Exercising regularly is, of course, beneficial for your health; however, it is also important that you keep on making changes to your routine. You need to change things up as your body is capable of getting used to the exercise you do.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you change your routine every two weeks. The ideal time to change your fitness plan is three months. By making small changes, not only will your body benefit from the change, but your mind will be positively impacted as well.
Changing your fitness plan can stimulate various muscle groups, and prevent boredom as you’re trying to reach your fitness goals.
There are various exercises to try out. If you prefer traditional exercises such as swimming, biking, and running, then you should try to add a new element.
For example, try switching running on a treadmill with running on a wooded trail. This way, you can enjoy a change of scenery, and since your body will be working differently, you will also be able to enhance your overall fitness.
Reasons for changing your fitness plan
Mentioned below are some benefits you can get from changing your fitness plan every three months:
- You challenge your body
As mentioned above, by doing the same activity repeatedly, the body starts to get used to it and ends up becoming less efficient. As a result, the body tends to burn a lesser amount of calories even if you exercise for the same time duration.
So, when you challenge your body by making it try out new things, it works harder as it tries to adjust to the new workout. Consequently, you can burn more calories.
- You prevent injuries caused by overuse
It’s true that you can hurt your body if it is made to do the same actions repeatedly. This phenomenon is known as repetitive strain injury, and it often tends to occur when the body does the same actions, over and over again.
Such activities include kicking, doing the same swimming stroke, or running. When you mix up and change your fitness plan, your overused ligaments, joints, and muscles get the chance to recover before they are used again.
Moreover, in the case where you do get injured, following a different fitness plan that doesn’t put any strain on the injured part of the body will let you heal and stay in shape at the same time.
- You can build new muscles
It is easy to point out someone who is a professional athlete because of the chiseled legs, in the case of a professional runner, and powerful arms in the case of a professional swimmer. The reason why they have such a particular physique is because they only focus on one sport and it only builds specific muscles.
However, recreational exercisers need to focus on a little on everything. By switching things up and focusing on your muscles group, you will end up with a stronger heart, a powerful upper body, and muscular legs. Apart from looking great, you will also be ready for tackling various activities and sports because all your muscles will be stronger.
- It can help to keep your brain healthy
The brain requires exercise to stay sharp. Exercising also helps to prevent loss of memory. Moreover, as you learn new skills, it helps to keep your neurons working efficiently. For example, activities such as ballroom dancing require you to memorize steps and polish your skills.
You need to be careful when changing your plan; you should steer away from things that your body can do on autopilot. Remember, there is also no need to exert yourself so that your brain can benefit, however, regular exercise is highly recommended.
According to research, individuals who are active also have less chance of being diagnosed with diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and high cholesterol, all of which can negatively affect memory.
