5 Ways to Switch Up Your Workouts & Create a “Movement Menu”

Picture this: It’s 6 AM and you just rolled over to press snooze on your alarm. 

Your half-asleep brain reminds you it’s time to do a workout before you start the day, but your body is telling you to continue hitting the snooze button. 

That pricey Peloton collecting dust in the corner is a beacon of guilt more than it is a source of inspiration at this point. 

Relatable much? 

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives (the Planet Fitness treadmill routine only lasted so long for me). 

But two things people often forget when it comes to moving your body: 

1—Exercise CAN be fun, you just have to find your “thing,” and 

2—You don’t HAVE to just stick with that same old routine if you don’t want to. You have options. 

Sometimes our workouts can become stale and we just have to switch it up. 

You might also recognize that I refer to exercise as “movement” a lot. It’s a word that’s less anxiety-inducing for most people. Plus, I think it embodies what we’re really trying to accomplish, which is to move our bodies as an act of self-care, rather than something we’ve been prescribed and feel we “have to” or “should” do. 

When you’re finding resistance in your movement goals, it could be as simple as trying something different. 

I’ll ask my clients: What’s one type of movement that you’ve always wanted to try but never have? Or, what kind of movement did you enjoy as a kid? 

This sparks a brainstorm and we’ll come up with what I call a “Movement Menu.” It’s a list of different movement modalities that you can choose from depending on your mood, energy level, and the time you have available. 

That way you’re more likely to stay consistent by having options available, rather than giving that Peloton the evil eye from the other side of the room and staying put.

So to help you get started brainstorming your own “Movement Menu,” here are 5 different options for you to explore: 

1. Gardening

I bet this wasn’t what you thought would be the first thing on the list! 

Movement isn’t all about doing strenuous workouts with a trainer yelling at you (in fact, I hate those). Depending on where you’re at in your fitness journey, starting with something that gets you outside and moving with little-to-no impact is a great place to start.

2. Zumba, aka dancing 

This can be such a great form of exercise because it’s full body cardio and super fun. Even if you have two left feet, dancing is a great way to relieve stress and bring more joy into your week. 

You can try it out at home before venturing out to an in-person class if that makes you more comfortable. Here are three of my favorite free online classes you can try:

 15-Minute Cardio Dance Workout with The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade

30-Minute Latin Dance Workout with Nicole Steen & POPSUGAR Fitness

20-Minute 90’s Hip Hop Dance Workout with The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade (this one is SO fun)

3. Pickleball

If you’ve never tried this sport, it’s basically a mix of ping-pong, tennis, and badminton. It’s less strenuous than tennis, but don’t be fooled because it can still be an intense workout running around on the court. 

If you’re into team sports, this is a fun one to play with doubles. Just make sure you’re quick on your feet as injuries can definitely happen (I have stories…). 

4. Weight Lifting

There’s a preconceived notion that if you lift weights, it’ll make you bulky, which many women are hindered by. But lifting weights is actually a great addition to your workout routine along with cardio. 

Weight lifting helps build muscle, and muscle tissue burns calories at a higher rate than fat tissue does. Basically, the more muscle you have the more calories your body will naturally burn while resting. In fancy terms this is called your “basal metabolic rate.” 

This is why I encourage clients to not be too obsessed with the scale. Yes, it can be beneficial to track your weight as a progress marker, but muscle weighs more than fat. So if you’re building a good amount of muscle, you could be losing inches of fat off your body and not seeing as big of a change in the number on the scale. 

Building muscle is also important for helping prevent injury and maintaining a strong core.

5. Rock Climbing

If you know me at all, you already knew I was going to include this on here. What can I say, I love me a rock wall and some chalk! 

Most peoples’ first reaction when it comes to rock climbing is: but I’m scared of heights. 

I totally get that, because I too was scared of heights. For the first year of climbing, I would only go halfway up the wall at the gym and then come down. But the thrill of the challenge and tackling my fear head-on in small, manageable steps helped me overcome a lot of that fear. 

If you think working out is boring and want to have more fun with exercise, I recommend grabbing a friend and trying an intro climbing class at your local gym. It’s a full body workout that’s great for building muscle, but it’s also mentally challenging in that it’s like solving life-size puzzles. 

Be prepared to be sore though—it’s harder than you think!

So that’s 5 ideas to add to your Movement Menu and help you switch up your workout routine. I’d love to know — which one of these might you try next?