Make your exercise routine less “routine”
Exercise routines are good for your health, and switching up your workouts can invigorate your day, keep you motivated and improve your overall fitness.
If you do the same routine again and again, your body will get used to that. You will be at a steady state, but you won’t improve, said Cape Cod Healthcare Physical Therapist Stephanie Gradone, DPT, ATRIC.
To build strength, speed, or lose weight, for instance, you need to add variety to your workout. This challenges the body and makes physical improvements, she said. Running is a good example. Runners only want to run. That’s their mindset, she said. But doing leg and hip strengthening exercises actually makes them better runners.
Need to strengthen your knee for the pickleball court? Gradone explained that just playing more pickleball won’t make your knee stronger. You’ll need to incorporate strengthening exercises into your exercise routine.
Cross-training for your whole health is just one way to reinvigorate your workout. Having fun is another good way to stay in the game and keep exercising.
Try Something New!
Think about injecting one or two of these into your workout:
Yoga – “It’s great for mindfulness and meditation, and it’s good for anyone working on improving stability,” said Gradone. There are plenty of online classes, which she said beginners might want to try. “If you don’t want to look like a newbie, there’s no pressure with an online class,” she pointed out.
Tai Chi – There are both local classes or online instruction, and Gradone said Tai Chi is great for improving balance and stability.
Water aerobics – Gradone recommended these workouts for everyone, especially older folks. Water aerobics take pressure off the joints, which allows for a more vigorous workout without the impact.
Pilates – Defined as a system of repetitive exercises performed on a mat or other equipment to promote strength, stability, and flexibility. Pilates is great for core stability and balance, Gradone said.
Kettlebells – These look like single weights with handles and may not appeal to older people, she said. However, you can incorporate kettlebells into strength training. She suggested using them to simulate carrying grocery bags, for instance.
Nordic walking – “I have a lot of patients who recently started Nordic walking, which is walking with poles,” Gradone said. “It looks like cross country skiing, but people are doing Nordic walking on our beautiful trails and bike paths. I think it’s a great way to get the upper extremities involved while you’re walking to increase cardiovascular demand. We know that cross country skiing is one of the best cardiovascular activities, other than swimming, so incorporating walking poles makes Nordic walking more of a cardiovascular exercise than regular walking. It’s becoming very popular.”
Strength Promotes Stability
Incorporating strength training into your exercise routine is important for bone health, which matters even more to older individuals, Gradone emphasized. Strength promotes stability and decreases the risk of falls, she said.
“If someone comes to me because they are a fall risk, we don’t just do balance exercises, we do strength training, too,” she said.
Gradone tries to run twice a week, bike twice a week, swim once a week and do strength training three of those days. “I do HIIT cardio (High Intensity Interval Training) once a week because I find if I do the same thing over and over again, I get bored and then I’m not motivated,” she said. “So, for me, personally, mixing it up is important to stay consistent with my exercise routine.”
Three years ago, she became bored with her exercise routine and added Peloton. “I don’t want to promote any one platform,” Gradone said, “but I tried Peloton and am hooked because it keeps me connected to hundreds of people working out at the same time. And I can exercise at a time that is convenient for me; I don’t have to wait for a class schedule. It’s nice to text a friend in New York who’s on the platform and say, ‘Hey, do you want to do this ride with me?’ I think everyone should find what works best for them and keep moving to stay healthy.”
