GOOD TO GREAT! TAKE YOUR WORKOUT TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN 2025

Friends, whether we go for short walks around our neighbourhood, sprint through 10-kilometre bike rides, or sweat it out at the gym, at some point we’ll think, “This isn’t as hard as it used to be!”

That’s good progress. But it might be time to move on.

We may have gotten so used to our routine that it’s simply too easy now. To get faster or stronger, or just beat boredom, it’s time to change things up.

It’s a fact: The best way to keep building muscle mass or burning calories is to make it a habit to switch up our workout—especially when we notice that our current plan has become comfy. It keeps us on our toes. We’re ready to turn our walks into jogs, lift heavier weights, or swim faster than we might have thought we ever would.

Get ‘FITT’

First, think about what we could do differently. Use the “FITT” principle of exercise—frequency, intensity, time, and type—to guide you.

Frequency: How many days a week do we work out?

If it’s twice a week, we should try to add a third day and see how it goes.

Intensity: How hard do we exercise?

Do we reach our target heart rate? That will help us boost our fitness. Our maximum heart rate is about 220 minus our age. Our target heart rate zone is 50% to 85% of that.

If we don’t want to do the math, ask ourselves if we feel like we’re really pushing ourselves or if the activity feels pretty easy. Could we work a little harder, whether that means picking up the pace or adding more weight or resistance?

Time: How long are our workouts?

If we jog for 20 minutes, we should try to keep it going for 30. Strolling around the neighbourhood for 45 minutes? Go a few blocks farther and make it 60.

Type: What specific exercises are you doing?

Consider going from walking to jogging, jogging to running, or adding a completely new activity—biking, swimming, Pilates, weight training, etc.

Turn to a Pro or a Pal

Consider a session or two, or more, with a certified personal trainer. They can help tweak our plan, whether we’re working toward a marathon or we want to lose those last 10 kgs. And they can make sure we don’t make too many changes too fast.

If we’re not interested in hiring someone—maybe getting professional help seems too expensive or time-consuming—we could team up with a workout buddy. It makes us more likely to stick with the plan and show up.

For the best results, we should pick a partner who’s slightly fitter than we are. Research shows that working out with a person who’s in better shape can motivate us to push ourselves harder.

Reap the Benefits

We need some extra incentive to get out of our current comfort zone. We can opt to “reward” ourselves for meeting mini goals along the way.

We can focus on small treats that aren’t food. For example, we could plan to go to a concert, get a manicure, or buy a pair of shoes we like after we’ve met our workout goals for the month/year.

Even better, we can steer ourselves away from tangible items and focus on how getting fitter would benefit our life. Do we want more energy to play with our kids or grandkids? Better sleep? Be in shape for an active vacation halfway around the world? Cross the finish line at a race or even take home a medal. 

It’s all possible if we push ourselves just a bit further, over and over. 

Courtesy! Rays of Hope Support Initiative and WebMD 

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