When William Cowper said "Variety is the spice of life, that gives it all its flavour" back in 1785, he was on to something.
Did you know that the average gym-goers routine lasts a mere eight weeks? I can't help but think that's throwing in the towel just a tad early. So if you find yourself regularly skipping your workouts, it's time to take action - and we can help.
A new study published in Psychology and Health has found that trying a new exercise class or way of working out not only can make us enjoy working up a sweat more, but might also make us more enthusiastic about working out in the future.
The results showed that people taking part in a new exercise reported higher levels of positive feelings and expressed a greater interest in working out regularly in the upcoming month than the group doing an exercise they have done before. Other studies have also shown similar results of the positive effect between exercise variety and adherance. We also found that members using our Flexible fitness membership (a fitness passport to loads of providers) are twice as likely to be active 12 months after joining than users of just one gym. So cheating on your gym is actually the best thing for you!
The Takeaway
So there it is - the secret to keeping fit is variety! Trying out something new in your workout routine not only can do wonders for motivation, it can also make keeping fit easier. Obviously we're not suggesting you give up your favourite class, (half the battle with creating sustainable habits is finding something you love and sticking at it!) but if you find yourself stuck in a rut or if you're finding it hard to get into your groove then mix it up!
So why not try out a new type of exercise alongside your tried and tested favourites - or even better get a free trial with us! You might be pleasantly surprised by the results! (You can also find other tips on what to do when you're stuck in a workout rut here!)
