Getting through cardio!

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24

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  • iLoveMyAR15
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
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    kicking tunes on my ipod is a must
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
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    kicking tunes on my ipod is a must

    Nothing realted to Cardio but sweet AR
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
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    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
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    skip it do intense weight lifting instead 2-3 times a week, good to go.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.
  • bdorri00
    bdorri00 Posts: 38 Member
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    Either listen to music or watch the Braves game! So glad it's baseball season again, helps me workout for a long time without even realizing it!
  • psuhorseshoe
    psuhorseshoe Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm that weirdo that reads at the gym. I can usually read and do the eliptical at a pretty decent pace or I will do the cross trainer or the highest incline and highest intestity and read. It is slow and steady but i can do it for an hour and burn a pretty decent amount of calories. If the book is good, it is motivation to stay on the machine longer or hop onto another cardio machine to read.
  • subconscious_ink
    subconscious_ink Posts: 194 Member
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    Try to find something you do like (or a few things). If you're not into cardio like running or the elliptical, try dancing, a sport, swimming, or kickboxing. If you're like me and don't like the cardio kickboxing classes gyms usually offer, try going to a gym where they actually have heavy bags for you to hit -- I feel like actually hitting something while kickboxing is much more satisfying. Keep trying different things until you find something you enjoy.

    I get bored with cardio easily as well. Try switching up your activities a lot. I can't do the same cardio every day.

    Also, you could try spreading your cardio out in short intervals over the course of the day -- if you have an office, maybe jogging in place by your desk or something. That way by the end, you might have done an hour, but you only do 5 or 10 minutes at a time, so you don't have time to get bored and it's like a little break from whatever else you were doing.

    Another thing is, if there is a day when I really need to do cardio, but I only have boring options available, I have a certain TV show that I really love put aside that I only watch when exercising. So by doing cardio, I get to watch my awesome TV show. Netflix is really useful for this.
  • liftreadphilosophize
    liftreadphilosophize Posts: 180 Member
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    Cardio exercise can be so boring (at least for me)....what is your cardio routine? How do you get through it?

    Intervals! I'm bored easily, so intervals keep me interested through the entire workout. Plus, HIIT, specifically, has made my body look and feel so much better.

    When I bike to work (pretty much the only time I do steady-state cardio) I like to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. I save music for when I'm running, which doesn't happen often these days.
  • junkie_99
    junkie_99 Posts: 26
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    On my stair climber day: I read a book on my Kindle.
    On my run day: I enjoy the scenery.
  • iLoveMyAR15
    iLoveMyAR15 Posts: 122 Member
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    kicking tunes on my ipod is a must

    Nothing realted to Cardio but sweet AR

    Thanks Jack and sorry I meant the tunes get me through my run or HIIT! LOL
  • sprintto50
    sprintto50 Posts: 410 Member
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    I couldn't stick with a cardo routine if I was bored. I walk/run with my dog outside and enjoy nature, and when it's warmer I bike. I tried a treadmill but I couldn't stand the monotony. I believe the key is trying things until you find something you enjoy. And think outside the usual..
  • AncientLullaby_
    AncientLullaby_ Posts: 119
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    I love swimming and I try to change things up and so what I do is usually
    30 mins running then jump in the pool and swim for another 30 mins :)
    or 30 mis elliptical then 30 mins swimming
    or 30 mins aerobics and then 30 mins swimming
    or 30 mins biking then 30 mins swimming

    It is nerver boring to me! very addicting in fact
  • veaudrey
    veaudrey Posts: 1
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    You should try and find a type of cardio that you like. Have you ever tried boxing? I found it to be a lot of fun and not boring at all:)
  • loriq41
    loriq41 Posts: 479 Member
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    If I don't have some great music..well, I won't even do any cardio machines..one time I forgot my earbuds at home and literally ran to walmart for a cheap pair to get me through. Nothing better than some great workout songs to get you motivated! :)

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