When you’ve settled into a fitness routine that works for you, you might eventually hit a plateau. Perhaps you might notice that you’re making little to no progress even though you’re doing things right, such as working out regularly and eating healthy. Or perhaps progress is happening, but you’d like it to happen at a faster rate. Whatever the case, you may be looking for ways to improve your fitness journey so that you can reach your goals faster.
These improvements don’t necessarily have to involve making your workouts harder and pushing yourself past your limit. Sometimes all you need is the right set of habits to supplement your workouts. With that in mind, if you’d like to achieve your fitness goals faster and more efficiently, you may want to consider implementing the following tips into your lifestyle.
- Perform HIIT Exercises
You can elevate your workouts with HIIT (high-intensity interval training). This type of workout is quick and straightforward, and it can be done in 15 to 30 minutes. It’s a really effective way of boosting your cardio levels.
HIIT essentially involves short bursts of intense exercises, with short periods of recovery in between. This makes it a very time-efficient workout method. It’s a perfect solution for people who may be busy on most days, like an office worker who works a 9-to-5 job or a busy stay-at-home mom. This can help you get the results you want without necessarily spending hours in the gym.
If you’d like to have a more in-depth understanding of it, there are many online resources that offer more information, and based on their explanation, you can decide if HIIT would be a good fit for you.
- Work Different Muscle Groups At The Same Time
If you’re looking to improve your fitness, don’t limit yourself to bicep curls and shoulder presses. Try multi-joint exercises that involve multiple muscle groups, such as squats and deadlifts. By working out multiple muscle groups at once, you can save time while making your body work harder. This will effectively help you fast-track your fitness goals.
- Set Daily Targets
Setting one long-term goal can be overwhelming for some, so instead, consider breaking it down into doable daily targets. In your workouts, you can do what you can to accomplish one goal a day. Each goal achieved will contribute significantly to your sense of accomplishment. And if you consistently meet your daily targets, in no time at all you may realize that you’ve accomplished your long-term goal.
Your daily goal should be something that doesn’t require too much focus. Keep it simple and realistic. For instance, if you have plans that may keep you from going to the gym, you could aim to squeeze at least one exercise into your schedule, whether it’s a quick jog around the block or a short jump-rope session at home. On the days you can go to the gym, you could aim to do more reps or sets than you usually would.
- Use The Stairs More Often
This advice is old but gold for people who want to be more active in their daily life. While a home workout routine or regular gym sessions may be the best way to achieve your fitness goals, taking the stairs more often could be a good supplement to your fitness journey. Try to opt for the stairs instead of the elevator at your office when you go to work. You may be surprised to realize how much this little decision could help you be more active.
If you feel that you’re capable, you can even consider taking the stairs two steps at a time. This will make it seem like even more of a workout. You may want to do some light stretches before this, and remember to rest between floors if you’re out of breath.
- Record Your Progress
It would help to track your progress constantly during workouts. Not only will this motivate and inspire you once you see progress, but it will also allow you to set better targets and measure your capabilities. You could opt to keep a workout journal, or you could download an app that lets you log your workouts.
You can also take photos of yourself regularly as you progress through your fitness journey. This allows you to see the changes in your physique as you advance, and you can look back on past photos for inspiration as you see how far you’ve come.
Conclusion
If working out regularly and eating healthy aren’t cutting it for you, you may need to supplement your lifestyle with new habits that could motivate you and fast-track your fitness. Even if you’re making decent progress toward your fitness goals, the tips above could help elevate your fitness journey. They may not seem to be significant changes, but sometimes good habits are all it takes to change your life for the better.