Here are ways to boost your fitness.
Let us accept the fact that we all have a demanding life and hitting the gym regularly can sometimes be a grueling task. If you went on your first run in a while, you will notice that your body does not move the way it used to. You might feel nauseated because of the lactic acid build up in the body. You might start questioning your ability – will I ever be fit again, the way it used to be earlier? Do I have to start from scratch? These questions are not only perplexing but can be extremely demotivating.
Now, the logic behind getting fit is simple – it is all about improving your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently during exercise and increasing the lung capacity is the key. Every time you push yourself, you feel that you are out of breath. This forces your lungs to adapt and get better equipped to deal with the physical exertion.
If you want to take it one step further, you can work on the anaerobic capacity of your body. The anaerobic capacity of the body is to maintain a high capacity of your lung for a long duration. In this, your body produces lactic acid that is caused due to lack of oxygen in the muscles to breakdown glycogen. Post-exercise, the nauseating feeling is because your body is trying to deal with the lactic acid.
So, keeping all these things in mind, here are a few exercises that will help you push your limit so that you get fitter faster. You just don’t have to do the boring and regular cardio sessions to reach your fitness goal.
HITT
Over the years, High-Intensity Interval Training, popularly known as HIIT has garnered much popularity among fitness enthusiasts. HIIT is extremely popular when it comes to fat loss for two main reasons. First, you burn more fat during interval workouts than your regular steady workout sessions. Secondly, there is the EPOC effect i.e. excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. After you are done with the workout, your body is in dire need of oxygen, so your body works hard to meet this demand; it requires more energy and you burn more calories. This effect has the maximum impact post HIIT. It does not last for long but is effective in burning hundreds of calories.
Pumping Weights
Adding weight to your daily workout routine is one of the best ways to build muscles. However, you can alter this form of workout to improve your aerobic capacity. The trick in these exercises would be to shorten your rest period to 30 seconds and focus on doing back to back exercises also known as tri-sets or supersets. Avoid rest if you think you can do without it. Sweaty and out of breath – this will fill you with a sense of accomplishment. If you are struggling to lift heavy weights back to back, incorporate bodyweight exercises like pushups.
Stairs
If you have ever taken the stairwell, you would know how it feels when you reach the top – you are gasping for breath. Now, try running up and down the stairs for a longer duration. This is one of the simplest and best exercises to boost your fitness level. The higher the rate of your heartbeat the more oxygen you will need to take in. Your lung capacity increases and this helps in the breakdown of lactic acid inside your body.
Cycling
If you are trying to come back to your fitness routine after an injury, start with cycling. This will prevent further aggravating the damage and will help to take some stress off your body. The best part about cycling is that it is gentle on the muscles and joints. Cycling for a long period is a perfect way to boost your fitness level.
Sprints
If you think that jogging is too slow for you, you can give sprinting a try. In this, your heartbeat is elevated. It can be done either indoor or outdoor. It is a complete workout for your body. The use of short bursts and short recovery time elevates your heartbeat, thus, boosting your fitness level