Many fitness activities are easy enough for people of all levels to join in. But after passing the beginner level, some people want more from their exercise. Those dedicated to keeping fit need scalable forms of exercise that can continue to challenge them as they gain strength and skill.
Yoga
Don't be deceived—yoga can be really beginner-friendly or it can be an intense workout, depending on how you choose to approach it. Everyone can learn the basic poses that build strength, flexibility, and balance. The child’s pose, the cat’s pose, and the downward-facing dog are beneficial but relatively easy.
As you master the basics, you can push yourself to learn and try more difficult poses. Byrdie describes advanced poses such as the mermaid and the flying crow, which require precision control over your muscles, movements, and breathing, as well as tremendous strength and mental focus.
Swimming
Swimming can be scalable depending on your goals. Many casual swimmers just want to get aerobic exercise and benefit from the full-body workout that swimming can provide. But you can also push yourself to build speed, endurance, lung capacity, and strength.
One of the best ways to ramp up your fitness is by swimming longer distances. To do this, you’ll have to develop good form. According to SwimJim, good form is crucial to learning to swim properly, and requires you to pay attention to the alignment and movement of your body, legs, and arms. Once mastered, you can work on extending the miles and even try open water swimming.
Running
It doesn’t take much to start running—just a good pair of shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. But as you perfect your running form and endurance, you may want to take it to the next level. Running is a scalable exercise because there is no limit to the ways you can challenge yourself.
You can set individual goals, such as increasing the length of your runs or trying to beat your best times. Many runners enjoy trying out different terrain with hills and uneven surfaces. You can even join competitive runs like 5Ks, 10Ks, and marathons.
Exercise should never be boring or too easy to achieve or else you won’t stick with it or benefit from it. To keep yourself physically fit and mentally stimulated, you need exercises that are scalable and adaptable to your individual needs and fitness goals.
Check out this article on what you should change to get more out of your workout routine!