Amazing Wellness January/February 2019

fit & healthy | exercise and diet for active lifestyles
5 WAYS TO
SHAKE THINGS UP
Ring in the new year with a new outlook at the gym By Jill Schildhouse
Have you noticed that you’re
on autopilot at the gym
lately, doing the same old moves
session after session? Do you
know everybody’s name in your
Zumba or Spin class? Does your
yoga mat have a permanent
indentation from where you
constantly place your palms
for downward-facing dog?
First of all, congratulations
on your consistency and
dedication to your workouts
— but it’s definitely time to
shake things up!
“It’s easy to slip into a fitness
rut, because mastering a certain
workout or routine feels good
— and as humans, we like
things that are familiar and
comfortable,” says Aurora
Sekine, community fitness
manager and ACE-certified group
fitness instructor at Trainiac.
“But change doesn’t happen
when we’re comfortable.
Sustaining fitness as a part of
your lifestyle requires finding
balance between having structure
and changing things up.”
THE BENEFITS OF
BREAKING FREE
Sekine tries not to think about
fitness and exercise as a “routine”
at all, because the moment
something becomes a routine,
your mind isn’t engaged and
your body isn’t being challenged.
Plus, breaking free from a
fitness routine benefits both
your body and mind.
“When you do the same
exercises on repeat with the
same reps and intensity, you
are only working certain parts
of your muscles,” she says.
“Shifting around the different
variables of specific exercise or
activity, intensity, reps, and/
or duration allows you to train
your body more holistically—
achieving a more balanced
body. It also helps prevent
injuries from overworking
certain muscles. Your mind
also needs to be challenged in
order to stay engaged in exercise.
When you enjoy working out and
look forward to it, motivation
for exercise shifts from extrinsic
to intrinsic. Once you have
intrinsic motivation to exercise,
you are unstoppable!”
GIVE IT A TRY
So are you ready to exchange
your boring routine for a fresh
fitness start in 2019? Begin
with these suggestions:
1. GO WITH A FRIEND. Two is better
than one, right? When you
plan to exercise with a friend,
Sekine says you have an added
layer of accountability built in,
so it’s harder to bail. It’s also
a little less intimidating to try
something new when you have
a partner in crime.
Tip: Instead of setting up a
coffee or dinner date with your
friend, next time try a fitness
date. Check out your local gym
or fitness studio’s group fitness
calendar and sign up to take a
class together (extra points if
you choose one neither of you
have ever had the guts to try).
Most gyms and studios offer
drop-in rates to take a single
class; just ask.
2. DIVERSIFY YOUR MENU OF
OPTIONS. There are several
apps that offer flexible fitness
memberships, which provide
you with myriad fitness and
class options to explore. “These
fit tip!
Training with a friend will
help you stay
accountable, because
making plans to train
together makes it harder
to cancel a workout.
52 WINTER 2019 | AMAZING WELLNESS