28 Oct Five tips to freshen up a stale workout: Part I

If you do anything the same way, over and over, it will become boring.
That naturally applies to exercise as well. If your workouts are starting to get stale, or have been flat for a while, it’s time to change things up.
Here are five tips to freshen up your workout in the first of a two-part series:
1. Buy something new – Whether it’s something simple like buying some new workout clothes, or more involved like installing a TV or mirrors in your workout room, or purchasing new fitness equipment, that can be a spark to get you going again.
2. Write down your goals – Set some goals and keep track of your progress in a workout log. If you’re working toward specific goals it will keep you more focused than simply showing up at the gym day after day and doing the same things.
3. How to pick a goal – Goals can range all over the place, from simply striving to exercise a certain number of times each week, to a weight loss goal or fitting into a favorite old pair of jeans, to running a road race, or bench pressing a certain amount of weight. Spend some time to think about what you’d like to achieve.
4. Sign up for a road race – One of the best ways to step up your training a notch is to sign up for a local 5K or 10K race or walk. This will set a goal out there in the future and help inspire you to train for it.
5. Cross train – Mix up your workouts instead of doing the same things. If you predominantly lift free weights and machine weights, then mix in some workouts where you use your own body weight to exercise (ie: pushup circuits, pull-ups, chin-ups). If most of your workouts involve cardio on the elliptical or treadmill, trying lifting some weights.
I’ll give more cross training ideas in my next blog.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com