The first and probably most important conclusion I've come up with is that the best workout for you is the one that you'll keep doing. If you hate a workout so much that you never do it, or are bored by a workout it wont matter how efficient a it is you'll never do it. The cold hard truth is this, it will only work if you work it.
One workout style that I find works to keep my attention and doesn't spark my ire is circuit training. I've mentioned it before here that I do circuit training and see good results from it. The benefits of circuit training are that you get a combination of cardiovascular and resistance training, which means you not only burn calories during the workout but get an afterburn effect. Afterburn is when your body continues to burn larger amounts of calories after you workout. Other benefits are that the workouts are not usually long, ranging from 20-30 minutes. Also the programs you usually find work on a progressive system with either 3 or 4 levels of difficulty, so every week to 2 weeks you get something new.
So, if you're looking for a new workout to try, or want to add in something new to your routine give circuit training a go. There are a ton of videos out there, so you shouldn't have trouble finding one you like.
Tara
Can I workout with you when I am down? It is totally different to what I am used to and I am interested to see how my body would react!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I enjoy is walking, but will try your idea.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - Give circuit training a go, it's fairly easy to get into. A basic version you can do is 3 cycles of 3 min of strength, 2 min of cardio, and 1 min of abs. You can have different workouts in each cycle so you end up working your entire body and don't get bored. Also don't limit yourself to circuit, there are a ton of different workout available, especially if you go to a gym that has a nice variety of classes and teachers. You may find something you really like that you hadn't thought to try before.
ReplyDeleteKermit - If you like walking than keep it up. The best exercise is the one you actually do. Just remember that you should get a minimum of 10,000 steps in per day. The average north american gets only 3000 steps in. If you don't have something to count you steps just aim for 5 miles, or 60 minutes of brisk walking. If after that you don't see any weight loss increase your walking by a third and see if any results start.