Fitness: May 2011

A change is as good as a…

Some people are really good at exercising. They have no problem slipping on their shorts and into their sneakers and setting off on a ten mile run. Some hit the gym with a strange, almost religious, necessity to pump those weights and pose in front of all those mirrors.
I admire such commitment and determination but a question needs to be asked:
“Are you doing the same routine and workout that you have always done?”
If the answer is YES, and it so often is, then you need to make some changes.
Our bodies are incredibly smart at adapting to external stimuli. So if given the same type of exercise for years, months or even too many weeks in a row, our bodies will quickly learn how to handle this workout and plateau. Therefore it is vital that each person’s fitness regime include a commitment to renewing your goals, re-assessing your body every 3-6 months and re-working your program and exercises based on this reanalysis.
You need to decide what is really best for you. Are you still doing the exercises you did as a youngster just to keep fit but now you want to complete a marathon? If so…you may well not be doing the best programme for the new interest. Same goes for other sporting areas. It’s no good building masses of muscle if what you really need for your new target is stamina exercises. Take a good look at what your aims are and find out if what you are doing is the correct. If not, make those changes now.
Your own circumstances might have changed. Workloads might restrict what you can do or confine you to hours on end sat at the computer or simply you’re so busy it’s affecting your sleep. Be aware that a more sedentary life might need less pounding the streets and a more balanced stretching exercise.
Don’t stop the exercise – just think about changing your routine so that the body doesn’t become too used to what you are going to throw at it. You might find that your body begins to respond in a way that it hasn’t done for many years simply through a few changes of habit.
Set yourself achievable goals and go for them.