Stuck In a Rut?

So we are four weeks in a new year and a promise for a new you, but maybe you already find yourself stuck in a fitness rut? Are you having trouble even making it to the gym? Then skip the suffering and bring some youthful energy into your life by revisiting childhood favorites. Do something that you really enjoy. For instance, if you and your best friend loved to choreograph routines to the latest Madonna song, you might want to try adult-oriented dance or barre fitness classes. If tossing a ball around the backyard was more your style, find an intramural softball league with players at your fitness level.

Motivation can be hard to come by, and being stuck in the same routine doesn’t help. To combat boredom and get your brain engaged, try finding an activity that challenges your mind and skill set as well as your physique – think martial arts, yoga or ballet, all of which start out with beginner moves and get more complex as you progress. Not only will you stay fit, you’ll be learning something new! A win/win in our book!

Another fitness rut buster is a micro-workout. “The greatest barrier [to exercise] people tell us is lack of time,” says Dr. Ross Andersen, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at McGill University. But you shouldn’t stress out if you can’t fit a trip to the gym into your schedule, he adds. Squeezing in short bursts of exercise throughout the day – getting up 10 minutes earlier for a quick walk before breakfast or doing 10 minutes of strength exercises on your lunch break – is an excellent way to build in movement. “What we find is that once people start with that, the bouts of activity start to lengthen and they actually start doing a traditional exercise program.”