Any kind of physical activity is good for your health. For people who don’t get much exercise, it’s enough to be active in a way they enjoy and to do so regularly. However, when exercise becomes goal-oriented—for example, with the goal of getting your life back on track—it’s no longer enough to just move in any way; instead, it’s a good idea to think more carefully about how you move.
Versatility is the key
In exercise, variety is often a good motivator. A one-sided workout will help you improve up to a certain point, but to continue making progress, you need to change and vary your workout routine. Repeating the same workout day after day and week after week can start to feel like a chore and may even increase the risk of injury.
It’s a good idea to develop your fitness in a well-rounded way: someone who works out at the gym should also work on their endurance from time to time, and someone who goes for runs should do strength training regularly. Nor should you neglect flexibility and body control. The smartest approach would be to train all these areas at least once a week.
Variety within workouts is also key. Planning your workouts plays a major role in maintaining motivation and ensuring the right amount of stimulus variation. On the other hand, proper planning also ensures that stimulus variation isn’t too frequent, which can slow down progress.
The same applies to group exercise participants: attending the same class several times a week isn’t necessarily the most effective way to improve your fitness. If you like to attend a high-intensity class four times a week, try switching one session to a strength-training class and another to a class that improves flexibility and body control. A varied exercise routine ensures results and often helps you reach your goals faster.
Exercise Recommendations as a Guide
So what is the best way to be physically active? Physical activity guidelines are a good starting point. These guidelines recommend at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of brisk activity per week or at least 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity per week. It’s a good idea to spread this time out over several days and exercise, for example, three times a week. You should work on building muscle strength and improving coordination at least twice a week.
Your personal goals determine more precisely how your exercise routine is divided. If your goal is to build maximum strength, you’ll naturally spend more time working out at the gym. Still, you shouldn’t neglect brisk or strenuous endurance exercise. Someone training for a marathon needs strength and core training, as well as body maintenance, to support their running workouts.
In addition to workouts, daily physical activity plays an important role. The more sedentary your job is, the more active you should be in the rest of your daily life. Daily physical activity can even be a decisive factor when comparing two people who exercise the same amount. It’s likely that, among people who exercise the same amount, the one who stays active outside of workouts will make faster progress.
Stay in Shape All Summer Long
In the summer, you might end up working out at the gym less often if the weather doesn’t motivate you to exercise there. However, you shouldn’t skip the gym entirely. A maintenance workout once a week is definitely a better option than taking a complete break from working out for the entire summer.
If you're used to working out at the gym several times a week during the winter, you can also do some of your summer workouts outdoors and take advantage of online workouts, which offer a wide variety of options, including strength training sessions.