Ditch the Distractions
When you are at the gym, at home, on the road or where ever you choose to exercise the key to success is focus. The more attention that you give to your exercise routine, the more you will get out of it. It really is that simple. Think about how much attention you are giving the book you are reading while on the treadmill the next time you are walking or jogging at a light pace, if you picked up the intensity it would be impossible to read! Phones are a new problem that is persistent due to how quickly technology advances. If you are surfing the web, e-mailing or diverting your attention elsewhere, you are simply not going to get the most out of your workout. Being fully engaged will help you reach your fitness goals at a fast pace.
Change Your Routine
If you feel like you are stuck in rut and haven’t made significant progress as of late through your exercise routine, it may be a good idea to switch things up. What this means can vary greatly from individual to individual and can involve a wide variety of routines. For example if you run 3 miles a day at a consistent pace and have not seen significant progress over time, incorporating some interval training may help to improve performance.
It is worth keeping in mind that improvements in fitness are the result of stresses on the body. This doesn’t mean that you are looking to over exert yourself, more so that you should seek out activities and exercises that you don’t routinely do. This allows your body to adapt and change to these new stresses as a result of introduction of new exercises and activities to your routine.
Change Your Surroundings
Sometimes a change of scenery is all that someone needs to give them the fitness boost that they need. The gym can get boring and mundane after awhile, so if the gym is the location where you usually exercise, try transitioning elsewhere. Going from an indoor facility like a gym to the beach, boardwalk, outdoor trail or hike is a good idea for some fresh air and a different environment. If you exercise outside and are looking for a change, a different route or even exercising at a different time can result in a significant different in scenery.
Drink Water
With everything that goes on in our daily lives, it isn’t difficult to become dehydrated. The signals our body gives us when it is dehydrated like being thirsty come when it is too late, so it is important to try and remember to stay hydrated throughout the day. Another thing to keep in mind when drinking water is the temperature of the water because of how our body is able to absorb it. Most people enjoy a cold glass of water, but drinking one at room temperature is best when trying to fight off dehydration. This is because our body is maintained and operated at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much warmer than your average cold glass of water. Before we can use the water we drink, it must be raised or lowered to about our body temperature, which takes additional time and energy. We don’t want to waste any additional time when dehydrated so this is important to remember.
Stretching
Stretching will not directly improve your fitness, but it is still a very important concept to keep in mind when looking to maximize the benefit we get from exercise. Numerous injuries, especially non-contact injuries in sports, are the result of not stretching properly. It may seem inconvenient or even unnecessary to use our time and energy to properly stretch prior to and after working out, but it is a necessary evil. Stretching will reduce the chance of injury and thus give you a better chance at succeeding in improving your fitness. Stretching not only helps us improve fitness but can also make us feel better as well. This is especially true in today’s society where the majority of people are sitting at a desk all day, where jobs do not require too much physical activity.
