Four weeks into your New Years goals, and things have already started to feel a bit routine. Not to mention, if you keep doing the same workout long enough, your body will get used to it and you’ll plateau. So, to keep you energized and progressing, it’s probably time to shake things up and try something different. Need some ideas? Here are a couple of our favorites:
- Do something different – It seems obvious, but simply choosing a different fitness activity will help you stay excited and heading toward your goals. Try out a new class (like boxing), explore aerial yoga, play a pickup game of basketball. Anything it takes to stay engaged.
- Change your playlist – Research shows that music can dramatically improve your workout, providing motivation and improving efficiency. Introducing new songs, especially ones between 125 – 140 beats per minute, could be the perfect way to change things up.
- Set daily goals – Challenge yourself to do better today than you did yesterday. Workout longer, do more reps, burn more calories. Even better, have different goals throughout the week, one day focusing on endurance, while the next focusing on strength.
- Get new toys– Remember how excited you were on Christmas morning? When we have new toys we can’t wait to go play with them. Same thing happens if you introduce a new piece of fitness tech, get a new outfit or buy sneakers. There, now you have an excuse.
- Hire a trainer – If you’ve reached the limits of your knowledge, borrow someone else’s. Working with a trainer is liable to teach you new techniques to try. And nothing motivates you faster than having someone standing there, yelling at you.
- Increase the intensity – Change details of how you’re working out and you’ll change your results. You could extend your workout longer, increase the speed or weight you’re working out at, even work on raising your heart rate.
- Make friends– Right now, your workout isn’t enough to make you want to show up. Give yourself other reasons to want to go. Finding workout buddies (or bringing your own) will keep things fun and help get you through the tough times. Plus you can challenge each other and keep each other motivated.
Really, this is all about sticking with it. Progress happens over time, and the only way that can happen is if you’re still working out. Make a game of it, try different things, see what works best for you. Whatever you end up doing, just keep showing up.