’t been able to progress any more. You’ve reached a fitness plateau.
See, our bodies are stronger than you think. One day, those 3kg weights that felt like bricks, will all of a sudden feel like a breeze. That is fitness adaptation. And our bodies are made for this. The only way our body can continue to get stronger, is to add more stress. This can be manipulated through variety in exercise type, exercise environment, resistance, or intensity. This variety keeps your body on it’s toes, and ever adapting to ensure your fitness results continue.
Discover New Passions & People
Ever wondered if there is a hidden passion of yours waiting to be discovered? Maybe it’s dance, or maybe it’s weight training. Incorporating variety deliberately gives you the opportunity to experience new things. You can meet your new best friend. Or finally find that class that is compatible with your crazy work schedule. Adding exercise variety also adds variety to your life.
Beat Boredom
If you continue doing the same workout everyday, eventually you will feel unstimulated and unmotivated to continue. It is critical to spice up your existing routines to help remind you why you exercise in the first place – to have fun and to feel good!
Prevent Overuse Injury
When you perform the same exercises repeatedly, you use the same muscle groups. Without adequate time for recovery, this can lead to overuse injuries. This can stop you in achieving your progress, with a side effect of brain numbing from excessive and boring repetitions. Now we wouldn’t want that would we?
The bottom line is, variety is the key to keeping you on track towards your fitness goals. It is better for your body, your mind, and your overall motivation to continue on your health journey. So what are you waiting for? Let’s spice up your workout routine!
