Throughout the week, I encounter a number of questions about exercise, but there has been one question that people this week have repeatedly asked.

“Why is it that I constantly work out but I’m not seeing any change’s in my body?”

There is definitely more than one answer to that question, but the answer I’m focusing on has to do with changing up your exercise routine.

Most of us are creatures of habit. We find something we like we do it and stick with it!

When we start working out on a regular basis, we typically see some changes in our body whether it is something physical such as our clothes fitting a little more loosely or something physiological like increased energy and better moods. We like these changes so many of us continue to exercise and keep the same routines because that’s what’s working for us.

After a while with the same routine, we may not see the same type of results that we saw before and get frustrated and discouraged. We want to give up because it just doesn’t seem to be doing anything anymore.

I’m here to tell you that sometimes all you need is a change in your routine. If you love taking group classes, why not try taking some classes you’ve never tried before? Instead of a kickboxing class, try a Pilates class. Always done land aerobics? Try a water aerobics class. Are you a walker or runner? Try cycling or swimming for a change of pace.

Try different exercises that work your muscles in different ways. Changes such as these help you break through those plateaus that most of us experience at some point in time while exercising. Our bodies are very adaptable so we need to make sure that we continually challenge them in new ways.

As a YMCA employee and member, I have had the advantage of using our MobileFit system which is an exercise program that adapts workouts based on the feedback I put into the system.

It helps take some of the guess work out of exercising and gives me more diversity in my workouts to help prevent those dreaded plateaus that many of us (myself included) encounter.

If you do not have access to a system such as Mobilefit, talk to friends, family members, or co-workers, to help give you new and different ideas of things you can incorporate into your routines. If you need more one on one work, look at hiring a personal trainer to help get you back on track to achieving your goals.

Being creatures of habit makes it hard to break out of the routine we’ve created for ourselves. But when you do, you will begin to see those changes that you have been missing!