Fitness Recipe: 11 Ways to Mix It Up!

Feel like your fitness life has become a synonym for “run on a treadmill and breeze through an ab routine”? If you are anything like me you may scan the gym when you walk in and then place yourself on your treadmill in the corner where you can comfortably observe fellow gym-goers as they tackle a machine that might as well have eight arms and four eyes. If this scenario at all sounds like you, you’re definitely not alone. Like many others your dull fitness routine may be eating at you, but you are at a loss on how to mix it up or too scared to make the jump into unfamiliar territory. (Read: who will take my treadmill over?? Anyone else but me would just be tragic!)

Hi Fitbloggers! My name is Talia and I am the brains behind the new blog Bite Size Wellness. BSW is a site that hosts tips on head-to-toe wellness served in bite size portions because; let’s face it, these days no one has time to read a novel about their health. At Bite Size Wellness, I share my own experiences about health as I try new things, discover new tricks and learn a thing or two on my wellness path in the bustling city of NYC.

One recent discovery was that my dull routine was making it easy for me to find excuses not to workout. I recently announced to the world that the treadmill bores me so I went into action to cure my lackluster attitude by mixing up my routine!

Of course, the obvious choice if you are a die hard yogi is to add some cardio to your regimen and vice versa, but there is more to getting your fitness switch-up in action. Doing something beyond the same-ol’-same-ol’ is good for your mind and body. You can broaden your physical abilities and put new, good stress on your muscles that you likely forgot about or didn’t know that you had which can push you past a plateau or to a whole new level. Plus, mixing up your routine can help your beat boredom and the mind numbness that goes along with it! Stop yawning through the norm and start….ballroom dancing?

1. Take a Class: The gym offers a slew of classes to choose from. If you normally go to kickboxing then try spin and so on. As the weather turns into summer sign-up for outdoor activities like tennis, climbing, kayaking or outdoor bootcamp.
2. Try a New Sport: Working out often means heading to the gym but a great workout can come from a game of tennis, soccer or kickball. Start a dodgeball or softball league with your friends or neighbors.
3. Get Jiggy: Zumba is on the rise for shaking your hips and burning calories, but don’t forget about ballet, ballroom dancing or hip-hop classes as other 8-step options from a local dance studio.
4. Join a Club: Motivation comes in numbers. Common fitness clubs include running or cycling and surrounding yourself with other active people may inspire additional ideas!
5. Hit up the pool: At my gym the pool is usually empty, but this forgotten solo sport is a serious calorie burner.

1. Sign-up for a Tri: The devout runner can benefit from learning how to swim or getting more comfortable on a bike. Cross-training doesn’t always mean treadmill to free weights and back again.
2. Get Fancy with your Rest Day: Your day off can burn calories too in a less intense way. For example, get into gardening, try golfing or fall in love with your vacuum (weird?).
3. Do Downward Dog in More than One Way: The go-to yoga class is typically a vinyasa flow which is the fast-paced series of poses most of us are used to, but yoga is so much more! Consider Bikram (hot yoga), yoga sculpt (with weights) or really test the limits by going on a yoga retreat.
4. Spice it Up in the Gym: How many different machines are available at your fitness center? I know for me I a) have no idea how to use them or b) have never taken the time to figure it out. Hire a personal trainer for a session to show you around and teach you about otherwise foreign machines (just be sure to tell them your attentions ahead of time!).
5. Head to a New Facility: When friends have a free week buddy pass I always take them up on it. Going to a new location often will leave you feeling super sore and refreshed.
6. Switch Routines with a Friend: There may be nothing wrong with your workout habits, but you’ll definitely benefit from trading with a friend for a week. Make it a friendly challenge!

Getting out of the workout rut by exploring new routines in and out of the gym will introduce you and your bod to more ways to get sweaty so you can peruse around the gym like a know-it-all….and we all want that!

Visit Bite Size Wellness on Twitter and Facebook. I would love to connect with you!

Talia Tugman lives in New York City with her nearly new husband. In an effort to be in touch with living a healthy lifestyle in a new city, Talia is sharing enlightened wellness living information with others served in bite size portions on her blog BiteSizeWellness.com.

Have a fitness routine that you are diggin’? Let us know in the comments below so we can try it out too!

 {Treadmill photo via, Swimmer photo, via Yoga photo via}