Second Cup: Switch up your exercise routine

A little variety can keep you engaged

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to switch up your exercise routine. Even if
you love your usual forms of exercise, doing something a

(00:24):
little different from time to time can keep life interesting
and keep your body challenged too. So I love to run,
and for three years I ran every single day yep,
that is eleven hundred days in a row, and I
really enjoyed keeping up that streak. But these days I

(00:47):
am running three to four days per week and am
trying to do other things on the other days. I
work out with my trainer one day a week. I
generally bike on a local trail one day, and I
hike with a friend and done a different day. And
I'm really not saying that one approach is better or worse.
Streaks can be really cool, but I have enjoyed the

(01:10):
mental break of doing something different as well. We can
get stuck in exercise routines. Like anything else, there are
lots of different ways to move one's body. I know
I use different muscles when I do strength training with
my trainer than when I run or walk. Biking likewise
feels different, and I get a kick out of going

(01:31):
a much longer distance than I would on foot. If
you live somewhere without the weather changes, there might be
other reasons to reconsider your exercise routine. Maybe you normally
run outside and spring and fall, but it is too
cold and snowy in winter to make that feasible. If
you are not a big treadmill fan, this is a

(01:53):
good time to take a spinning class or join a
basketball team. If you have access to an outdoor pool,
then summer or might be time to start swimming laps,
a prospect that becomes rapidly less enticing after Labor Day.
I think the argument that people risk injury by doing
the same thing is probably oversold. But even people who

(02:15):
do like to do the same kind of exercise each day,
like running, often enjoy changing things up within those parameters.
One day is devoted to speed intervals. One day is
a trail run somewhere pretty. One day is a run
through the neighborhood with a friend. Even if it is
all running, it feels different from running the exact same

(02:37):
three miles every single day. As my life gets busy
or I do find it is helpful to plan out
my exercising. When I plan my weeks on Fridays, I
think about what sort of exercise I will do each
day during the following week. I look at the weather,
because a bike ride in the rain won't be much fun,

(02:59):
nor will a run and be pleasant when it is
ninety degrees out. Going to the gym takes a different
amount of time than running on a home treadmill. Thinking
about workouts ahead of time gives you a chance to
make them more interesting. If you are going to walk
on your lunch break on Tuesday, why not invite a
colleague to join you. Why not plot out a route

(03:21):
that goes by that sculpture garden that's three quarters of
a mile away. If you see that Tuesday is pretty
open after work, you might decide to try that exercise
class at the gym that you have been eyeing. If
Saturday is rainy, you might plan a long run or
bike ride for Sunday instead and stick to indoor pursuits

(03:41):
on Saturday. In any case, by putting some thought into
your workouts and by choosing things that feel more interesting,
you can make exercise a source of adventure in your
life rather than something you do totally out of duty.
The best kind of exercise is whatever you can keep doing,
but for many of us that can change day to day.

(04:04):
It can be worth it to switch things up in
the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

(04:27):
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
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