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Working out is always a good thing. If you are like many people who avoid working out, then you have even more to gain by starting a workout routine. One of the most popular types of workouts today is called “fitness streaks.” Fitness streaks are workout routines repeated over a series of days. In this post, find out what happens to your body if you do the same workout every day.
Fitness Streaks Explained
According to Women’s Health magazine, fitness streaks have an equal number of pros and cons. On the pros side, you are working out, gaining confidence, growing muscle memory and sticking to something you started.
On the cons side, you are working out the same areas without giving your body time to rest. You may be setting your body up for injury. You risk boredom by doing the same workout repeatedly. Worse, you also risk dehydration and exhaustion by over-training.
What the Fitness Experts Say
Fitness expert and celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels (“The Biggest Loser”) cautions her clients about repeating workouts.
Your body will get very good at doing that workout, which will feel satisfying, but you won’t know which muscle groups you are ignoring. This can result in uneven fitness and strength levels, which opens you up to injury.
Fitness Streaks Mashups Make More Sense
If you are a “Glee” or “Pitch Perfect” fan, you already know all about mashups. But here we are not talking about songs. We are talking about fitness. Jillian Michaels recommends what she calls a “split routine.” This type of routine basically “mashes up” different types of workouts over a period of time. One day you might work on one muscle group and another day you might focus on a different muscle group.
RELATED ARTICLE: This is What Happens to Your Body When You Suddenly Stop Working Out
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Imagine if you did a different fitness streak each day for six days, taking the seventh day to rest. Then the following week, you did those six fitness streaks again, and so forth. Each day your body would get to work out a different muscle group. It would also get a day to rest and repair each week. You would finish this split routine workout looking and feeling strong and balanced all over your body.
Personal Trainers Warn Against Repetitive Workouts
Fox News ran a report featuring personal trainers. Each trainer spoke about the dangers of doing the same workout each day.
The top dangers cited included:
– You will get lazy and not give your body a good workout.
– You will pull a muscle, tendon or ligament and stop working out.
– You will get bored and stop working out.
– You will overemphasize cardio or strength (weight) training at the other’s expense.
The trainers suggested varying at least one thing about your workout each month, even if you want to do a fitness streak all month long. This way you guard against boredom and your body gets a new challenge.
Variety is the Key to Strength and Health
Doctors advise their patients to eat different foods to get a balanced diet. Fitness trainers tell their clients to mix up their workouts for the same reason. Your body needs variety, according to the Huffington Post, for the best fitness level.
Even better, mixing up your workouts will help you lose weight and burn fat all over your body. The ideal workout schedule should include harder and easier (“high and low intensity”) workouts, cardio and strength training, long and short sessions and plenty of rest in between.
If you decide to do a fitness streak challenge, know your mind will likely benefit more than your body. You will gain confidence and get into the habit of working out. These are both great benefits! But after you finish your fitness streak challenge, try adding some variety. Your body will thank you for it.
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