Boredom During Cardio

When I'm on the treadmill or elliptical, I like to watch all the movies I've been collecting on the DVR and forgetting about (kill two birds with one stone so to speak.) It keep my brain occupied long enough that I can (sometimes) forget that I'm exercising.

Listening to my music only goes so far as a distraction - most of my workout music makes me want to dance.

Dance + treadmill = bad idea. I'd probably launch myself off it...again... :embarassed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLMWaU-rLJQ

Get of the machines and into nature if you can... Most of us spend too many hours staring at 4 walls or electronic devices... I love hitting the road and running or hiking...

The elliptical is boring for me in general, even though I know I can burn massive calories on it. I only have fun on the treadmill with my music blaring.

I have tried the treadmill and elliptical and I just.. can't do it. Even with music, tv, etc I will be bored to tears about 5 minutes in. Last time I was on the treadmill a few weeks ago I just forced myself through it. I hated it though.

I have also tried workout cardio DVD programs (P90X, Zumba, Insanity, 10 Minute Trainer, etc) and while the routines are varied and intense, I still get bored doing repetitive moves.

So I took a break from cardio and did weight lifting exclusively. It's better, but I feel like a healthy mix of both is necessary.

So... I dusted off my PS2 console, bought some dance pads for an old school game called Dance Dance Revolution, and now I have trouble STOPPING my cardio!

Workout video games are great. I can only speak for DDR but the fast paced songs have me literally dripping sweat by the time my hour is up. Sometimes I will go 90+ minutes without realizing it. There's different modes of play (including Workout Mode, but I think the calories it estimates are too high so I only log around 60-70% of what the game tells me I burned), many varieties of songs, and the game has been out so long it's relatively inexpensive to get started.

Warning: Not for people who aren't into dorky electronic music from the early 2000's sprinkled with Jpop. Also not for people who are self conscious about their spasmy T-Rex arms flailing everywhere. But it IS for this kid:

http://youtu.be/6JzcqALklRs

less cardio, more lifting..

serious question - how do you read while doing cardio and follow the story?

I prefer to read on a recumbent bike. It's moderate exercise, but mostly it means that instead of sitting for an hour while I read, I'm moving.

I read on my Kindle with the text bigger, watch TED talks to nourish my brain, or catch up on series I never got around to watching on Netflix. Mostly I do read though as I have a rather large reading goal for the year and this kills two birds with one stone.

I re-vamped my playlist with only songs that I love and only listen to it while I'm on the treadmill. If I want to hear a song, I have to keep walking. It's like a treadmill/music reward system.

I also get bored while I do cardio, so I challenge myself and try to beat previous bests. One more calorie than the last time. One more mile, one more minute than the last time. I get my best results when I try to out-do my previous highest whatever it is.

I also love to watch sitcoms while I work out. Fast forward through commercials and you can watch 2 30-minute shows in about 35-40 minutes. As someone above me said, 2 birds, 1 stone.

Get of the machines and into nature if you can... Most of us spend too many hours staring at 4 walls or electronic devices... I love hitting the road and running or hiking...

I honestly hate the outdoors and can walk for four times as long on a treadmill as I can outside. I like having controlled weather, temperature, interactions with animals and other humans, etc. Different strokes for different folks. *shrug*

How on earth do people read while working out? LOL

I reckon if you can still read (my head wobbles all over the place) your METS aren't high enough! Why not just work out harder, finish earlier, and relax afterwards with the kindle???

I do HIIT, heavy lifting, and then I relax on the recumbent bike with my kindle. Do you have a problem with that?

I've moved my treadmill out to the living room from a back corner bedroom that was boring.. I'm not into commercials so I DVR most of the shows or movies that I want to watch.. If I want to do 45 minutes on the treadmill I'll watch 2 of the 30 min shows which comes to about 45 minutes..

I often get bored while using the elliptical. So bored that I stare at the TVs and read the marquee on the bottom until it runs through its cycle a couple times. That is WITH music in my ear buds. Today I decided I'd utilize the Nook app on my phone. I made the text as big as I could so I could see it from the ledge on the elliptical. It worked great! I was actually wanting to keep going just so I could continue reading. I maintained my target heart rate for more of the session than ever, and added 5 minutes twice. Just wanted to share this tip Good luck everyone at reaching your goals!

That's pretty cool. I hate cardio machines with the white hot heat of a thousand suns, but I have to admit, they're awfully nice when it's sleeting outside. Still. . .

Get off the machines and into nature if you can... Most of us spend too many hours staring at 4 walls or electronic devices... I love hitting the road and running or hiking...

There's a reason you're getting bored on the elliptical............get outside and run or ride etc Way more fun!

Music