EXERCISE: Does The Body Get Bored?

At Chiro Clinic Moncton, I often get asked what types of exercise are generally best. While there are many different reasons as to why a person may start exercising in the first place, typically we are ALL interested in staying mobile for as long as possible.

The human body craves proper movement and does not thrive on repetitive predictable exercise. Emerging research is suggesting that exercise "progressions" may be the way forward in keeping body from becoming "bored" with certain movements. In other words, do not let your exercise become stale - and instead set goals for gradually progressing forward. If you enjoy cycling, don't simply cycle for 30 minutes everyday at the same intensity or on the exact same path. Switch it up - add some hills or increase the speed for example. You may choose to increase the speed on flat terrain, or decrease the speed with more hills. In any case, your body is less prone to get "bored" if you are constantly challenging what it accepts as normal. With that, you are encouraging the body to wake up and pay attention to these new movement patterns - which subsequently makes exercising more "worth it" over time.

So, for all you people out there who love lifting weights at the gym - if you've hit a plateau in your workout - then your body is likely "bored" with the exercise. Freshen up the body with a combination of less reps, more reps, less weight, or more weight - and with different types of incorporated movements. Your body will thank you later.

Dr Ryan Coster is an experienced chiropractor, practicing in Moncton NB at Chiro Clinic Moncton. If you are interested in finding out what type of exercise is best for your body, call (506) 852-3900 for an appointment.

467 Main Street (Suite 200) Moncton, New Brunswick