Who hates cardio? I DO! I DO!

grapenutSF

I don't like the boring kind (eg, treadmill, elliptical), but there are many ways to get the ol' heart pumping. Many of those activities, I love.

harriet_tubman

it grows on you.

_persephone_

I hate cardio machines but...

Dancing around your house is amazing. Put this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpNk860pTO4

on, and I defy you not to have fun while doing cardio (and you get extra points for silly dance moves IMO)

woou

I hate both, but I do 'em. Perhaps one day we (cardio, strength training & I) will learn to love each other.

shanahan_09

I'm kinda half and half regarding cardio. I dread the treadmill, (although, I always feel better afterwards) ... but, I absolutely LOVE hiking, and could hike all day if I had the time. Nothing is better than trekking up a mountain and seeing the view below!! Pretty much any cardio that's outside is great -- it's the indoor cardio that gets ho-hum. Weight training--right there with you, love it!

chrisdavey

Take a look at these

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/389137-cardio

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390679-kb-swings-challenge

I like:
hill sprints
KB stuff
tabata intervals with everything I have in my home gym
bb complexes
walking/jogging


I'll just let you know that the KB swings challenge was probably the hardest thing I've ever done cardio wise. Felt like my heart was about to explode out of my chest

Yesterday's cardio was unicycling and kinect dancing :laugh: So you can really do whatever you enjoy.

Thulpa

Two pages and no one said crossfit. I use crossfit as a warmup to my lifting on good days, though I like to bike trails around my place. I hate cardio, and avoid it like the plague.

I use a spin machine to increase my VO2 rating.

One thing you can do if you want to avoid cardio is to tighten up your food intake. If you lift with a good cadence and pace you will work your heart and circulatory system. You will not be running any marathons, you will be fitter and not have to do any real cardio.

If your food is good and your lifting is good, you will lower your heart rate, I know from personal experience, I lowered mine to 56 last time through from 80.

melrose09

I just started to enjoy it in the last few months. Running mostly. I do it for the challenge and just to see if I can. But I MUCH prefer the "fun" stuff and I feel like that stuff is more effective, too. I like working everything at once

leeny78

I love Cardio! I have some much fun with it and love to get my heart pumping!

frumpytofit

Why do you HAVE to do cardio?

To lose weight.

chrisdavey

Why do you HAVE to do cardio?

To lose weight.

yeah...nah

CallmeSbo

I burned 946 calories after cleaning my house for 3hours the other day. Maybe try that, gardening, playing with kids or your dog. That gets your heart rate up.

tinkermommc

Have you tried swimming? I hate that sweaty panty feeling too but when you're in the water its a different feeling. But I think I'm part fish, so it may just be me...

gymshoe42

I've always hated cardio in the gym ... like running on the treadmill...so boring.
Now I do 90 minutes of cardio twice a week and about 15-20 mins of cardio on days I lift.
I figured a way to make it not boring for me.

First I grabbed a jump rope and started doing 10 mins of jump roping ..1 min on, 1 min rest.
Surprisingly, my HRM made the stationary bike much more interesting ...I do a heart rate hill so it keeps changing on me automatically. For the treadmill, I do intervals ... walk , sprint, walk, sprint. Keeps it interesting. Elliptical I do after lifting, it's the least strenuous in my opinion. I also swim once a week.

firesoforion

You sound like me. I don't hate it as much anymore. I started it because I had to, but now I just put some music on and am watching my time get better. It's been about the only progress in my weight loss for the past three weeks, so I've started to hate it less! Thing is, too, there are so many fun cardio/running events out there, but I want to actually be good enough to survive them without embarassing myself, so I also have a goal.

Another thing that has been important for me in not hating cardio is doing it in private with no one watching so I didn't feel self conscious about just how horrible I am at it. Quickest way to decrease the hate factor for me.

AnaVerasGettingFit

HATe HATEHATE it! Try joining a bball or soccer league. At least you an enjoy the competition and have fun.

