What motivated you to start doing cardio?

maddmaddie

What motivated me to start cardio? Fat loss and stamina. Cardio on the treadmill can be extrememly boring when its only at one speed. I HAVE to do intervals to keep me interested. Plus, staring at a wall can also get old but thats why its good to distract myself with intervals (I always have to watch the time to know when to increase the speed).

If I haven't exercised in awhile (*ahem* college is fattening!), it can be difficult to get back in a routine because my body has loss stamina and strength. So at first, trying to do cardio every week may be difficult but I know I'll build myself back up.

Cardio exercises: Insanity!!! Jogging outside. Bicycling outside. Ellipitcal - with intervals. Treadmill - with intervals.

katysmelly

I started because I quit smoking and it motivates me to stay quit if I feel how hard my lungs work.

Plus, I like the buzz.

I don't exercise on machines - I run or hike outside. But, I would if I could get to a gym or had a machine in my house. I'd love to have a treadmill right in front of a nice TV and I could watch TV while I exercised. That's one of my lottery fantasies.

millers617

For me it was all mental. I knew I needed to get over the fact that I wasn't immediately going to come out of the gate doing 40 minutes running on the elliptical. I was once athletic, so you immediately want to be a superstar.

So, I just started off doing 7 minutes, until I could go 10, until I could go 15, then quickly progressed to 30. Because I finally got some endurance back, I started running a couple days a week. Then I forced myself to sign up for a 5k so I would HAVE to run 3X a week. Then I started feeling like I could be a superstar again, so my husband and I added in the 30 Day Shred 2-3X a week. So I run, elliptical, and 30DS to keep me from getting bored.

asiamonique

I danced in college and I was constantly moving. I even worked out before the workout we would have as a team, so I use that as my motivation now when it comes to interval training and even my basic cardio workouts. :happy:

pazzoo

I wanted something easy where I would sweat and burn calories with easily measurable results. The treadmill fit the bill. On days when I'm less motivated to go I tell myself it's more about enjoying listening to half an hour of my favourite music.

tlc12078

I had a problem moving for awhile myself, but once you start n keep at it, you keep going, you cant stop n I love that feeling of the go go go me, instead of I dont feel like it me.

Kell_Smurthwaite

For me, an over-riding factor in my doing cardio is actually a financial one - I do not drive and using public transport all the time costs money, so if it's a walkable distance, I walk. I walk pretty much everywhere - to work (although I get the bus back as it's late at night and not really safe to walk home again at that time of night), to and from my kid's school, into town to go shopping or to the library or to the cinema - everywhere (unless the weather is REALLY bad!). At the gym, I only do a very small amount of cardio as a warm up and cool down (we're talking 5 minutes at each end) and concentrate on weights as I don't have access to those at home - I like to get my money's worth and I can walk or run for free outside, so in the gym, it's weights time!

I also recently took up running (I'm doing the Couch to 5K training programme) and finally figured out why people run - it's because it feels so damned good when you STOP! LOL!


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myfitnessnmhoy

I'm generally *decent* with cardio during the summer time (I live in Boston, so summer is not that long). Every year I'd go on 5-6 respectable hikes, kayaking, sailing and recently have started doing 30 mile bike trails twice a month.

Strictly as a cardio endurance perspective, does it matter if you do all your cardio one day a week instead of 20+ mins daily? I reckon my weekend one day cardio is more streneous than if I did them on an alternate day basis.

I don't think it matters. Endurance building is about intensity and duration. As far as I know, 3 workouts at 30 minutes is equivalent to 1 workout at the same intensity level for 90 minutes. Just keep in mind that you probably aren't maintaining the same intensity for 90 minutes.

But what really matters is just doing something. Family obligations prevent me from doing a lot of cardio on the weekends, but I have a 1-hour daily lunch at work and a fully-equipped free gym 100 feet from my desk, with a shower nearby. My 60-minute lunch can include up to 45 minutes of heart-pumping cardio. It's not that I *like* standing on a boring elliptical for 45 minutes, but it's my optimum opportunity to build stamina, and I used it.

Now that my stamina has improved, I'm starting to swap in 2-3 days a week of "10-minute cardio, half-hour weights, 10-minute cardio". It's a better use of my lunch break than sitting on my butt.

lkarinal

CHALENE JOHNSON motivated me to do cardio

amccrazgrl

I'm not a fan of cardio at all. I use to struggle mentally doing just 20-30 mins 3-4 times a week.
I could only get myself to do the Arch Trainer b/c that one I didn't mind as much as treadmill.

Now I'm living in an apartment and have to take my dog on a 20-30 min walk before I go to work so he will rest during the day. That walk is more leisurely and I only burn around 100-140 calories. We go 5 days a week. On the 6th day I take him to the dog park where he can do whatever he wants, walk around, play, stand by me. I enjoy taking him b/c he has had 2 TPLO (aka ACL) surgeries one on each back leg. That helps him build up stamina and muscle on his legs.

I been thinking of adding a more brisk walk on a few days where I get off early to take advantage of the cooler afternoons.

I really wish I could get him to like the Walky Dog where you attach a pole to ur bike seat and walk that way.