How to keep your fitness journey exciting

Did you know that doing too much of the same workout decreases the physical benefits you get over time? Furthermore, your mindset is just as important as your physical fitness when it comes to maintaining a workout routine. If your workout is starting to feel less like a challenge or you find yourself losing interest in exercising, here are some tips to help you reap the best outcomes and stay motivated on your fitness journey.

Change your workout schedule

If you find yourself dreading an upcoming workout, perhaps it’s time to switch your schedule. Although establishing an exercise routine generally helps to keep you committed to your fitness journey, altering it can give you renewed excitement for working out. Do you normally start your day with a hot yoga class? Maybe it’s time for you to sweat out the stress of the day in the evening instead. If you normally do a Pilates session during your lunch break, perhaps you should try a morning session so that your lunchtime can be freed up and can be spent on other activities.

Vary your workout regime

Just like your mind, your body needs to be constantly challenged in order to reap the full benefits of exercising. Instead of working on your cardiovascular endurance from Monday to Friday, perhaps you can do it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and pepper in a yoga or Zumba class on Tuesday or Thursday. Mixing up your exercise agenda on a daily basis will help keep your body on its toes, and will make way for a more holistic fitness routine.
What’s more, if you’re beginning to find your regular 30-minute run or 1-hour yoga class less challenging, perhaps it’s time for you to alter the duration of your workout. Whether you’re considering incorporating High Intensity Interval Trainings into your cardio session, or doing back-to-back Zumba classes, modifying the duration of your workout challenges both your mind and body in new ways.

Set short-term goals and celebrate small milestones

Whether your fitness goals involve losing weight, building lean mass, or something different altogether, your fitness journey is more like a marathon than a 100-meter sprint. It can sometimes be discouraging when you don’t immediately attain your ultimate goal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the many milestones you achieve along the way. Set checkpoints and celebrate when you achieve them; recognising that you’re one step closer to your ultimate goal provides ample amounts of inspiration as you progress on your fitness journey.

Look great to feel extra great

A great way to celebrate your achievement of one of those short-term goals is to treat yourself to new workout clothes. The opportunity to show off your new gear can help give you that extra push to visit the gym when you’re not feeling too motivated. Research has also shown that investing in new workout clothes can increase your exercise performance by boosting your confidence, so it’s definitely worth looking great as this can make you feel even better about hitting the gym!

Try something new
One of the best ways to keep your fitness journey exciting is to try new workouts. Pick an exercise you’ve been wanting to try but never have. For instance, if you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to try a Pilates class, or you’ve been getting more and more curious about incorporating weightlifting into your routine, it’s best to try new things now before your current exercise routine bores you to a halt. Not only will trying out something new keep your body motivated, it will most certainly keep you entertained. Drop stereotypes and misconceptions, and be open to new experiences. By doing so, you get to learn new moves and exciting workout ideas that will keep you motivated to workout!

Start a super squad

A little bit of friendly competition can do wonders for motivation, and having a like-minded workout buddy can help you stay positive on your fitness journey. If you already have a gym buddy, perhaps invite a third or fourth person to your squad. While different people approach exercise differently, exercising with your friends strengthens the bonds amongst you.

Essentially, enjoying your workouts can be as simple as adopting a positive mindset to anything that comes your way. Plan an assortment of activities that excite you, surprise yourself with new exercises, and go further to attain your fitness goals. Open yourself up to opportunities and challenges and you’ll surely reap the benefits in the long run!