Getting Over That Exercise Plateau

By Jane Farrell

Expert tips from Go4Life, a division of the National Institute on Aging, about improving your exercise routine.  [Editor’s note: Before changing any exercise routine, be sure to talk to your doctor.]:

Once you start being physically active, you’ll begin to see results in just a few weeks. You may feel stronger and more energetic than before. You may notice that you can do things more easily, faster, or for longer than before.

As you become more fit, you may need to make your activities more challenging to see additional results.

It’s time to build up the benefits.

•Add new physical activities. Be creative! Try some new activities to keep your interest alive. Sign up for dance lessons. Talk to your friends about bowling together once a week. Join a water aerobics class. Take a walk with co-workers during your lunch break.

•Review your goals. If you are able, do your activities longer, farther, or with more effort. If you walk 30 minutes every day, pick up the pace so you’re walking faster and farther in the same amount of time. If you usually swim half a mile, build up to three-quarters of a mile. Use a heavier weight when you do strength exercises.

•Do your activities more often. Spend time in your garden more often. Head over to the gym three times a week instead of two. Walk every day. 

Reprinted courtesy of the National lnstitute on Aging. For more from the NIA on fitness, click here.