how do i make the half an hour go quicker?

I don't know anything about your gym as we don't have any of those where I am from. If they offer classes you might want to look into that, something fun. Perhaps you could pick up a sport. I enjoy squash, it's fun and it kicks your butt. Maybe a walking/jogging group with friends or an outdoor bootcamp.

In the past, I've played my workout vids on my computer and turn it down low (I've done it enough times I don't need to hear the instructors prompts) and then watch a movie or TV show. And by watch, I mean that I get the gist of the show but it's enough to distracts my as to how slowly time is moving. Good luck.

Do they have classes you can go to? I find that a half hour class goes much quicker than when I work out on the treadmill for half an hour.
If not, I find the time goes quickest on the treadmill when I do one minute sprint and one minute walk because I have to keep switching between speeds.

cover the thingie with the clock numbers on it. let the machine go for the hour or whatever they are set to stop at. even if you stop sooner it will at least be from sheer exhaustion not boredom.

put music you LOVE on. Not just any music. don't watch news or anything boring. only a really engrossing program, or television with pretty happy fit people.

finally, change to a workout you actually like. check out the classes at your gym. get a bike or something.

swimming makes time fly by But you could do 10 min (as a warmup) cardio then do a lifting routine Lifting will have better results, and to me is a lot more fun and less drawn out Also have you tried zumba, or playing a sport for your cardio? If it doesn't feel like "exercise" you won't be paying attention to the time

For the people suggesting classes, PF doesn't have classes. It's a bare-bones gym: rows of treadmills, ellipticals and stationary bikes, and a weights area.

To the OP: I workout at a PF, and I will sometimes plan to go (when I don't feel like working out) at a time I know a decent TV show is on, and then grab a machine in front of the TV playing that channel. I don't use the audio link, but listen to my own music. But I can read the captions and watch what's going on. It works the other way, too: if the TV in front of my favorite machine is showing a show I can't stand, I suck it up and use a different one so there's something I can bear to watch.

Have you tried the 30 minute circuit area? There's enough variation to what you're doing in there that it's not boring, and your heart rate would stay high enough that you can count it all as cardio.

EDIT: changing up what you do as cardio makes a difference, too. Treadmill one day, elliptical another, etc. And use the different programs on the machines: 30 minutes goes faster doing the "Around the world - hills" program on the elliptical than 30 minutes all at the same difficulty.

For the people suggesting classes, PF doesn't have classes. It's a bare-bones gym: rows of treadmills, ellipticals and stationary bikes, and a weights area.

To the OP: I workout at a PF, and I will sometimes plan to go (when I don't feel like working out) at a time I know a decent TV show is on, and then grab a machine in front of the TV playing that channel. I don't use the audio link, but listen to my own music. But I can read the captions and watch what's going on. It works the other way, too: if the TV in front of my favorite machine is showing a show I can't stand, I suck it up and use a different one so there's something I can bear to watch.

Have you tried the 30 minute circuit area? There's enough variation to what you're doing in there that it's not boring, and your heart rate would stay high enough that you can count it all as cardio.

Oh. Okay then...get a new gym.

I can be the same way. Here are things that help:


Pounding music with lyrics I really enjoy. Sometimes I will play one or two songs on a loop.

Intervals for 10 to 15 minutes followed by steady state cardio for 20 to 15 minutes for a total of 30

Switching machines: Treadmill, bike, elliptical.

Trying to stay in the moment; thinking about what I'm doing right now, not how much I have left to do.

Closing my eyes and holding onto the treadmill during some of the steady state portion.

Breaking up the session: 3 to 5 minutes warm up and then I reset the machine. 15 minutes intervals and then reset. 15 minutes on the same or a different machine.

Gadgets and apps: Heart rate monitor, exercise app on smartphone that keeps track of sessions.

I don't usually watch TV, but I could only do it during the steady state (slow) part of my cardio workout. TV isn't stimulating enough to motivate me during the intense part.

Using the commute as part of the exercise. The last time I decided to walk home briskly as part of my steady state exercise instead of doing it on a machine in the gym. Two birds with one stone. But I had to make sure to keep moving.

I do the cardio after my weight workout. You're supposed to do weights with your full strength.


Incidentally, I just joined a no-frills gym similar to Planet Fitness; in fact, Planet Fitness was a possibility and is across the street.

a 30 minute workout is 5% of your day. if you don't want to dedicate the time, then don't. but seriously, suck it up. you can spend the same amount of time watching tv or sitting on facebook, etc. without even thinking about it.

God, I hate cardio on machines. I don't mind sweating and getting my heart rate up, but I just can't make it work at the gym. Those evil little voices in my head start trying to convince me it's time to stop about 5 minutes in and any time after that feels like a thousand years. I've tried switching machines (elliptical, Stairmaster, and treadmill for five minutes each) but it's only somewhat better.

I'm done fighting it and am making the permanent switch to cardio classes and walking outside (since I'd die running in this heat. Ugh.)