The Importance of Switching Up Your Workout Routine

A workout routine is a great thing, no matter what that routine is. If it makes you sweat you’re doing your body good. But if you always do the same exercises, you are missing out on great benefits.

We need to face it: we are creatures of habit. Whether you are not exercising at all or jogging the same trail every day, doing the same workout day in and day out can do more damage than just boredom.

Let’s talk about some of these reasons why you need to change up your workout.

Overuse Injury

Number one reason to change: when you use a muscle too much you can tear it in places that make it harder to heal and cause you plenty of pain. In fact, this is one of the main causes of plantar fasciitis.

Overuse injury or ‘Repetitive Strain Injury’ is when we tear or otherwise injure a muscle too close to the ligament and it can cause us extreme pain and take an extended period of time to heal. This is one advantage of mixing up the routine.

By using another part of the body for your workout you can let another area heal and it will help you maintain muscle tone and stay in good overall shape.

The Plateau

Our bodies are such amazing machines. They even learn when we do the same thing repetitively. This learning can also be called muscle memory. Muscle memory can be beneficial, like when you are learning the piano, but not so much when trying to lose weight. When your body gets used to an exercise it can become incredibly efficient and burns fewer calories.

When you try a new exercise your body has to work harder because it has not done that before. This might make you a bit sore the next day, but that tells you it is working.

Trying something new and different challenges your body to do something that it is not used to. This will help lose weight because your body will need to work harder at something new. Wearing out your cross-training shoes? Try some weights or lunges. Do you like the evening walk? Try yoga. The more different the exercise the more your body has to work at it.

Get Some New Muscles

Professional athletes are in amazing shape. Have you ever noticed that runners have huge legs muscles, or swimmers have massive arms? When you spend a day working them out, you usually build just one set of muscles or a group of them.

For most of us, we are going for an overall fitness goal rather than to look like we belong in a muscle magazine. Try a few sets of pushups or situps instead of a vigorous bout on the treadmill. Try lifting weights if you have been doing the yoga workout. These changes challenge your body to both build and maintain muscles.

Boredom Is the Enemy

I can get be hard to focus on the end every second or minute until you are done because you committed to working out 4 days a week. Make it a game or try doing speed intervals when exercising. Try a few minutes of sprinting for a bit before your jog, some aerobics before you weightlifting, just work a few different muscles to mix it up.

Brain Health

Studies have repeatedly shown that the increase of oxygen to the brain helps build neural pathways and aid in memory recall. This means your new activity of choice is going to help you memorize those names you always forget or lessen the number of times you walk into a room and forget why you went there in the first place.

When we get into a rut with exercise we can go into autopilot and disengage from the activity. Choose something new you can engage with. Try memorizing new vocabulary words while running. Some people have been known to play video games while on the exercise bike. It’s all about what keeps you engaged and actively trying to push your body in the workout.

Another big deal: engagement means you work harder. Working harder means better health. Better health usually leads to your ability to avoid common ailments. A big one for the brain and memory is hypertension. Work hard getting those endorphins going so you can relax from any stress you might have each day, no matter the activity you choose.

When To Switch It Up

The big question you might be asking yourself now is this: When do I know when to try something new? Usually, it’s when you would rather hit the snooze button rather than get up and workout in the morning, or if the TV show you only sort of like is more appealing than getting your sweat on. When you are bored with something it is time to make a change.

Another great idea is to engage someone else to help you. The act of having a partner in your workout will have them help push you or keep you distracted while you push through that last mile.

No matter what you chose to do to keep the variety in your workout, do not forget that your body has needs too. Keeping hydrated, eating properly, and wearing good shoes for support will assist you in keeping your focus on a healthy body.

KURU shoes offer a variety of athletic shoes to take you from aerobics class to the yoga mat, and back to the treadmill or track. With our amazing space-age foams, your KURU shoe mold to your feet for a custom fit and fantastic support for your whole foot.

Now is the time, go make a change and keep up the good work.

No matter which activity you are wanting to do in your life, KURU has a shoe for you that will give you the support, comfort and style that your feet have been craving.

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