The Constant Battle

Routine vs Change

I'm in a constant battle with my workouts. The two contenders in this duel are routine and change: Do I stick to a solid routine or do I constantly change it up so I don't get bored?

I love both of these concepts. I love getting REALLY good at something while constantly growing stronger and pushing myself to beat my personal bests. It feels good to blast through goals and push yourself farther than you thought possible. I've followed a couple workout plans, doing the same exercises week after week. Leg day consists of the same exercises every week. Arms day, back day, etc, always the same. This is good for me. I can get into a workout and not have to reference anything on what my next move is or how many reps to do. This is also good for me because (when I keep a workout journal) I can see, week from week, how far I've come and how strong I've gotten. It's exciting to see that I'm squatting double what I started with weeks ago or blew last weeks reps out of the water. A routine also keeps me on track. I know X is leg day and Y is back and triceps. There's no guessing and it becomes just like brushing your teeth; it's just what you do.

Then there is change. I embrace change. I hate getting bored and I get bored easily! This probably has something to do with my only-child-syndrome or my slight, self-diagnosed-ADD-ism. Whatever the reason may be, it's fun to try new things and keep it interesting. Keeping your muscles confused and even finding new muscles you didn't know you had!

My problem with change is that if I don't have a workout scheduled, and I have to find a new workout day to day, it's easier for me to brush the workout off entirely. I know this is only cheating myself, but it's different (in my brain) to skip leg day than it is to skip a non-planned workout. I feel more like I'm "cheating" if I skip out on a plan rather than fail to find a workout for the day. It's a lot easier to get busy and not make time for an unplanned workout. But skipping my leg day* is like skipping breakfast or not brushing your teeth; you just wouldn't do that, would you???

So what does one do? I don't want to get bored but a routine is more likely to set me up for success. I want both! (Again, only-child-syndrome.)

On a side note: We use Roku for our television viewing. If you are unfamiliar with Roku, it's a little box that you hook up to your t.v. and you can stream channels such as Netflix and Hulu.  That being said, there is a channel (free!!) on Roku called Daily Burn. The hubby discovered this one day while searching through the available channels. It wasn't until recently that we actually checked it out. It's GLORIOUS! There are tons of FREE workouts to choose from, on demand (like Netflix but for workouts). There are some great kettle bell workouts, peaceful yoga workouts, fun dancing workouts and much more. I've followed a couple of them and it's so much fun. I can't believe this is free! This new found outlet is an excellent tool for changing up my workouts. If you have Roku, please check this out!

What's your take on Routine or Change? What keeps you going?



* I constantly reference "leg day" because it is my favorite. Squats and deadlifts engender horrible albeit magnificent pain!