A good workout should always have you working up a decent sweat, but you shouldn’t have to push yourself to your limits to see real progress.
Effective exercise is as much about using your brain as it is about using your brawn – by exercising smarter you can meet your goals much faster and more effectively.
Here are a few tips for exercising smarter, not harder…you’re welcome!
1. Examine Your Diet
If you’re not eating healthy, your exercise program could be all for nothing – trust me! I know from experience. Exercise and diet go hand in hand, so make sure you’re eating the right amount of calories to meet your fitness goals while eating less processed foods.
If you’re unsure of the best diet for your goal, it could be worth talking to a nutritionist who will be able to help you.
2. Try A HIIT Workout
HIIT, also known as high intensity interval training, has been shown to burn more calories in less time. HIIT involves short periods of high intensity activity that get your heart rate near its maximum, followed by a brief rest period. Studies have shown that HIIT workouts increase your resting metabolic rate up to 24 hours after exercise, which means more calories burned.
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3. Consider Strength Training and Compound Movements
Performing compound movements during your workouts can help you burn more calories in the same amount of time. What are compound movements? These are exercises (usually performed for strength training) that use more muscle groups to perform the exercise.
For example, push-ups, deadlifts, squats and rows are all forms of compound movements because they engage more than one muscle group at the same time to perform the movement. An exercise like a bicep curl would not be considered a compound movement, because it won’t engage as many muscle groups during the movement.
Strength training, in general, can also help burn more calories over the long run, since the more muscle you have, the more calories you body will burn to maintain and build them.
I share my love for strength training and why it’s so effective for weight loss and overall health here.
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4. Get Enough Sleep
This is probably the toughest tip in this post for me to actually achieve! Sleep is super important to anyone trying to achieve their health and fitness goals. It’s when we sleep that our muscles repair themselves.
When muscles don’t get enough time to repair after a workout, they’re more susceptible to injury, which could derail your exercise goals.
A lack of sleep also lowers energy levels and increases the appetite, making you want to exercise less and eat more, or make poor food choices. Missing out on much needed zzz’s means you could find it harder to push yourself in your workouts as well.
I know it’s tough, but you’ll need to get enough shut eye if you want to improve your workouts and hit your fitness targets.
5. Stretch Before And After Exercise
Stretching is super important because it can help to prevent injury to muscles and joints. Stretching before exercise helps to loosen up muscles and prevent tearing, while stretching after exercise works to reduces muscle soreness by preventing muscle fatigue.
Do some research into some dynamic stretching to incorporate into your routine. Different stretches are better suited for different types of exercise.
6. Change Up Your Exercises
If you’re constantly sticking to the same routine each time you exercise, you could be slowing down your progress. Over time, your body can adapt to repetitive exercises and may not be as challenged as it previously was.
This is why it’s important to vary up your exercises, or increase your weight (if strength training) so that you’re challenging yourself and targeting different muscles each time.
Varying your exercises will also stop you from getting bored while helping you to stay motivated on your fitness journey.
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7. Take A Break
Too much exercise could cause injury or even permanent damage. Knowing when to take a break is important to achieve your fitness goals. If you’re strength training, you should ideally be switching between upper body and lower body muscles on alternate days to give each muscle group time to heal and improve.
If you’re endurance training, taking a break gives your body enough time to restore energy levels so that you can go the same distance or more the next time you train. Make sure that you’re not exercising too often, especially if you are injured, as you could be doing more harm than good.
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8. Wear The Right Clothing
The right sportswear will make you more flexible and more comfortable, not only motivating you to exercise but making it easier to exercise. In certain cases, it could also prevent injury, such as wearing a good pair of running shoes when running.
You don’t have to shell out on the most expensive fitness clothing either, as there are many budget sportswear brands out there that do the job.
How do you exercise smarter, not harder?
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