Work it out

If your goal for 2013 is to get fit, make sure you’re not falling into one of these easy exercise pitfalls, Paula Goodyer writes.

You spend longer working out than you need to It’s good to get as much movement as possible into your day by finding ways to walk instead of sit. But with structured exercise, you can cut down on workout time if you increase the intensity with interval training.

‘‘Interval training means alternating a brief period of high intensity exercise, such as 20 seconds of going all out, with another brief period of recovery such as 10 seconds at a slower pace,’’ Smith explains. ‘‘It’s a technique you can apply to different exercises – you could alternate 20-second sprints when you’re running or cycling with 10 seconds of going slower. You can apply it to walking by alternating walking with power walking.

‘‘Interval training improves fat burning and can make it easier to stick with an exercise programme, and studies have shown that it’s good for people with diabetes, as well as for older people.’’

How hard should you work in the intense intervals? As a guide, imagine a scale of effort that rates doing nothing as ‘‘one’’ and working flat out to the point of exhaustion as ‘‘10’’ – and aim for

an eight or nine. You don’t ask for help Faced with unfamiliar equipment hung with cables and hulking weights, it’s tempting to retreat to the exercise bike (at least you know where the pedals are). If this is you, you’re not alone. Gyms can be intimidating places for newcomers – and a reason why some people never venture off the exercise bike. Ask for help: No-one is born knowing how to use exercise equipment. You’re stuck in a workout rut Doing exercise you enjoy is good – it helps keep you motivated. But sticking with the same routine week after week can also slow down progress because our bodies soon get used to it, explains Alisha Smith, education manager for the Australian Fitness Network.

‘‘You need to challenge your body by doing something different to avoid reaching a plateau where weight loss slows down or stops,’’ she says. ‘‘It doesn’t have to be a drastic change – you could just change the surface that you run on by trail running or running on sand, or add a hill or two to your run or your walk, or if you always do Zumba, swap one session for a circuit class.’’ You don’t know the moves that give more bang for your buck Rather than investing time on exercises that work single