Working out is great, but it’s not always enough. Even people who work out regularly may get easily winded when climbing the stairs. That’s because endurance plays an important role in our fitness and our daily physical activities. Increasing stamina is just as important as working out, as it helps encourage the body and supports it to last longer during physical exercise. No matter the physical activity, be it simple or intense, working on your stamina can help benefit them all. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you build up your endurance.

Believe it or not, sticking to a routine does not help endurance. You can grow comfortable with a specific workout, which means you’re less likely to push yourself. Switching up your workouts will constantly challenge your body in different ways. A variety of exercises such as CrossFit and pilates will stretch your limits and increase your physical endurance. Another great tip is to add interval training to your workouts. This’ll help increase aerobic performance, and increase your stamina.

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Try aiming to introduce lower intensity training, with more repetitions, think ‘a little less, to last a little longer’. For example, if you lift a lower weight, you’ll be able to lift more repetitions, and higher reps will help to increase your endurance, meaning you’ll have better stamina when you go back to higher intensity training. Every now and then, try shortening the recovery time in between sets. This means your muscles will have to work even when they are tired. These shorter rest periods help to build resilience, meaning you have higher stamina when you begin to show signs of fatigue.

And finally, even though you will physically push yourself harder during endurance training, taking care of your body in between is super important too. Resting properly and sleeping well allows your body to recover and work even better next time. Taking care to eat a healthy balanced diet is essential for endurance building. Most importantly, always keep hydrated, and start building up that stamina!