Ah spring, tis’ the season for blooming, hiking, biking and basking in the warm(ish) weather, depending on where you live. While spring often ignites the desire to unplug and participate in outdoor activities, the truth is, it’s actually the time of year when many people fall out of their New Year resolutions. According to U.S. News & World Report, 80 percent of resolutions fall through as early as the second week of February.
In the spirit of staying motivated and gearing up for spring activities Denver-based FIT36 and Wakefield Research conducted a study of Denver residents. The study showed that when it comes to supporting their spring workout habits 83 percent of Denverites believe short, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts are more effective than longer endurance exercises.
Given our background as the Co-Founders of FIT36® and HIIT trainers ourselves, we wanted to share some insights and tips on how to get prepared and stay motivated for HIITing the spring season.
Getting Inside to Get Outside
Hitting the gym isn’t just about the gains, it can also help enhance your performance, so you can power through your favorite outdoor activities.
While all workouts are beneficial, during a HIIT workout, participants achieve high intensity and increased heart rates allowing the body to push itself near maximum capacity, which prepares the body for most sports. HIIT also allows short breaks for the body to recover which increases recovery rates and endurance. It is a very dynamic workout with a wide range of body motion.
HIIT routines work into participants’ lifestyle and make everything easier in all aspects of their daily routines. With many active members, we incorporate multi-directional, multi-joint movements that prepare the body for outdoor activities, be it jumping from stone to stone across a river during a hike or climbing a mountain face. Strength building movements with an outdoor purpose keep it fresh for members.
The survey found that participants believe the top sports that can be improved with HIIT are: running (45%), cycling (41%) and mountain biking (33%). So, before you hit the trails, think about hitting the gym for a quick workout.
Why People Quit Their Routines:
The main reason people get burnt out on their routines is due to inconsistency with their workouts, which could lead to not seeing the results they want as fast as they expected.
As modern Americans, we tend to be a ‘want it now culture by nature’ so if we don’t see what we want instantly, we get discouraged
How to avoid burnout:
To avoid the ever-common fitness burnout, we recommend:
· Creating a weekly routine– Without over doing it, choose a couple of days each week to commit to working out and focusing on your health.
· Focusing on nutrition – Set goals for yourself for eating cleaner- the cleaner you eat the better you will feel, leading you to want to work out.
· Setting short-term attainable goals– Set small, achievable goals to encourage yourself and allow you to celebrate small wins! These can be as simple as achieving a number of workouts each week, or setting a goal to do a certain number of pushups. Lifelong health is a marathon, not magic.
The Takeaway
If you are ready to get outdoors and hit the spring season in full force, you may want to consider HIITing the gym first. By creating a consistent workout routine, focusing on your personal nutrition and setting short term, attainable goals, you’re getting shaped up for fun spring activities like hiking, biking, mountain climbing and more!