Joe never misses a workout. For the past five years, he has gone to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, set the treadmill at 7.0 speed with a 1.5 incline, and run for half an hour. He walks and stretches for 15 minutes, then showers and goes to work. He enjoys this time at the gym, as he can visit with his buddies and catch up on CNN. On Saturdays, Joe usually does a few pushups and abdominal crunches while his kids watch cartoons, then takes them on a leisurely half-hour bike ride.

This all sounds great. Joe has found a way to incorporate fitness into his family and social life. He’s a role model for his kids, and he makes exercise a priority. But is he really giving himself much of a challenge? Without meeting hypothetical Joe, my guess is that he’s not. As Joe ages and his metabolic rate slows, this regimen might not be enough to maintain his desired fitness level. And, while his regular exercise routine lessens the risk of cardiovascular disease, he could die of boredom.

Many exercise enthusiasts don’t pay enough attention to intensity. Intensity refers to how hard your body is working, and is commonly measured by heart rate or more informally by “perceived exertion” (how tired you feel). Although exercising at a comfortable pace is far better than not exercising at all, doing so exclusively can lead our bodies to complacency, and a missed opportunity to burn more calories, strengthen the heart, and improve muscular strength and endurance. And, for those who care about speed, periodically increasing the intensity of your workout will, over time, likely increase your natural, comfortable pace. For example, if you generally run a 9-minute mile, you might find that weekly speed work or interval training shortens your ordinary pace to 8:30 or faster.

So, should Joe trade his morning bike ride with his kids for a Lance Armstrong-type hill challenge? Absolutely not. It’s all a matter of balance and variety. Just increase the intensity once or twice per week, and use the other days for comfortable-pace workouts and/or rest. In Joe’s case, he can easily use one or two of his gym days to crank it up.

For example, Joe can “interval train” by mixing bursts of energy with active rest periods. Instead of plodding for a half-hour at his usual pace, Joe could run his usual pace for 5 minutes, then speed it up for 5 minutes, then back down to usual pace for 5 minutes, then speed it up for 10 minutes, then end with 5 minutes at the usual pace. In this way, Joe can challenge himself without spending any additional time on his workout. Or, if Joe is pressed for time, he can do a 15-minute run at a faster pace and be done with it.

If you’re comfortable with your current exercise program, and have no injuries or health conditions that would be aggravated by a vigorous workout, try some of the following to increase your exercise intensity:

• If you listen to music while you walk or run, vary your workout song by song. Go fast for one song; go your regular pace for another; go fast during commercials, weather, and news, etc.
• If you hike, time how long it takes for you to reach the top of the mountain. Next time, try to reach the top a few minutes faster. At some point you will achieve a “personal best” time. Know it, and strive to maintain it.
• If you don’t like wearing a watch or headset while you’re exercising, just use landmarks. Run hard for three blocks; walk fast for one canal bank length; hike fast for four switchbacks; swim a few 100-yard sprints with slow laps in between.
• One of my favorites is to use people as landmarks. Swim as fast as you can until the guy next to you stops to rest, or until someone else gets into or out of your lane. If someone passes you while you’re hiking or running, increase your pace so that you keep the distance between you and the other person constant (another variation: let the person get ahead, but not out of sight).
• Work out with a buddy, ideally someone who is faster than you are. Try to keep pace with Fast Buddy as long as you can.
• Use your kids or your dog. For example, if Joe runs while his kids ride their bikes, he’ll run faster in order to keep up with them. And if you’re one of those people who lets your dog take you for a walk, make the most of it!
• If you prefer exercise classes, try one at a level higher than you’re used to. Or ask the instructor how you can increase the intensity of your own workout in your usual class by varying the pace or the execution of certain movements.

If simply reading these suggestions tires you out, fear not. You shouldn’t exercise this hard each and every time. Just mix in a higher-intensity day in once or twice a week. Remind yourself of this as you’re about to crank it up: “in X minutes it will all be over, and I won’t have to work out this hard again for another Y days.”

Finally, as you place greater physical demands on your body, be sure to treat it right. Hydrate well before, during, and after your workouts, and make sure you are adequately warmed up before picking up the pace. Stretch your tired muscles when you’re done, and pat yourself on the back for giving your body a new challenge!

Published in September 2003 Arizona Women Lawyers Association, Perspectives.