Inspired by fellow HerCampus writer Catherine Ku’s article “Campus Fitness,” I decided to stop being lazy and start getting active. However, because I haven’t exercised since before Thanksgiving, this will be a hard commitment to keep. But with some willpower, some friendly support, and a couple handfuls of ibuprofen, I’m going to make it. And like any Princeton student, I’m going to be doing some research along the way to help fellow couch potatoes get off their butts and into a gym. The goal? Six weeks, three workouts a week, thirty minutes for each workout. It may not sound like much, but trust me, this will be quite the challenge.
3/23/11
Somewhere along week four, I realized that I was BORED. As hard as I tried to spice up running on a treadmill, using music, magazines, and movies, I had to admit defeat. Sometimes, you just hit a wall when it comes to exercising. A dreary plateau. I would push myself to go faster on my runs, but I would never feel sore the next day. My muscles had gotten used to my three-a-week runs. I started wondering if I would be able to motivate myself to keep running if getting on the treadmill seemed to make time go five times slower. “What now?” I thought to myself.
So this Monday, I attacked my body. No, I’m not being dramatic. Well, maybe just a little. Let me clarify. This Monday, I went to a Body Attack class, one of the fitness classes offered at Dillon Gym. I chose the Monday session because it required a fitness punch card, which meant that there would be less people (for those interested, the Wednesday session is free to the student body). I had bought a 12-punch card last semester—I suppose I thought that paying to exercise would push me to go to the gym more—and I still had six punches left. I figured I might as well use one of those punches to see if I couldn’t find a temporary substitution for running.
The session was an hour long and there were around 10-15 other girls and a brave, lone guy in the room with me. Our instructor, Regina, was a tanned, blond woman with a perpetual grin on her face. She would yell pep-talks into her hands-free microphone while doing high-kicks and jumping jacks. It was very impressive.
I knew as soon as I started that I would be sore the next day. We did lunges, sprints, planks, push-ups, crunches, and cardio in five-minute spurts for roughly fifty minutes. This was so much more different than running. While running had become old hat for me, Body Attack pushed me in a completely new way. For one, I was incorporating much more of my body, and I could feel my muscles protesting, especially when I attempted any upper body work. I can’t say that the class was more fun that running, and it certainly took more time out of my schedule, but I can say that I needed this class to reinvigorate my work-out. Although during the class I had sworn to myself that I would never return, as I left the gym that day, I realized that my routine needed this butt-kicking.
Granted, the next day I was so sore that literally every movement made some part of my body twinge, but I felt like this soreness was a good sign. Running is great, especially when you’re tight on time, but every exercise routine needs some spicing up every once and a while. This Thursday, I will be trying out the Body Pump class. Wish me luck.
Why You Should Change Up Your Workout Routine
The most obvious reason is: BOREDOM
Imagine eating the same thing every day, or even three times a week. Sooner or later, you’re going to get sick of it. Repetition takes the pleasure out of most activities, and when that activity is not exactly pleasurable to start with, cough exercising cough, you can bet that a few weeks in, you’ll be making up excuses to slack off. So, for example, if you choose to work out on an elliptical every time, you will start dreading your work-outs. However, if you switch up your routine and take a pilates class, or a kickboxing class, or even try out the Stairmaster, the elliptical won’t become stale. Motivation is so key to maintaining a good work-out routine, and boredom kills motivation like bad breath kills first dates. Trying new ways of exercising will keep you both mentally and physically stimulated during exercising.
A less obvious reason: WEIGHT-LOSS
If your objective for working out is to lose weight, changing up your exercise routine every three or so weeks will help you avoid a plateau. A plateau occurs when your body gets used to a type of exercise and stops burning as many calories. By varying your workouts, you are keeping your body in a constant state of surprise so that it has no chance to adapt and stall your weight-loss progress. The more you vary your workouts, the less likely it will be that a plateau will develop.
Yet another reason: SHARE THE LOVE
If you run, you’re showing mad love to your legs and they love you back by getting toned and looking lovely in a pair of shorts. However, if you only run, where’s the love for your arms? Or your core? Or your butt? It’s hard to find a workout that can pinpoint every single body part, or even just the ones you love to flaunt. By switching up work-outs, you can give attention to your entire body. Looking at the after-effects of Body Attack, I realized I had been neglecting my arms, my butt, my inner thighs and, surprisingly, my back. So don’t spoil just one part of your body with all your attention, spread that stuff around!
And finally: YOU MIGHT SURPRISE YOURSELF
How do you know that your favorite workout is running? Or swimming? Or jazzercise? If you stick with just one routine, you’re severely limiting your scope. Who knows, maybe you were born to kick-box. At the very least, you will be able to find a few other workouts that you like just as much as your current workout. So go out and explore. Don’t just limit yourself to the gym. Go out into nature and try hiking. Maybe join an ultimate Frisbee team and see if that’s the sport for you. Don’t worry, your current workout won’t get mad at you or accuse you of betrayal if you decide you like another workout better. And yet another upside to finding as many fun workouts as possible is that you can tell boredom to “Shove it!” every time it rears its ugly head.