Getting through cardio!

officiallymrswhite
officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Cardio exercise can be so boring (at least for me)....what is your cardio routine? How do you get through it?
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Replies

  • missjones93
    missjones93 Posts: 74 Member
    Stationary bike or walking. Pinterest on my phone - lol.
  • 212ackley
    212ackley Posts: 431 Member
    Zumba!!! Doesn't even feel like exercise it's so fun! I now do 5 1-hour classes a week!
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
    Rushfit and Insanity. You push play and try to keep up !!
  • RunWinterGarden
    RunWinterGarden Posts: 428 Member
    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
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    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
    morielia Posts: 169 Member
    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
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    intervaling on the treadmill or with the dog with Girl Talk blaring in my ears. Steady pace, good beat, continuous play.
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    Dancing. I'll take a hip hop class, a cardio aerobics class, a Jazzercise class, put on my Wii Just Dance.
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
    1. Music / Radio concentrate on listening to the lyrics
    2. TV with closed captioned while listening to music.
    3. Audio Books
  • janiesmommy
    janiesmommy Posts: 13
    I also do stationary bike. I watch Joyce Meyer.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Sex is good cardio.

    You just need to get creative.
  • highmaintnance
    highmaintnance Posts: 215 Member
    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
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    HIIT
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    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
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    Music. Lots of music.
  • dagonee
    dagonee Posts: 10
    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
    juliekins64 Posts: 125 Member
    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
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    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
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    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
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    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
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
    kicking tunes on my ipod is a must
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    kicking tunes on my ipod is a must

    Nothing realted to Cardio but sweet AR
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    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
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    skip it do intense weight lifting instead 2-3 times a week, good to go.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    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
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    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
    rpmtnbkr Posts: 137 Member
    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
    djozwiak1 Posts: 14 Member
    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
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    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
    Tanja_CHH Posts: 216 Member
    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.

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