3 Ways to Spring Clean your Workout

Whether you’re lucky enough to work out in a warm state or you’ve been battling storm after winter storm in the early months of the year, one thing is certain. Spring is coming – and it’s the perfect time to take a look at your workout habits and routine to freshen them up for new challenges, motivation and fitness results. Use these three tips to revamp how you work out this season. 

Ask yourself is my workout working?

Most people start the New Year with exercise goals and a set plan to achieve them. But by spring, those routines, classes and workouts can use a little refreshing to keep us motivated and engaged. Start spring cleaning your workout by asking some simple questions: what works, what am I missing and what do I need to include to stay on track and meet my goals?

If you love the intensity of a calorie-busting HIIT class, add or make a switch to an instructor-led stationary bike class. It’ll give you the same intensity, high calorie-burn rate and work out different muscle groups, particularly your core and legs. Or if your routine’s been leaving you sore or aching build in more stretch and recovery sessions which are essential to staying strong.

Follow your club app for guided stretches which can, experts say, lengthen muscle fiber and build muscle mass while you recover from other activities. 

Build convenience into your schedule

The National Institute of Health suggest 30-45 minutes of cardio three to five times a week for anyone looking to maintain a healthy weight and stay fit. But squeezing in anywhere from 90 to 225 minutes of exercise into your week full of work commitments, kids sport, carpool and everything else, isn’t always plain sailing.

Build a little workout wiggle room into your week by mixing up in-club workouts with classes and sessions you can do at home in the family room or on a phone or iPad. Most clubs now offer seamless digital classes and workouts for their members, meaning you can easily mix and match, taking a live, heart-pumping class or two with a favorite instructor at the club, then try similar classes or workouts at home when your schedule allows from home. Cut yourself some slack and know that workouts are workouts wherever they happen. 

Opt for bite-sized exercises too

It turns out even short burst of activity can be incredibly helpful for muscle strength, weight management and overall health. Studies show similar results from the accumulation of three ten minute workouts compared to one 30 minute session, and there’s evidence to suggest that shorter workouts can even lead to greater weight management gains and decreases in bad cholesterol (LDL) than longer, more moderate ones. So add short, more intense workouts to your weekly mix, especially when you’re crunched for time.

Many clubs now offer pre-packaged, daily circuits of short-form exercises for members to integrate into their daily gym visits making it easy to keep things fresh and engaging. Try core, specific muscle group and strength workouts to keep your schedule flexible and your motivation high.