Witten by Hannah Mladenovich

Are you annoyed with slow or barely noticeable results? If you’re like us, you might have a committed workout routine that you already do. This could include running every morning, strength training, pilates, spin class, kickboxing, you name it. But, if you are also like us, you are getting frustrated that you aren’t seeing the results you are looking for that inspired you to start exercising in the first place. 

Why is that? Well just like shoes, workouts are not a “one size fits all” concept. You would never wear your crappy gardening shoes to a black tie wedding, would you? This is because workouts are meant to target various types of fitness goals, which is why there are so many different options to choose from. 

Now, we understand that finding time to commit to one style of workout is hard enough. Not only is it a cost to your wallet, but your time as well. Incorporating two, sometimes even three, workout routines into your everyday exercises doesn't have to mean signing up to a new gym or devoting additional time to see another trainer. It can be relatively easy and painless. 

Strength Training & Pilates: A Whole New Meaning to Toned 

If you are looking to tone your body and lean out–this dynamic duo will be your go-to! If you’re already signed up to a local gym, incorporating Pilates exercises into your routine will be super easy. Running low on time? No problem–you can do Pilates movements from the comfort of your own home, too. 

What are the benefits of strength training and pilates? Well, strength training helps to increase muscle and burn fat, while pilates helps to tone and lean out your muscles. The most common benefit people have noticed is improved core and pelvic floor strength, as well as improvements with flexibility and stability. 

Learn More: The Art of Pilates and How it Can Benefit Your Fitness Journey:

Most of Pilates focuses on core strength which makes the exercises super convenient to do. In addition to core strength, it also implements a lot of stretching techniques which will help with injury prevention, toning, and muscle strengthening especially after an intense workout. Pilates workouts can be interchangeable with intensity levels. Meaning, workouts can be done with just body weight, or you can add resistance bands, weights, or other equipment where applicable for more of a challenge. 

For those interested in learning some super easy pilates workouts that are easily incorporated into strength training, check out theseexercises! Another great way to see results is by switching up your everyday workouts. By incorporating new movements and new muscle groups, you keep your body guessing and engage new muscles which helps lead to faster results. Maggie Binkley, a certified fitness trainer, provides easy 15-minute workouts that can be done either in a gym or at home for all different muscle groups. Check out some of herexercises on Amazon for Free with Prime Video!  

Cycling and HIIT: Time to Sweat: 

If you want to physically see the results of your workout…this is definitely it! These two combinations will have you sweating and dropping fat in no time. Spin or cycling is not only great for your leg muscles and core, but it also is good for cardiovascular health and blood flow within the body. This amplifies even more if you are enrolled in a cycling class as many instructors include various speeds, weights, resistances, and different movements on the bike itself to help make the most out of your workouts. If you are looking for a great spin class, we highly recommendCYCLEBAR. 

So, if you get such a great workout, why do you need to include HIIT? During cycling you are only engaging certain muscles, most of them located in your legs. So, if you are wanting to tackle your stomach, arms, chest, back, oreven to an extentglutes, you will need to activate those parts of your body. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is a full-body, burst workout that follows up with a short rest period. So, instead of going for a straight 45-minute cycling class, you will be doing interval training which will include high intensity workouts with frequent rest breaks. Simply put, a start and stop workout style. 

HIIT is known for burning a lot of calories in a short amount of time while simultaneously building muscle. Most HIIT workouts are full-body but can be broken down into specific regions of the body. Keep in mind that fat cannot be spot-treated. You can work to tone specific muscles, but if you are looking to burn fat, HIIT is the best way to go as it targets fat loss throughout the body since everyone stores fat in different places. 

These exercises can be done on days where you are not spinning. Of course, if you feel up to adding in some HIIT exercises before or after a spin class, that is totally fine, too. However, if you typically spin 4 days a week, you can incorporate 2 days devoted to HIIT, or whatever fits best with your schedule. If you are in need of some HIIT workouts, check out some of these greatHIIT exercises! 

Endurance and Yoga: Mind Over Matter: 

Attention all runners, if you are looking for additional workouts to aid with your endurance, breathing techniques, mental focus, balance, and flexibility–then yoga will be your new best friend! Yoga is known for its many benefits relating to balance, flexibility, and muscular strength. This makes it the ideal running partner because of its many benefits that directly correlate with running improvements. For many runners, there is an increased risk of injury due to the amount of physical strain that gets put on your body. By incorporating yoga into the mix it helps to consistently strengthen and loosen up the muscles and tendons to help eliminate some of the heightened risk. 

Yoga is also heavily mind-focused. You have to really focus on your center point, balance, and breathing habits to do the stretches properly. This is important as a runner to not only help train your mental stamina and focus when running longer distances, but also listening to your body and understanding how to best utilize various muscle groups to your advantage. 

Most runners should incorporate yoga into their routine at least 2-3 times a week. Yoga is very easy to do at home with no equipment required. You can do it while you watch Netflix at night or first thing in the morning before you start your day. Not only does yoga offer many physical benefits, but it is also great for enhancing mindfulness and relaxing the body and mind after a busy day or week. 

Read More: Yoga Sequence for Active Muscle Recovery

Nourishment Matters: Replenish Yourself: 

In order to best see results (whatever those results are) it is important that you are caring for your body internally as well as externally. Making sure that you are staying hydrated, rested, and nourished with healthy foods is important for physical results, but also unnecessary inflammation and muscle soreness. 

Turmeric is known for being an all-natural anti-inflammatory and works wonders for muscle soreness and inflammation. It also promotes boosted immunity and gut health, too. Each ZYN hasthe equivalent of up to15 Turmeric roots in each serving and is coupled with Vitamin C and Zinc making it a great hydration and recovery drink. Have one before or after a workout and watch your muscle soreness disappear, thanks to Turmeric!