Amandasmfp2011

I wasn't a fan of cardio as I would get easily bored, however my gym now has Technogym equipment that you can play games on a touch screen and now I actually look forward to going! I can easily do an hour now whilst playing backgammon or mahjong,it's made a huge difference to me. :-)

eellis2000

Try swimming, rollerskating, rollerblading, or ice skating, also join a sports team it might make it more fun.

Rae6503

Why do you HAVE to do cardio?

To lose weight.

yeah...nah

It just increases the amount of food you can eat. You can easily lose with a calorie deficit and strength training to maintain muscle.

ArwenP

I think it's a matter of finding something you like to do that just also happens to be good for cardio too. I like belly dancing (at a dance studio, not a gym, there is a difference) and I focus on the part of it that's beautiful and sexy and fun. It's a fabulous ab workout, but also good for cardio (I've lost 5 inches off my waist since Sept!). It's easier for the uncoordinated than a lot of aerobics classes too, because there's not a lot of fancy footwork. The cadio comes more from moving your body and your arms than from jumping around everywhere. When you are moving your feet, it's usually walking in a straight line or doing a simple turn. I expect the advanced students have more intricate routines, but there's no pressure to move up until you're ready.

frumpytofit

Why do you HAVE to do cardio?

To lose weight.

yeah...nah

It just increases the amount of food you can eat. You can easily lose with a calorie deficit and strength training to maintain muscle.

Just picked up a copy of "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" from the library. The author claims aerobics is overrated for fat loss and sides with the intensity is more important than duration crowd when it comes to cardio.


Lots of good ideas coming from this thread...

frumpytofit

I wasn't a fan of cardio as I would get easily bored, however my gym now has Technogym equipment that you can play games on a touch screen and now I actually look forward to going! I can easily do an hour now whilst playing backgammon or mahjong,it's made a huge difference to me. :-)

That sounds awesome!

I do office work for a living and I find most cube drones like myself dread the cardio machines at the gym. I think it is a confinement issue-after sitting in place all day, the last thing you want to do sit/stand stationed on a machine.

questionablemethods

I don't like doing most cardio either. But I do like walking (outside, not on a treadmill). I don't have a car, so I bike and walk pretty much everywhere and I get a lot of incidental exercise that way. I also take 60 minute walks about 3 times a week. That's all I do and it really doesn't seem like exercise because it is my time to clear my head and get some fresh air.

So, if you don't like cardio, don't do it. For weight loss purposes, what matters is taking in fewer calories than you are burning. So, cardio can allow you to eat more, but you don't NEED it. (Obviously there are other benefits to cardio, but I'm assuming you're talking about losing fat at the moment.)

Nerdy_Rose

I recommend trying rock climbing. It gets your heart rate up, but it's nothing like traditional cardio. IT'S SO FUN.

catic

I"m not a fat of the machines either. I am trying to find a nice cardio class I like at the gym but it's hard. Just like spinning everyone says I should try spinning..>I just don't see how it's fun!!!!!!!! LOL

catic

it grows on you.

Like a fungus?

twentytwobecky

I hate cardio too. What works for me is competition. I do a boot camp class M,W,F and yea, we say it's okay if somebody can't keep up, but most of us in the class get tired, want to stop, then we look at everybody else still going, and just suck it up and do it!

Cindy311

I'm opposite, weights kick my @ss and I hate them...passionately, BUT, I love the definition I'm getting

kwest_4_fitness

I have a Weider weight machine that I picked up relatively cheap, less than $180 I think. I use it to do a circuit training work out that's more cardio intensive than regular lifting but also includes the strength training aspect. My husband has me do as many reps of each exercise as possible, rest for 15 seconds, and repeat twice. Jillian Michaels 30DS is the other way I snuck in a bit of cardio. All of this was before I discovered Zumba, so now I'm a cardio freak.

carrieous

I wouldnt say i hate it but it is so very boring and right now i am feeling pretty burnt out of running, elliptical, bike and stair master. Im going to try to make some classes at my gym to shake things up a bit. I still havent tried Zumba!