10 Ways to improve your workout

Work It OutThe first step in improving your health is finding or making the time to exercise. But just going through the motions won't give you the health benefits you're looking for. Doing the same workout over and over can get boring and you are unlikely to see improvements because you are always recruiting the same muscle fibers. Check out these tips for changing things up from the American Council on Exercise:

intensity of your training

Altering your routine will help you avoid conditioning plateaus and force your body to adapt to new movements and levels of intensity. Get creative and challenge yourself. Do new exercises or focus on targeting different muscle groups each day. You can even change the order of your work out routine.

Hire a personal trainer

Working out with a certified personal trainer allows you to focus on the exercise at hand and let the trainer worry about the routine. A trainer will keep your workouts fresh and always progressing. They'll also make sure you're targeting all the right areas and muscles in your body.

Eat properly and stay hydrated

Without proper nutrition and fluid intake, there is no way you can have a great workout. Your body needs these fuels to build muscle and repair damaged tissue. Eat some protein or healthy snacks before you work out and drink water throughout the day to ensure hydration.

Emphasize quality over quantity

Although it may seem that working out more often would be the best way to get fit, more intense workouts performed less often will actually produce greater results. Your body needs rest to recover and repair damaged muscle tissue and avoid injury.

Incorporate mind-body training

Mind-body fitness has been associated with improved muscular strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, as well as increased mental development and self-efficacy.

Exercise at the right time for your body

Work with your body's natural energy level -- not against it. Exercise when you usually have the most energy, rather than putting your workout off until a time when you might not feel your best. 

Get a workout partner

Exercising with a partner makes you accountable to someone else for each workout and can improve adherence to a program. A partner can inspire you to push yourself a little bit harder when your energy level is not at its peak. You both can give each other motivation and even do exercises where two people are required.

Emphasize breathing

When strength training, take full breaths during each exercise, inhaling on the exertion and exhaling as you release. During cardiovascular exercise, full breaths will deliver as much oxygen as possible to the working muscles, making them more efficient.

Listen to music

Music can make a workout more fun and give you that extra burst of energy you need to work your hardest. Make a special playlist for working out with songs that get you pumped up and your energy flowing.

monitor your heart rate

A heart-rate monitor is a great tool to gauge how hard your body is working and can help you stay within your target heart-rate training zone.