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 OCTOBER 16, 2002 Boredom Busters Even dedicated exercisers know that putting one foot in front of the other can get boring if you don't motivate yourself in some creative way. People get bored because they get into a rut and do the same routine day after day without variation. This can lead to incorrect form and injury. When you are bored, your whole workout process slows down. You don't push yourself, so your heart doesn't become stronger, and you don't recruit new muscles to stimulate the "happy" hormones (endorphins) that give you a lift and make you want to workout. Here are some boredom-busting suggestions: A personal trainer can help push you to the next fitness level. Unless you have new muscle growth, there will be no change in your body, even if you work out four hours a day, seven days a week. Two workouts a week is enough to stimulate the body to gain strength, as long as you vary the exercises. Three 30-minute aerobic sessions per week will improve your heart health. How to Avoid Injury To avoid injury, take time to warm up and ease into exercise, recommends Bryant Stamford, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Louisville. "Even if you only walk or do other forms of mild exercise, your body needs an adjustment period," he says. Start with a slow, comfortable walk before progressing to faster speeds. Regardless of your goals or the type of exercise you choose, little will be accomplished by sporadic exercise. "The key to success is consistency," Stamford says. "On occasion, you won't have time to exercise as much as you would like. On those days, it's important to do something, no matter how small. A little exercise performed daily will produce much greater results than sporadic, lengthy workouts." |
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