Four Easy Ways to Bring Some Variety to Your Exercise Routine

If you're like most people, you realize that exercise has to be a part of your healthy and fulfilling life. Along with proper diet and regular mental stimulation, exercise has been shown to help relieve high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, help aching joints, and even decrease the effects of a number of chronic conditions. Even exercise by itself has been shown through various surveys to help with a person's mental and emotional well being. It's no wonder why many of us are trying to make exercise a regular part of our routine.

Chance's are if you've started an exercise program before, you know a few of the obstacles that you'll face. One of the most problematic for both novices and veterans alike is the eventual boredom that creeps into every steady routine. If you think about it, doing the same thing day in and day out will lead to both muscle fatigue and mental boredom. Both the mental and physical aspects of your routine have to be dynamic. So how do you keep things in your exercise routine from going stale? Here are a few ideas that can definitely help.

Deck of Card Routine

This exercise routine is definitely not new, and it has quite a number of variations available. Here is one of my favorites. It uses very little equipment, and can be done just about anywhere you find yourself. If you have enough room to do a push up, you can do this routine. First, start with a regular deck of playing cards. Each suit represents a different exercise. The choice is yours, but I usually make push-ups diamonds, crunches corresponding to hearts, squats corresponding to clubs, and jumping jacks corresponding to spades. The face value on the card then corresponds to the number of repetitions, with the face cards equaling 10, and ace equaling one. As you can probably guess, the routine consists of turning over a card, and doing the exercise and number of repetitions that is dictated by that card. For example, if I were to turn over a seven of clubs, I would do seven squats before turning over the next card. By going through the entire deck, you get a phenomenal workout that is extremely dynamic and randomized. Many people I know use this routine as their core routine, and do so in approximately 45 minutes. Personally, I can do it in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Roll the Die Routine

This idea is a bit of a variation of the deck of cards one listed above, but it takes it to the next level. It takes a bit more preparation, but in my book it is well worth it. First, start with a set of exercise routines, such as tai chi, chi kung, or your favorite aerobics or weight lifting routine. Assign each exercise routine to a specific number on the die. Personally, for a six sided die, I have assigned the number 1 to tai chi, the number 2 to boxing drills, number 3 to a chi kung exercise, 4 to upper body/arm weight exercises, the number 5 to lower body weight exercises, and number 6 to core exercises, such as crunches. After stretching, the exercise program for the day is chosen by a simple roll of the die. This is a great way to keep both your muscles and mental facilities alert and interested in your exercise routine.

Don't Make a Routine

The third idea for keeping things interesting in your exercise routine is to not establish a regular exercise routine at all. If this sounds counter intuitive, please bear with me. Some of the reasons why a person stops with a chosen exercise routine are because they become bored, or it starts to feel like an obligation. In other words, exercising becomes a lot less fun than it used to be. One of the easiest ways to combat this is to do an activity that you find fun in the first place. For example, if you enjoy shooting villains in a video game, consider getting a group together for a game of paint ball of Laser Tag ®. Or if you like the idea of playing a quick pick up game of basketball, make a regular date with your friends to play some ball at the neighborhood court. The idea is to choose something that can bring both fun and exercise into your routine.

Get Involved with Your Community

Often, seeing the results of your exercise routine is not instantaneous. Without the sight of rapid, physical results, many people turn away from their exercise program just before it starts to show results. While I can't guarantee that this idea will bring about physical results faster, you'll definitely see changes and improvements from day one. Most cities and towns have areas where people can volunteer, either at the local boys and girls club, cleaning up the local parks, or even taking the dogs at the local shelter for walks. Over time, with regular contributions of your time and effort to various groups, you'll not only see the benefit to others, but chances are your health will improve as well.

These are just a few of the some ideas that can help you make sure that your exercise routine remains fun and dynamic. There are countless ones available, and chances are you'll be able to find many more. So if you're thinking about jazzing up your exercise routine, talk with your doctor, and try a few of these ideas. You won't regret it.