12 Ways to Make Your Workout Feel Easier

U.S. News & World Report shared these 12 science-backed tips, as to how you can make your workouts feel easier:

1. Add Music - The intense nature of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) makes it one of the most-loathed forms of exercise for some people.

When exercisers were able to listen to their favorite songs during a session of sprint interval training, their perceived enjoyment increased and was consistently higher than those performing the interval training without music.

Your body may be simply responding to the beat on a more or less subconscious level, the type and tempo of the music you choose may also influence your conscious motivation. Together, the synchronization of moving to the beat along with being motivated by the music itself allows it to do its magic.

2. Get a Buddy or Join a Group Class - Exercising with a friend or enrolling in a group class can significantly boost your workout results. An Oxford University study on members of a rowing team found those who exercised together could tolerate twice as much pain as those who exercised alone.

The researchers believe the effect is due to a heightened endorphin surge that occurs when working together as a group.

3. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize - Quite literally, keeping your eyes focused on a target in the distance while walking makes you walk faster and makes the distance seem shorter, according to research published in Motivation and Emotion.

4. Drink a Cup of Organic Black Coffee Without Sugar - Athletes who consumed caffeine prior to a workout burned 15% more calories in the three hours following their workout, compared to those who consumed a placebo.

Other functional benefits of a pre-workout cup of coffee include improved microcirculation, pain reduction, improved endurance, muscle preservation, and improved memory.

Make sure the coffee you drink is black and organic.

5. Change Your Mindset About Pain - Instead of focusing on muscle fatigue and thinking, "this hurts!" try altering your mindset and view it as a sign that your muscles are growing strong and changing for the better.

6. Look in the Mirror - The simple act of watching yourself exercise in a mirror will make your workout more efficient.

7. Try Beet Juice - Those who drank beet juice prior to exercise were able to exercise for up to 16% longer. The benefit is thought to also be related to nitrates turning into nitric oxide, which may reduce the oxygen cost of low-intensity exercise, as well as enhance tolerance to high-intensity exercise.

8. Drink Ice-Cold Water - Drinking a glass of ice-cold water prior to a workout helps exercisers to exercise longer, even in hot temperatures.

9. Get Bright-Light Exposure - Light has a stimulating effect on physical performance if exposure occurs at the appropriate times during your 24-hour circadian rhythm. Exposure to bright light prior to exercise has been found to increase exercise performance.

10. Exercise When It Feels Right to You - There is no rule that says morning, afternoon or evening exercise is best. The "best" time to exercise is when it feels right to your body and also when you can fit it in, practically speaking. Exercising in the morning and afternoon have also been shown to be especially beneficial for fat burning and regulating your circadian rhythm, respectively, while some night owls enjoy late-night exercise.

11. Take a Hot Bath After Your Workout - Taking a hot bath after each daily workout for six days may help your body acclimate to heat and subsequently improve your exercise performance in hot weather.

12. Get Restful Sleep - Exercise can help you to sleep better but the opposite is also true: better sleep leads to a better workout.

Read More