The Power of Variety

Gabrielle Reilly 

Gabby felt a deep soreness in her back as she woke up on Monday morning. She usually felt strong and fit, thanks to her regular gym workouts. However, this weekend had been different. She decided to mix up her routine and went swimming with her mother, a change inspired by a principle she'd read about in Dan's book, "To Inspire Your New Heart for Life."

Over the weekend, Gabby and her mother had gone to the local pool. Feeling adventurous, Gabby decided to challenge herself with some butterfly laps, a stroke she rarely practiced. As she swam, she felt the burn in her back and shoulders, muscles she wasn't used to engaging in her regular gym routines.

By Sunday evening, she was already feeling the effects of the intense swim. "I can't believe how sore I am," she said to herself, "Swimming really works different muscles than I'm used to."

Soon she was reminded about the importance of variety and thought back to what Dan had written: "Variety is one of the fitness principles that keeps your program from becoming boring. If you do not mix it up, your fitness level will plateau. My experience has been, even with consistent training, improvement begins to diminish after 8-12 weeks without a variety of other routines."

Reflecting on this, Gabby realized how true it was. She had been stuck in a routine at the gym, doing the same exercises over and over again. While it had built her strength and endurance, she had noticed a lack of progress recently. Swimming, with its different demands on her body, had shaken things up in the best way possible.

"There are five elements of fitness variety," Dan had written in his book. "Aerobic exercise, strength, core, balance training, and stretching." Swimming, Gabby noted, had given her a dose of aerobic exercise and worked her core in ways she hadn't experienced in the gym.

"Variety, as the saying goes, is the very spice of life," Dan's words echoed in her mind.

That Monday, despite the soreness, Gabby felt invigorated. The change in her routine had not only challenged her body but also refreshed her mind. She decided to incorporate more variety into her fitness program, whether it was swimming, trying out new exercises at the gym, or even a new sport.

Gabby smiled to herself. She had learned firsthand the power of variety and was excited to see where this newfound approach would take her.