Bringing Some Variety to Your Treadmill Routine

     When you are exercising on a treadmill, you may find that your exercises have become very mundane. It seems pretty apparent that there cannot be a lot of diversity on the machine that only has one belt that moves in one direction.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a lot you can do on the treadmill to add some variety to your workout. Not only will this help you stay mentally engaged but it will also be good for your muscles throughout the entirety of your workout.

When your muscles start to get used to a workout, you will notice that the results you were seeing will slowly go away. Your body has to be challenged and your muscles need the diversity that comes with a new workout.

Instead of being overwhelmed by the idea of a new workout, you simply have to take the time to tweak a few things in your workout. By changing some simple aspects of your workout, you will be able to notice a world of difference.

First, you have to make sure that you have a complete understanding of what you are working for or it will be easy to slack off. Having your goal in front of you during your workout may be a great way to keep yourself motivated through the hard parts of your workout.

Second, you can easily change the way that you are running. If your goal has been running for a certain amount of time you can change that goal to running for a certain distance in a certain amount of time.

This way, you are not only getting the distance completed but you are also pushing yourself with your time restriction. Setting a goal that is far better than you can accomplish right now is a great way to start.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by this goal you can easily set smaller goals throughout the weeks. Push your big goal to the end of a specific time range so you have plenty of time to work for it and accomplish your goal.

When you accomplish a small goal, try to reward yourself in a small way. No matter what your reward is, make sure you are not rewarding yourself with an unhealthy habit because you do not want your mind associating those habits with your exercise goals.

Third, if you are starting to feel the strain of running on your joints you can change your workout so that it is easier on your body. Not many people realize how easy it is to get a good workout while still lessening the impact on the body.

A great way to do this on a treadmill is by increasing the incline and decreasing the speed. Basically you will be walking at a very steep incline to ensure that you are keeping your heart rate up and working your muscles without running.

When you run the speed and the intensity of the impact on your body can be something that is very detrimental. When you are walking at an incline you will be able to work the cardiovascular areas of your body without that impact.

You will also notice that it is a lot harder than you originally thought it was. You will be working different muscles and pushing yourself for a longer amount of time on the incline than you would be when you are running on a flat incline.

Finally if you enjoy running and you want to continue to run, you should make sure that you increase the intensity of your runs. The better that you get at running the more you wan to challenge yourself in your runs.

A great way to challenge yourself in your runs is to increase the incline on the treadmill. When you are running up an incline you may not be able to run as fast but you will definitely be working your muscles in a new way.

Your heart and your lungs will also begin to experience a whole new workout. You will have to make sure that you are breathing properly to ensure that the rest of your body is getting all of the oxygen that it needs to perform its task properly.

Running up a hill can be a great challenge if you have never worked out on a hill before. You should make sure that you are prepared for the challenge and that you recognize when your body needs to stop and take a break.

1. Prev:Using Your Children to Workout
2. Next:Refusing to Let the Weather Dampen Your Workout