Just as there are reasons to exercise every day, there are a lot of reasons that workout is not necessarily at the gym. Exercising is more than just a regular workout doing body weight exercises, treadmill or other tough muscle stressing workouts. It’s getting out and having fun, while also improving your overall fitness. There are people who workout at the gym at high intensity levels for hours, every day. That’s not healthy! Your muscle groups need time to recoup. You need to have a blend of intensity levels, plus use a variety of different muscle groups.
Not only will varying your workout help prevent stress injuries, it will help you lose weight.
Sure, you’ve got that routine down and you can do it loaded with extra reps and extra weight, but suddenly you’re not shedding pounds like you did previously. What’s the problem? Why the plateauing? Your body has become too efficient at doing that same old routine. It doesn’t burn the same number of calories it did initially. When you do the same routine continuously, it reduces the number of calories you burn while doing it. Working out in the gym and alternating that workout with a day of walking, bike riding and other type of activity is the start to varying your workout. A personal trainer makes sure your workouts vary, so you don’t have the problem of plateauing.
Getting fit and exercising requires a lifestyle change.
Even though you’re going to the gym, if you’re a couch potato on the day’s you’re not, you’re not changing your lifestyle. Working out at the gym helps you get fit enough to enjoy all the fun activities that require extra energy and fitness. Boosting your out of gym activities really helps you make the change from sedentary to active all week long. Some activities that require extra energy, but aren’t draining, include gardening, swimming, home projects—construction, painting, etc., refurbishing old furniture and other hobbies can keep you active, without overtaxing the same muscles you worked out at the gym.
If you really love coming to the gym every day, then set some ground rules.
Some people simply enjoy their time at the gym. I’m one of those people. However, you need to set ground rules when it’s your avocation. If your workout is intense, with weights that test your nettle and you’re doing compound movements, you need time to recuperate. Listen to your body and you’ll avoid over-exercising. If your performance decreases, you find yourself lacking motivation, you have mood changes, delayed recovery time, elevated resting heart rate or fatigue, you need to give your body a break and skip a day to take a walk in the park or work in the garden.
- Overworking your body can lead to insomnia, a weakened immune system and even fat gain. The stress it puts on the body increases the stress hormones that put on visceral weight, while also inhibiting hormones that boost muscle building.
- You don’t have to worry about working out daily in the gym if your workout is moderate to light. The danger occurs when you’re continuously hitting it at full throttle.
- You won’t necessarily make bigger strides by pumping weights and working out to exhaustion every day and you’ll find that besides the potential for physical problems, it can also cause burn out.
- On the days off of the strenuous workout, your muscles heal and in the process grow. That doesn’t mean you can it idle. Enjoy the time with a leisurely walk or indulge yourself in a sauna or with a massage.