Our daily workout time is precious! When we work out consistently it’s easy to hit a plateau, whether through boredom, or workouts that were once challenging to our bodies are easy because of the strength and endurance we’ve built up.
Listed below are a number of effective ways to help increase the effectiveness of your workout time. When we’re already putting in the hard work, it’s good to check that what we’re doing is truly the most efficient use of all the hard work we put in during our exercise sessions.
Begin by choosing one of the following health goals to work on. Together we’ll protect our hearts, our physical and mental health, and see improvements to body composition, mobility, and strength. (Workout links are provided to help you reach whichever goal is chosen. Always consult with your doctor or health care provider before making changes to your workout routine.)
- When only doing cardio sessions each day, try adding in at least two weight lifting sessions per week. This will result in defined changes to body composition, an increase in strength, and more restful sleep at night.
- Already lifting weights 2 times per week? During weight training sessions, increase weight amounts little by little. A good measure is to choose weights that are heavy enough that you barely get through your last repetition. .
- If your cardio sessions are less than 30 minutes per day, try to bump up your time to at least 30 minute sessions 3-5 times per week.
- Some aim to get 10,000 steps per day which is a great goal. Studies have shown even logging 4,400 steps per day will give great health benefits.
- During your cardio sessions, focus on making your arm and leg movements bigger for the entire time.
- Those who enjoy steady state cardio, (where the heart rate increases after the warm-up, but stays at a consistent level for the remainder of your workout), try adding in a workout with a few more high intensity moves at least once per week where the heart rate pumps up super high to allow the body to work between an anaerobic (breathless) and aerobic state.
- Taking the time to stretch a little after your workouts is great! Try adding in one longer yoga/flexibility/stretching session per week. Not only will this help prevent injury, but stretching while taking consistent deep breaths will help to move revitilazig energy through the body giving benefits for both the mental and physical health.
- Add in 1-2 core and stability training workouts per week. It doesn’t have to be a long session!
- Drink more water throughout your day. The more hydrated we are, the harder we are able to work during our workout sessions. Some like to take their body weight and divide it in half, and drink that amount in ounces. (For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds woud aim to drink 75 ounces per day.)
- Be consistent! This can be one of most difficult ones for most people, but finding something
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Any other suggestions that you personally do to make each workout session effective? Let us know below!
