When it comes to improving your fitness levels, health and general well-being, it isn’t just about what you do, but how often you do it.
You may well have worked out hard on one day, but if you don’t maintain your momentum and stick to a routine, that gym session won’t count for much.
Creating a routine and – most importantly – sticking to it will help ensure that your fitness levels are constantly improving. It will also stop you backsliding, which can make it harder to get started all over again.
To find out why routine is important and how it can improve your overall fitness, read on.
1 – Weight control
Sticking to a routine and exercising regularly – as well as allowing for rest days – can help to control your weight. Whether you’re aiming to lose or simply maintain your current weight, engaging in regular exercise to burn calories is important.
While a good diet is an important part of weight control and loss, you should team this with regular exercise for the best results. Failing to stick to a workout routine could see you gain weight or cause your weight loss to slow.
A routine allows you to know exactly what you’re going to do and when, allowing you to plan around your exercise so you don’t skip days. This will see you achieve your goals much faster.
2 – Improves endurance
The more you exercise, the better your endurance levels will become. This means that over time you’ll be able to workout harder and for longer, achieving your goals and leaving you feeling fitter.
As your endurance builds, you’ll be able to do things that you couldn’t when you first started out, from running for longer to lifting heavier weights. Not only will this make you feel good about yourself, it will also help you reach personal goals.
However, you can only build on endurance with regular exercise, as long gaps between workouts can mean you aren’t able to reach the next level of your workout. This is why a set routine is a good idea.
3 – Boosts energy
Exercise actually helps your body deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and tissue as it pumps blood around your body at a faster rate. It also helps your lungs and heart to work better, improving your heart rate and the amount of air you can inhale.
All of this means that your body is healthier and is functioning at a better level all the time – not just when you’re exercising. This will result in higher energy levels throughout the day.
The more you exercise on a regular basis, the more energized you’ll feel every day, so it is definitely worth sticking to a routine.
4 – Better mood
It’s true when they say that exercise makes you happy. You may not think that this will impact your fitness, but actually, the endorphins released by working out help to improve your mental state. This, in turn, will make you enjoy exercise and want to do more of it because it puts you in a good mood.
A better mood means more exercise, which also means improved overall fitness. It will also stop you from feeling like you aren’t achieving your goals, helping you to stay positive and get the results you want, even if it takes a little longer.
5 – Combats health conditions
Regular exercise is important when it comes to combatting illness and disease. No matter how heavy or light you are, failing to exercise regularly places you at risk for things like raised blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Regular exercise keeps your blood flowing smoothly around your body, maintaining overall health. It also combats a number of serious illnesses that are both mental and physical. For peace of mind and improved health and fitness, sticking to an exercise routine is important.
Foresters Go can help you to track how much you exercise to ensure you are sticking to your routine, as well as update you on your progress with your unique Health Score to track your health and fitness.