Exercising can seem futile. You have been going at it for a while and see no results. Your frustration bubbles over and you decide it’s no longer worth it. Sounds familiar? Firstly, remember that not all progress is immediately obvious so try not to judge your advancement too harshly. Form is another key aspect of a workout. You can do ten reps but if done poorly, someone who does five in the correct form will get the benefit. There are tips you can put into play to help you see more visible results that will help to motivate you to continue and even increase the time you spend exercising.
Add Weights
If you use dumbbells, kettlebells, or lift weights then you’re already on the right track. When you add on additional pounds to your body weight, you increase the difficulty level of the exercise. Incorporating weights into the workout helps to not just burn fat and calories at that moment but to continue blasting away calories even after you’ve completed the training. This is ideal for building muscle, increasing your metabolism, and toning your physique.
So how about challenging yourself even further.? Here’s one way to up the workout you may not have considered. Try to add plates to a weight vest with these easy-to-follow instructions. So you do have the option to make the vest yourself. On the other hand, if the process comes across too difficult or time-consuming for you, feel free to purchase one instead.
Tailor Your Warm-Up
When you think of warming up you most likely picture stretches, bending, and holding poses, something very toned down geared toward loosening your muscles and increasing flexibility. While this is good, you could be getting more out of the warm-up session. By Keeping the pre-exercise actions broad and vague, the body is unable to prepare for or anticipate what you truly require.
Have a plan in mind for your training. If you choose to focus on sprinting, instead of the stretching described above, do movements that are similar to your intended workout. Studies suggest you activate your body by doing lunges, knee raises, and so on. Of course, you won’t be doing these actions at the duration you would do your actual workout. It is still warming up but more so dynamic.
Respect Your Schedule
It’s true that other facets of life don’t stop just because you have something planned for 5 am. Things come up. Sometimes, that’s unavoidable. When you set your schedule, be mindful of things going on in your life. Take work into consideration. If you know your boss likes to ask you to come in earlier, 5 am may not be a great time to decide to start exercising. Maybe your kids need to be picked up from dance practice at 4 pm so setting a 5 pm start time for working out may be cutting it too close.
It’s easy to lose track of all the moving pieces of life but try your best. Take some time, make a list of obligations and double-check it. That way, when you dedicate a time slot for training, you have a greater likelihood of sticking with it. Remember, there’s no special time that helps you burn more calories. Choose whatever works for you.
Incorporate Music
Music is a master motivator tool. Listening to your favorite songs, high-tempo music, or even more relaxing tunes can help increase your energy. There’s a reason many public gyms have music playing for their clients. In such a situation you don’t really have much say about what gets played but you do have the choice to be your own DJ. Set up your playlist pre-workout. Ensure your smartphone and headphones are sufficiently charged.
Research has shown that people who listen to music especially during their rest and recovery periods post-exercise, recover quicker than those who skip the music. Slow jams more particularly have been found to lead to this result. The body responds to music by releasing the feel-good hormone, serotonin but also dopamine which helps the body’s recovery. It has been found that both the heart rate and blood pressure are positively affected by such tunes.
The fact that you’re even working out is commendable. This is not an activity that is easy to start or maintain. Keep going! Try any or all of these tips and be on the lookout for great improvements. How you start, what exercises you do, how you wind down at the end are relevant and ties together for a more complete and directed workout that’s bound to be more successful.