The Importance of Variety When Exercising

One thing we would recommend is keeping things varied when choosing how to exercise.  Bodies like a range of movement patterns to remain in good shape.  If you do the same exercise every day you will inevitably get stronger at performing those movements.  However, you will also be at risk of tightening the muscles involved in the movements you are executing.  You will also put yourself at greater risk of developing trigger points, inflexibility, muscle tears, potential imbalances of muscle groups, tension in particular joints, among other repetitive stress symptoms.

In professional sport, exercise programmes are periodised, meaning they only stick to one set of exercises for a certain period.  Then either a change of intensity, rest period, or a new set of exercises is introduced, and athletes’ bodies become reinvigorated, and their body’s performances invariably improve.

We like this idea, but we have a twist on it.  We like to think of exercise like cooking, in that it’s good to think seasonally. Hitting the gym in the winter may work well because it’s indoors.  Why not try open water swimming in the summer? Maybe some cycling in spring will allow you to visit as many parks as possible, whilst running in Autumn will keep you cool and outdoors for as long as possible.

You could also condense this way of approaching exercise into any given week.  Why not try a Monday Pilates class, a Tuesday yoga class, Wednesday could be cardio day, Thursday is for weights, and Friday you could treat yourself to a little release work.  This way your body gets to experience a variety of movements.  It experiences recovery time in particular areas of the body whilst others get put to work.  It also keeps your mind stimulated, so you do not get bored!

Embedded in this Monday to Friday routine idea, all of our objectives are covered for what we call our 123 approach to exercise.  Simply put, we teach that our bodies need a combination of strengthening, stretching, and release exercise to function at its best.  This is all with a view to supporting a good level of cardiovascular activity in our lives.  Over the last decade thousands of our clients have experienced; a new relationship with their bodies, better movement functioning, a revolutionary non pressured, unselfconscious take on exercise, and a new spring in their step, through using our 123 approach to exercise.  Watch this space for our 5 day challenge and join us yourselves on a new journey with your body!