Ways to Keep Workouts Fun

One of the worst parts of working out is burn out.  It happens to even the toughest/strongest/most determined athletes.  Personally, somedays I'm totally into weight lifting and feel like I could do it all the time, yet other days it is absolutely the last thing I want to do.  Usually my desire to workout correlates with how frequently I've done a certain form of exercise.  In order to prevent burnout and boredom, I try to switch it up!  I'm constantly trying to discover and search out new forms of exercise, but I definitely have my favorites that I return to time and time again.

Emilia's Favorite Type's of Exercise:

Weight Lifting

Running

Yoga

Biking

Gym-ing

Walking (hey, it counts!)

Ice Skating

Even within these different ways to get my move on, I try to mix it up.  I don't always do the same weight lifting routine and challenge myself to continuously lift heavier weights.  When running, I don't always take the same route or run for the same amount of time.  I don't do the same yoga routine, or take the same bike path.  Diversity is the spice of your exercise life ;)

The main thing you need to remember when trying to keep workouts fun is the delicate balance between variation, exertion and rest.  At first, this may seem easy, but often ends up being difficult to put into practice.  No one wants to do the same routine over and over again, it gets boring, we zone out and stop pushing ourselves.  Why would you choose to do something if you didn't enjoy it?  I know I sure wouldn't!  Not only will you stop wanting to work out, but even when you DO choose to exercise, you won't be getting the same quality as if you tried a new harder routine.

Exertion helps us get the most out of our workouts.  I know that it doesn't matter how long or far or fast I run on a given day, as long as I try my hardest and exert myself appropriately on THAT day, I'm good!  The same goes for weight lifting, you want to increase the amount of weight you use in order to exert yourself physically AND mentally.  If you follow a program that says 'Use five pound weights!' you will, inevitably, reach a plateau where all you can lift are five pounders that no longer feel heavy enough.  When I exert myself after a workout, I certainly feel much prouder, and eager to start on the next one!

The last pillar of keeping your workouts fun is, for me, the hardest one: rest!  Everyone needs rest, but sometimes it can be extremely difficult to admit that you need a rest day.  If you have variation and exert yourself in activities that you genuinely enjoy, you most likely won't want to rest.  I used to have a scheduled rest day in my week, but now I just take one when I need it.  Some days I'm just too tired to actually work out.  That is perfectly okay!  Listening to what your body needs and wants will help you to continue having fun as you exercise.

Sometimes, even when you try all of the above tactics, you just get stuck in an exercise rut.  New activities may be fun, but they don't hold your attention.  Sometimes, you just get plain tired of exercising!  If something like this happens, it may be time to take a break longer than just a rest day.  There is nothing wrong, I repeat nothing wrong, with take a rest week or even a rest month.  Most likely after taking a sustained chunk of time "off" you will be excited to start up with your activities again.  There are certain times in our lives where we need space to breathe.  Besides, you never want exercise or workouts to get in the way with living life.

Finally, rewards can be a great way to keep up incentive, motivation and help you push yourself harder.  Maybe you really want to run a 5k, 10k or half-marathon, but you also really want a pair of new sneakers.  Get them!  They'll help you train if you are super excited to go out in your lovely new sneak's!  The same goes with other rewards.  New gym memberships, books, baking time, dinner out, find some kind of reward you really enjoy and use it to help push your workouts and keep them interesting!

What is your favorite workout?  What do you do when you find yourself in a workout rut?

Favorite Fitness Books

I love me some books.  If it is written down, bound and put together in an aesthetically pleasing way, you can bet I'll be reading it!  Fitness books, however, are not always the easiest to find.  Some of them can be downright confusing, blasting the reader with senseless information that they don't care/need to know/can comprehend.  If I read one more thing about the difference between aerobic/anaerobic exercise in a book I'll scream, throw the book down and run away to Canada.  That's the kind of talk that should be reserved for biology.

Of course, there are some really great fitness books.  Some gems, peaking through the rubble that give me hope that I too can find a book that will help me understand a new form of exercise.  This list complies my favorites.  The books that I find lay things out clearly, motivate me and give me enough information in an east to understand manner.

Running Made Easy You may be wondering why I am giving you a link to a book about running.  After all, isn't running just moving one foot in front of another at a pace quicker than walking?  To me, it's not.  I am not a natural runner and have found this book tremendously helpful in giving me the want, motivation and knowledge to begin running.  It's basically a modified version of couch to 5k, but with a wealth of information and stories that will motivate you to get out and start running.  A bonus?  It also includes a fitness diary, if you are into keeping a log of what you do.  photo source

Slim Calm Sexy Yoga If you are looking to get into yoga and have little/no previous experience with it, this is most definitely the book you are looking for!  A couple months ago, I was interested in beginning to practice yoga, yet was completely overwhelmed with the amount information  given in many books on yoga.  I wanted to know the poses, but I also wanted to know ways that I could put the moves into routines.  This book delivers on both fronts.  It is divided into three sections: the first talks about the basics of yoga including alignment, breathing and the benefits of practice; the next part shows images of all the basic poses, organized by sitting, standing and laying down; the final portion gives you different routines, all supposed to target a specific "concern" such as toning, relaxation and physical aliments.  The diversity of information is amazing, but concise enough to be useful to all kinds of beginners.   photo source

The New Rules of Lifting for Women I love weightlifting, but finding a good book about it?  Nearly impossible.  This is most definitely one of the best books I have found on the topic thus far.  It provides you with a treasure trove of information presented in a mostly accessible manner.  If you have ever lifted weights before and wanted a bigger challenge, this is just the book for you.  It's divided into several sections, discussing everything from why you should lift weights, how to lift them (complete with pictures, always useful!), how to care for your body while lifting them and nutrition.  The book may be intimidating for first time lifters, but still presents great motivation.  Whenever I am in need of a little inspiration for why I continue to lift weights, I go to this book.  One of my favorite parts about how it discusses the actual exercise is that it doesn't prescribe a certain amount to lift, or number of repetitions.  I find all too often with weight lifting books, it is easy to become complacent when you can easily complete the most difficult workout.  Giving you the exercises and a format for the exercises allows you to follow the book, while making your workout your own.
photo source

What's your favorite workout book?  Do you prefer to take classes instead?


Un Bacione,

Emilia