Low Hanging Fruit

We’ve all heard that exercise is good for you.

It can improve strength, increase mobility, increase stamina, improve quality of life, and may even increase longevity.

So you stay active by exercising, lifting weights, running, or by doing some other physical activity. But you still hurt.

Why is that?

One word: Routine

Put another way, it’s a lack of variability. Doing the same thing over and over.

Sure, a routine can be helpful in improving efficiency, but we need variety. Without variety, our bodies are exposed to the same forces, to the same areas, repeatedly.

Of course we want to make our training specific but we also need variety.

For instance, training for pro athletes during the off season is a lot more broad with a wide array of movements (variability) and gets more narrow as the season gets closer.

So what can you do?

Try things you wouldn’t normally do.

If you lift weights and never do cardio, try going for a short walk to start.

If you’re strictly a runner, then try doing some body weight exercises to begin strengthening.

Most importantly, start slow for safety.

Adding variability to your routine can be beneficial.

What are your thoughts?