Getting through cardio!

officiallymrswhite

Cardio exercise can be so boring (at least for me)....what is your cardio routine? How do you get through it?

missjones93

Stationary bike or walking. Pinterest on my phone - lol.

212ackley

Zumba!!! Doesn't even feel like exercise it's so fun! I now do 5 1-hour classes a week!

markpmc

Rushfit and Insanity. You push play and try to keep up !!

RunWinterGarden

Running on the treadmill, I watch TV during it, but really I spend the time letting my mind wander. When I'm running outside I just put on music and think about a lot of things.

jacksonpt

If it's so boring, why do you do it?

For me... mostly cycling because I love it. I do a little bit of running, hiking, and swimming too. I play pick-up basketball on my lunch break whenever my schedule allows.

morielia

I've been spending a lot of time on the stationary because I'm on no weight-bearing exercise (only one more week!). Usually I just listen to pandora, but occasionally I'll turn on the radio so I can listen to whatever horrible show they're playing in the gym. Other time, I'll load up something to watch that's an hour long (podcast or whatever). When it's warm enough, I just take my bike out - much more interesting than sitting on the stationary.

acstansell

intervaling on the treadmill or with the dog with Girl Talk blaring in my ears. Steady pace, good beat, continuous play.

nicola1141

Dancing. I'll take a hip hop class, a cardio aerobics class, a Jazzercise class, put on my Wii Just Dance.

Markguns

1. Music / Radio concentrate on listening to the lyrics
2. TV with closed captioned while listening to music.
3. Audio Books

janiesmommy

I also do stationary bike. I watch Joyce Meyer.

Cr01502

Sex is good cardio.

You just need to get creative.

highmaintnance

For me, there's nothing better than jumping on the eliptical, turning on my ipod, and pounding away to the beat. It's really therapeutic for me and a great way to release some agression. I also like to people watch.

NutellaAddict

HIIT

ChristyRunStarr

I actually love cardio-depending on the day, I'll do either the treadmill (running or incline, again, depends on the day) or arc trainer or running outside now that it's getting nice out. If I'm doing incline and I'm bored, I'll up the incline or speed, if it's during the warm up/cool down, I'll play dice with friends on my phone or check out what's going on here, music for me helps as well

iulia_maddie

Music. Lots of music.

dagonee

I watch videos on my tablet while I use the elliptical. Most of the shows I watch have ongoing story arcs, and once a show is on the tablet, I'll only watch it while exercising. So I get incentive to add another 22 or 44 minutes to a workout every time there's a cliffhanger.

juliekins64

Do intervals, it keeps it interesting and occupies your mind a little while you prepare for the next speed.
Or try weight lifting, time flies.

bcattoes

Right now I'm doing Turbo Fire. It's pretty fun, but mostly it's so fast and and constantly changing and hard that I don't have time to think about getting bored.

Before that I was doing Zumba and it was just too fun to be bored. Then I was running. That was boring. Effective. But boring.

crazybookworm

First, it's best to try and find a cardio workout that you love. Experiment with classes, machines,etc. I also find HIIT(High intensity interval training) works great for keeping me focused, and from getting bored. You can experiment with intervals.

I am a bookworm so reading helps pass the time. I also revamp my playlist every 2 weeks and that helps keep things from getting boring. Sometimes I'll browse some of my favourite fitness magazines too. They help keep me motivated! Or I'll just play a movie or show on my phone!

Good luck!!

JenMc14

Right now I'm training for some races. I mostly run indoors right now, so I watch a show I like on my iPad or the TV. Music on my MP3 when I run outside. Prior to that I was mixing up different programs and videos. Fnd something fun. I really enjoy kickboxing and dance based programs. Classes might keep you interested, too. I loved the hip hop class I took. I also liked the Tabata/Interval style classes I took and spinning is quite the workout. Sometimes you just have to "power through". Or, do something really, really intense so you can do a short er session,

iLoveMyAR15

kicking tunes on my ipod is a must

NutellaAddict

kicking tunes on my ipod is a must

Nothing realted to Cardio but sweet AR

Sarahmeridith

feel your pain... with the stationary bike I usually check my email and stuff and listen to music. The elliptical and listen to music and watch the TV at the gym. But its still boring... Zumba is the only cardio I have found that doesnt seem to take forever bc it is actually fun

katy_trail

skip it do intense weight lifting instead 2-3 times a week, good to go.

jofjltncb6

If it's so boring, why do you do it?

For me... mostly cycling because I love it. I do a little bit of running, hiking, and swimming too. I play pick-up basketball on my lunch break whenever my schedule allows.

Yeah, ^this. Find something you enjoy doing and do that. If you don't know what it is yet, keep looking.

hpsnickers1

Tabata Sprints.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-are-tabata-sprints/#axzz2PcHYboeq
"...a Tabata session consists of twenty seconds of maximum output, followed by ten seconds of rest, repeated eight times without pause for a total of four minutes. Any exercise will work (running, cycling, burpees, jump rope, squats, etc.) Doing Tabata sprints is perhaps the most rewarding – and physically taxing – way to spend those four minutes...."

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-are-tabata-sprints/#ixzz2PcIEgpAb

Entirely too short and too intense to be boring. But you'll gain more benefit from it than doing long bouts of chronic cardio.


...and you are allowed to work up to 8 total sprints.

rpmtnbkr

Indoors - treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike... all with stereo blasting or with TV on... When weather is nice then it's on the bike cruising the wide open spaces.

djozwiak1

I love cardio because I feel the instant burn but I think it really helps if you are combining it with HIIT training. Doing the same thing each day would get very dull indeed!!

csuhar

If I'm indoors, I'll turn on my TV or watch movies on my iPad. That helps a bit. It also helps that I tend to adjust the speed and / or incline at certain intervals, so the workout is broken up into smaller bits.

Outdoors, I avoid using the track. Not only does it get boring when you're literally going around in circles, but it's also easier to quit early because you're constantly passing your start / end point. I like to park at one end of a trail and head out-and-back. That way, even if I decide to stop early, I've got to cover that distance.

But I also find that running on the trail lets me be more personable because I come face-to-face with other runners and walkers, even if it's only to grunt out a "hi" or "good morning". (Although, being in the military and running on base, I usually find that friends are greeted with "HOOAH!". But maybe I've got crazy friends.) Then you get the second greeting when you've both hit your turnaround points and your paths cross again. When everybody's running the same direction on a track, it's not the same. Even for a jaded introvert like me, that brief bit of human interaction makes running MUCH more pleasant.

Tanja_CHH

Not big on endurance cardio either, but to get it in I do spinning classes, body combat and sometimes if I feel like listening to music Ill hit the crosstrainer and just daydream to the beat. Running just isn't my cup of tea, as I cant daydream as much as on the cross trainer due to flying off the machine and in classes Im pushed more which builds my endurance and speed.

Something that might work is circuits aswell, even though its a mix of body weight and cardio, my heart rate tends to stay fairly high, the one I did today my heart rate stayed at around 155-165 the whole time.