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<\/p>\nThese 7 tips to push yourself harder in your workouts, sports, and activities will help you to get to the next level and beyond. It is easy to get complacent and stay in your comfort zone, but once you do that, you will plateau.<\/p>\n
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From the BODi Blog by Hannah Rex – Senior Content Writer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n So you\u2019ve taken the first step and started an exercise program. Congratulations! That\u2019s oftentimes the hardest part of getting fit. But once you\u2019ve been doing the same thing for a few weeks, you might want to think about upping the intensity of your workouts to push yourself harder. Results follow performance, so if you don\u2019t advance your workouts, your results will stagnate.<\/p>\n Whether you want to lose weight or get stronger, it\u2019s a lot easier to push yourself if you know\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0you\u2019re pushing yourself. Similar to having a\u00a0personal mission statement, having a fitness goal will help you stay on track and focused. Write it down. Tell your friends and family. Give yourself accountability. It\u2019s important to have a goal that\u2019s concrete, specific, and\u00a0attainable. Don\u2019t say, \u201cI want to lose weight.\u201d Instead, specify how much weight you want to lose and in what amount of time. This will let you measure your progress and keep you motivated through a period of time.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve picked a goal, it\u2019s time figure out how you\u2019re going to reach it. Use a\u00a0fitness program<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or connect with a trainer. Fitness shouldn\u2019t be random; it should be planned. Start with something that\u2019s on an appropriate level for your current fitness ability. If you\u2019re just starting out, you could try a program\u00a0like\u00a021 Day Fix<\/a><\/strong>. If you\u2019re at a higher fitness level, a program like INSANITY<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0would be appropriate.\u00a0Just like you wouldn\u2019t run a marathon without training for it, you shouldn\u2019t jump off the couch and into the most intense workout possible. \u201cThe toughest part of an exercise program is seeing it through to the end, so you don\u2019t want to sabotage it by making things too tough out of the gate,\u201d says Steve Edwards, Beachbody\u2019s VP of Fitness and Nutrition. \u201cBasically, just doing it is plenty\u2026 at first.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve become comfortable with the workouts, then it\u2019s time to start pushing yourself a little bit harder. But remember, you have to work up to it first. Depending on how fit you are in the beginning, the amount of time you should wait before you ramp up the intensity varies. \u201cIt takes your body between three and 12 weeks to adjust to new exercise,\u201d Edward says. \u201cThe fitter you are, the quicker you respond. With that in mind, you\u2019ll want to schedule a program that mixes things up from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards explains that it\u2019s easy to\u00a0make your muscles sore\u00a0in the beginning of a program, but you always want to keep a little bit in reserve. \u201cYou want a little soreness, but not too much,\u201d he says. \u201cAs soon as you\u2019re not getting sore anymore, pick up the intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n There are a few ways to crank your workouts up a notch. You can go faster, jump higher, or simply lift more weights. \u201cChange bands or\u00a0add weight\u00a0so you\u2019re close to failing, and sometimes fail, near the end of every set,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cThis added intensity will force your body to adapt and turn that improvement line skyward.\u201d<\/p>\n When you\u2019re pushing your body to its limits, you need to give\u00a0it everything it needs. This includes rest and correct nutrition. For a shorter program, like\u00a021 Day Fix,<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0you don\u2019t really need to incorporate rest days into your workout schedule. However, longer programs, like\u00a0P90X<\/strong><\/a>, have recovery weeks built into them. Active recovery allows your body to keep moving, but it also helps your muscles become refreshed and reenergized.<\/p>\n In addition to taking care of your muscles, you also need to fuel them. Food fuels your body, but only clean food will give you the\u00a0fuel your body needs to push yourself as hard as possible. \u201cJunk food\u00a0is referred to as \u2018empty calories\u2019 because it tends to be low in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients,\u201d explains Denis Faye, Beachbody\u2019s Director of Nutrition Content. \u201cMissing some of those nutrients, such as iron or various\u00a0B12 vitamins, has a direct effect on energy levels. Other nutrient deficiencies can be more insidious, like the way a lack of iodine might eventually impact your thyroid.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only do you need to eat the right kinds of foods, you also need to\u00a0eat the right amounts. To have the energy to push yourself hard, you need to eat enough so you don\u2019t feel lethargic or unfocused. \u201cPlateaus are a pretty good indicator that you\u2019re under-eating,\u201d Faye says. A\u00a0fitness plateau\u00a0is when you\u2019re not losing any weight, but you\u2019re not gaining it, either. By upping your calorie intake, you can give your body more fuel to help you effectively power through tough workouts. If you want an easy way to figure out how much and what kind of food you should be eating, the\u00a0Portion Fix Eating Plan<\/a><\/strong> is simple and doesn\u2019t require you to count any calories.<\/p>\n Supplements can be extremely helpful when your body is exerting lots of energy for a long time. They can help\u00a0push you through longer workouts, but\u00a0supplements<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0aren\u2019t just for endurance athletes \u2014 they can be just as helpful (and important) for any shorter workout regime. Pre-workout drinks, like\u00a0Beachbody Performance\u00a0Energize<\/a><\/strong>, can pump you up to go all out in a workout. An extra boost of energy can do wonders when\u00a0you\u2019re lifting heavier weights or doing cardio for longer than you\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n And when you start feeling the\u00a0soreness that was mentioned earlier, you don\u2019t have to suffer through it all alone. Beachbody Performance\u00a0Recover<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0helps reduce post-workout muscle inflammation, and also help with the muscle-rebuilding process. So not only will this help you recover faster and\u00a0relieve muscle soreness, but your muscles will also get an extra boost to become even stronger.<\/p>\nHere Are 7 Tips to Push Yourself Harder<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Have a goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Have a plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n3. Switch it up<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Focus on all the pieces<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Get reinforcements<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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