3 Signs That Scream "Change Your Routine!"

Ain’t it funny how life changes? 

One second we’re hanging out at the gym after work and going for a sunlit bike ride with our friends and the next we’re up to our eyeballs in baby feces pondering if that YouTube workout we did at 11pm is doing us any good. 

Sometimes we are in a phase of life that halts our fitness progress.  Babies, caring for elders, injuries, medical monstrosities. 

The list of deterrents to regular exercise goes on and on… sadly.   

All is not lost! 

Even in the busiest and most stressful moments of our lives, a simple change in our routine can be the difference between taking the proverbial step back or maintaining our fitness progress.   

How do we know when to be patient with ourselves and when to say “enough is enough I’m making a change here?” 

Here are 3 signs that might say “rip off the bandaid and try something else”.  

You feel “meh” about the whole thing

If you’re bored and disinterested with your training program, change it.  While a lot of successful fitness programs concern finding a way to do the same 10-15 movements for the rest of our lives, there are plenty of ways to make exercise more engaging.

This might mean changing the exercises, changing the environment, changing the time of day or changing the way that we’re measuring progress.  

Tracking pounds lifted, workouts completed or squat depth can be more engaging to some than the prototypical bodyweight and calorie trackers that dominate fitness apps.            

The point is, if you’re bored. That’s fixable.  Find something less boring.  

It’s out there.  

You keep getting hurt 

“Do No Harm” is a mantra within Western health and fitness.  However we feel about this moniker being the expression of an industry, it does apply to fitness in many cases. 

If getting hurt during training is becoming commonplace and we’re not getting paid to exercise, then many of us would benefit from choosing an exercise regimen that does not cause further injury.

It hurts me that this needs to be said…    

There is inherent risk to exercising, we all agree to that.  We have a greater risk of drowning next to a pool than in the middle of the Sahara.  

For those of us who are seeking to make exercise a part of our lives, mitigating that inherent risk is of utmost importance.  

This could mean finding a coach, asking our doctor or PT for exercise recommendations or advocating for ourselves at the local group fitness class.  

You feel like it

Here’s the beauty of it. If for any reason, we feel like changing our routines, or heck, if for no reason, we feel like changing our routines, we can.  

Making exercise a lifelong experience requires true ownership of the process.  Even those who have had a coach their whole lives still need to grab the reins, show up and give effort.   

That’s the rub. Nobody can provide the effort for us.  

If it’s our sweat and grunts that move the needle, we might as well enjoy the benefits of making a change whenever we darn well feel like it!

If you’ve made it this far, take a moment to assess your current routines surrounding exercise.  

Are you excited about them? 

Are they keeping you healthy? 

Do you feel like changing them? 

However you answer those questions, this is a friendly reminder that you hold the power to your fitness routine.  Judge and jury.  

With great power comes great responsibility.   

I’m sorry, I had to.   

Happy training!