Healthy for a Happy Life

Most of us are creatures of habit and find ourselves occasionally wondering how we can spice things up.  If you are frustrated with a mundane workout routine that does not seem to be delivering the results you are looking for, consider shaking things up a bit.

1. Superset it.  If you do weight training in a circuit, turn it into a series of supersets.  For example, if you do a circuit of six different exercises, turn it into three supersets.  Take a circuit of chest presses, lateral pulldown, bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder shrugs, and abdominal crunches into three supersets:  Three sets of chest presses and lateral pulldowns, followed by three sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions, and three sets of shoulder shrugs and abdominal crunches.  Be sure to start your session off with a good ten-minute warm up and a good stretching session afterwards. 
2. Shake up your routine. For most of us, our lives are very scheduled.  We get up around the same time, go to work, eat at specific times and likely work out at regular times.  If you typically work out before work, switch it up a bit and try working out after work once a week.  You may discover a new, invigorating environment.  Be sure to minimize distractions as you move towards a slightly different schedule.  For example, put your gym bag in the car and plan to go to the gym on your way home from work rather than stopping by the house and potentially getting sidetracked.   
3. Hire a personal trainer. Having a personal trainer can help increase your commitment, encourage good form, and introduce you to new exercises.  Although it can be pricey, you can usually negotiate price reductions with a gym or find a reasonable alternative on line.  And most gyms offer a free consultation and workout session so you can determine if their program and trainer are the best fit for you.
4. Add a partner to your mix. Having a friend to work out will raise your level of commitment, enable you to share fitness tips with each other and generally make it more fun. 
5. Put a twist in your tunes.  A study by Psychology Today determined that listening to stimulating music while working out improves performance and has positive psychological effects.  Music can delay fatigue as well as increase the perceived level of energy.  Take some time to create some fresh playlists or check out a new app and explore some different artists and genres.  Some apps, like Fit Radio, constantly add new playlists, and arrange music by the type of activity.   

As you shake it up, remember to be good to yourself and maintain balance.  Your workout should be an enjoyable part of your day – not another mindless chore.  We already work hard in order to feel good and to help us enjoy our favorite indulgences.  As such, I hope to see you at happy hour soon!  Cheers!