The benefits of switching up your exercise

Working smarter, and harder

If you're often jogging the same route, or mainly getting your exercise from a trusted yoga workout, it's likely that your body has become used to a certain pattern of movement. Changing the form of exercise you do may wake up your muscles and encourage them to work harder.

Personal trainer Mollie Millington, PT Mollie, says: "Your body get used to certain exercises, so when you challenge yourself in different ways you should get to see more muscle growth or better cardiovascular performance. If your muscles don't know what's coming next they're always confused and always working hard. Switching the form of exercise you do regularly introduces new levels of challenge."

Plus, chances are if you're doing the same old exercises, or performing the same movements, you may not be challenging your body in new ways.

Improved performance

When you're keen to do your best in a particular sport, it can be tempting to focus on your favourite. But it's worth investigating whether there are alternative forms of exercise that may enhance your performance in your preferred activity.

This way, not only are you giving your muscles and minds a wake-up call, you can also continue to make progress in your preferred discipline through ringing in the changes.

Whole body health

As well as improving your performance, introducing new forms of exercise will help to ensure your whole body gets the workout it needs.

"Cardiovascular activity is important as it helps to keep the heart and lungs strong," says Millington. "As well as building muscle, strength training is an important way of improving bone density. Flexibility and stretching can help us to stay supple and minimise our likelihood of injury."

Sticking to the same exercise may mean we're concentrating wholly on one area, and neglecting other forms of fitness.

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Mental health benefits

As well as being essential for physical health, regular workouts also benefit the mind, lowering your stress levels and helping to release more endorphins - happy hormones. Switching exercises regularly will also benefit your mental health as new surroundings and activities will work to stimulate your brain. Taking in new scenery, or working out in a different environment forces you to engage with your surroundings, and can also help to lift your spirits.

Having fun

The most determined of us can sometimes experience an exercise slump. You know you need to do it, but it can be hard sometimes to stay motivated. If you tend to groan a little when it's time to stream your latest workout, perhaps it's not lack of energy but lack of enthusiasm that you have to address.

Trying different activities could mean finding a whole new workout that you look forward to doing.

"It's great to try new forms of exercise, because you may find there's something better out there that you want to do more without feeling it's a chore," says Millington.

Social benefits

These days, many of us work long hours or move frequently for work, making it hard to get to know new people. Group activities can be a perfect way to bond with like-minded people.

Taking up a new sport, whether a team sport, class-based activity or individual exercise, can open up your social life. Whether you've joined a walking group, and chatted to new people or have taken up yoga online, having a new interest will often lead to new connections.

But even if your chosen workout is solitary, you can still engage with a community through online groups and forums that focus on a particular sport or on fitness in general.

Widening your social circle - both real and virtual - can do wonders for your overall wellbeing and mental health.

New horizons

Finally, stepping out of your comfort zone when it comes to exercise, will help you to be more open. Trying something new and enjoying it also helps to remind you what it's like to experience something different - encouraging you to explore more avenues in all areas of life. Meeting new people can also open up your world to new opportunities.

As Millington says: "Growth happens when you're outside of your comfort zone. That's why it's so important to step outside and embrace new opportunities."

So whether you simply change terrain when running, decide to incorporate a bike ride into your weekly routine, or stream a Pilates class, switching up your exercise comes with a wealth of benefits.