Sometimes it gets tough to break out of your regular workout regime, especially when it’s something you’ve gotten used to and have practiced for months. Others might be dying to find some way to spice up their routine trip to the gym! With these few tips and tricks of how to amp up your alter your workout a bit, you’ll be certain to see results in no time.
1. Put the treadmill on a slightly higher incline. This is a simple concept: the higher the ramp, the more calories burned! When running or walking on the treadmill, running at a flat incline is easy and comfortable; but, by changing the incline up by .5, you’ll be able to burn more from the same workout. Chances are you probably won’t even feel a difference and it’ll tone you more without you even noticing!
2. When doing plank, tuck your hips under while keeping your body in a straight line to feel an extra challenge in that hard to tone lower belly area. In a forearm plank, instead of letting your back sink into a U-shape, use your back muscles to keep your body strong and straight. When you tuck your hips, you should feel an extra tightening in your lower abdomen. Extra tip: try pushing yourself an extra 10 seconds past your normal plank time! (And maybe even push yourself up to a push up position for the remaining seconds)
3. Really focus on the muscle you’re trying to tone when doing the exercise. Doing crunches can get tedious and boring, and sometimes you can forget what you’re really trying to accomplish aside from just the motion! Focus on your form and every inch of movement in the exercise. Try picturing your muscles contracting, and the exact movement in your body to actually target the areas you’re trying to work.
4. Throw some cucumbers in your water! The taste is refreshing and delicious, and not to mention the vegetables add extra nutrients without any added effort.
5. Keep your muscles strong. The more muscle mass you have, the easier your body will burn fat, and subsequently the more efficient your work out will be. By building endurance and stamina, you’ll be able to push yourself further and obtain higher limits.
6. A lot of it is all mental. You can run 10 more seconds! You can do 10 more crunches! Keep pushing yourself and in no time you’ll see a change in what your limits really are. By setting check points or rules for yourself for cardio, you’ll have more goals to accomplish and feel better about yourself when you reach one of those goals.
7. Stretch! This is so important. You can really hurt yourself doing intense cardio and especially weight-bearing exercise if you don’t stretch out your muscles before and after. If you’ve pulled a muscle, you may not be able to reach that same flexibility or comfort level so make sure to prepare your muscles for the strenuous exercise they’re about to do.
8. The same goes for running—pace yourself! Start out slow and you’ll be able to go for longer. If you work yourself too hard at the beginning, you’ll end up being burnt out way sooner.
Hopefully some of these easy to change modifications will produce better results for you than your normal workout routine! Remember, exercise is supposed to be fun and rewarding–and if you make it seem like a chore, you’ll dread doing what is the body’s most natural therapy! Take these tips and hit the gym—it’s never too soon to start working on that bikini body!