TheUnstitchd
If you feel that you’ve packed on a few pounds over the colder months or haven’t found your exercise groove since things halted or changed during the global pandemic, you may need to switch things up to get going again.
You can improve your workout results in many ways over the coming months. Read on for some tips to try in 2023 and beyond.
Set Clear Goals for Yourself
You need to know what your goals are. If you don’t have clear outcomes in mind that you want to achieve, you’re much less likely to improve. Come up with some measurable and realistic goals for yourself to work towards, such as lifting a weight that’s five pounds heavier, running an extra two miles, or fitting in an extra workout each week.
From there, be sure to track your results, too, so you can tell if you’re improving. Analyze your results over the months to see if you’re making upward progress. This kind of evaluation can also help keep you motivated to do better.
Ensure You Wear the Right Clothes
For best results, you must wear the right clothes when you exercise. Many people don’t realize how much of an impediment the wrong gear can be until they start training with better pieces. You should wear quality clothing that fits you well and offers support in all the right places. It should be breathable and sweat-absorbing, too.
Furthermore, buy items that suit the types of exercise you complete. For instance, if you lift weights at the gym, you might feel most comfortable in quality men’s shorts or women’s tights, along with an exercise-specific tee. For yoga or Pilates enthusiasts, stretchy, comfortable gear is vital, while for regular runners, pants of some kind that fit snugly at the waist and don’t keep needing adjustment as you jog are essential.
Regular cyclists may want to invest in padded cycling shorts, while swimmers need well-fitted bathing suits with straps that don’t fall when they move. It’s often worth having different outfits to suit different activities if you like participating in various sports activities.
Try Different Exercises
If you want to see your exercise results improve in 2023, consider expanding your activity regime. Instead of always doing the same thing, which the body quickly gets used to, mix things up. You must challenge yourself in new ways regularly and move your body in varying ways for different lengths of time to move forward with your fitness.
For instance, if you go to the gym regularly and always use the same exercise machines, start using new ones or increase the weight and do fewer reps. Try out new classes at the gym, too, including stretch-based ones – you’ll be surprised how many different muscles you can end up using that you wouldn’t expect to.
It’s also helpful to mix up your routine so you’re enjoying many different activities throughout the week. For instance, you might go for a jog two or three times per week, do yoga or Pilates twice a week, and then hit the weights a couple of times, too. Or, add in some steep hills and a little jogging instead of always going for a sedate walk, or add mountain biking to your regular cycling routine.
Mixing things up not only keeps your body guessing and thus improves your fitness but also helps stop you from getting bored when you’re active, helping you be more consistent with exercise long-term.
Focus on Recovery
While most of us focus a lot on working our bodies hard to boost our fitness, we often forget to give ourselves enough recovery time, too. Sleep is vital for this, as is taking at least one day off per week to allow your body to rest and repair. If you’ve noticed that you’re starting to plateau even though you’re constantly pushing yourself, fitness-wise, it might be time to give yourself more downtime.
Plus, don’t forget to help your body by spending plenty of time stretching, and enjoy some regular massages to help get the knots out and relieve tension. You can also stay hydrated, increase your protein intake, and work out with a trainer or friend to improve your results in 2023.
It might seem impossible to exercise harder or get leaner, fitter, or stronger than you currently are, but if you’re smart about how you do things and make commitments such as those above, you’re sure to soon see the improvements you’ve been hoping for.