How do you not get bored working out?

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Replies

  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    Ugh I feel you, I was there back in January, and it was miserable. But I was miserable because I wanted to be doing other things and working on my goals, not because I was bored. With the elliptical, I'd do intervals or the "random" setting and push as hard as I could. It would keep me focused on surviving the next minute, then the next one, then the next, and before I knew it the workout was over. I've always bought into the idea that if you can focus on the TV or a book, you're not working hard enough, so up the intensity as much as you can.

    If you have a knee injury, you can still do upper body lifting. I did 3 days of cardio and 3 days of lifting. I wanted to keep my strength up, and I would have gone insane if all my workouts were cardio on a machine.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    So what do you do? Do you watch a movie on your phone? Listen to an audiobook?
    For stationary machines (treadmills) and the weight stacks, there's not ONE single thing to keep me from getting bored withing 15 minutes.

    Having a workout buddy tends to help, a little bit though.
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    I do elliptical and music every day!

    And to be perfectly honest, I close my eyes when I run and pretend that I am sprinting over rooftops or training to defeat some ultimate evil, and keep yelling "WOULD WONDER WOMAN STOP? HUH? YOU THINK HARLEY QUINN LOOKS LIKE THAT BECAUSE SHE SLACKS OFF AT THE GYM? DO YOU EVEN WANT TO FACE OFF THE HELLFIRE CLUB?" in my head.

    I mean hey. Do what works.

    I appreciate your internal dialogue. Impressive. :P
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    If you're a college student, getting on the cardio machines while zoning out into your notes is always good. Kill two birds with one stone! A lot of people take their iPads and read while on it

    Somehow I've never thought of this! Studying and working out.. together. Brilliance.
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    When I don't feel up to running but still need to whip off some calories, I hop on the stationery bike, grab my tablet and read! I'm about halfway through my reread of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and I really think it helps. It sort of turns workout time into my self-care time twice over, you know? I'd be laying around reading anyway, but this way I'm getting hotter and hotter with every chapter D:

    "hotter and hotter with every chapter" I like your logic!
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    I do different things, bike and elliptical would bore me to death too. But when I was stuck on the bike I used to read a book while riding. It worked for me.

    Can you do other low or no impact exercises? Like Pilates? Upper body only weights?

    I could.. but I don't know how to do either! Especially not lifting weights. It's just something I never learned. :(
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Could you swim or do water-based fitness classes like aqua aerobics? Breast stroke is a bad idea with a knee injury, but crawl would be ok.

    Technically I can but I'm too self-conscious to wear a bathing suit................
  • sculler62
    sculler62 Posts: 13 Member
    Can you swim in an indoor pool?
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Listen to music. Stare at the lovely bums on the ellipticals in front of me.

    bahaha. I stare at guys' arms, since some of the weight equipment is stationed by the cardio machines. I feel a little less creepy now.
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Ugh I feel you, I was there back in January, and it was miserable. But I was miserable because I wanted to be doing other things and working on my goals, not because I was bored. With the elliptical, I'd do intervals or the "random" setting and push as hard as I could. It would keep me focused on surviving the next minute, then the next one, then the next, and before I knew it the workout was over. I've always bought into the idea that if you can focus on the TV or a book, you're not working hard enough, so up the intensity as much as you can.

    If you have a knee injury, you can still do upper body lifting. I did 3 days of cardio and 3 days of lifting. I wanted to keep my strength up, and I would have gone insane if all my workouts were cardio on a machine.

    I need to find someone to show me how to lift.............
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Can you swim in an indoor pool?

    I can! I'm just not comfortable in a bathing suit. :/
  • rachelg145
    rachelg145 Posts: 185 Member
    Subscription to a gossip magazine like US Weekly - one issue is about one and a half workouts at the most, but it passes the time and there aren't any actual articles. You can get a really cheap subscription if you shop around online at discount magazine sites or on ebay.

    On the flip side, the newspaper. Also many short articles and blurbs so you don't have to concentrate too much, but it passes the time. I personally don't like to touch the elliptical with my hands because I think it makes the workout too much easier so reading a long item on a kindle would be tough - I wouldn't be able to balance and read steady without holding on.

    I do not listen to music when I read so it mixes things up a little bit having music some days, no music other days.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    It gets boring when you do the same thing over and over. I think it might get better once you recover from your injury and can do other things. Also it will be summer time so you can exercise outside to keep it varied. I think you will be okay; just push through even though it gets boring. It will get better!

    One thing I do/did in the winter at the gym was do different things. I go on all the cardio equipment but my routine differs from day to day. One day my main machine is the elliptical, and maybe the next day I focus in one Arc trainer. Another day I might spend the most of my time on the bike or treadmill. I also try to vary in speed and resistance, especially on the treadmill and bike.

    Since its been getting nicer out, I've been taking 1-2 hour walks around my neighborhood, which burns 200+ calories.

    I get bored sometimes too so that is why i try to change things up. There is a gym by my work that has a pool but I don't know if I can afford two gyms.
  • beesareyellow
    beesareyellow Posts: 335 Member
    I usually do a bit of cardio before I lift, and it can be boring. Lately, I've been listening to a podcast called Nightvale whilst on the treadmill or bike. It is a little creepy and very, very funny. I get so wrapped up in the story ( about 22 minutes per podcast) that the time flies.
    Actually, today at the gym, I caught the guy next to me staring, and I realized that I had been laughing out loud, lol:)
    Sometime the music thing just doesn't cut it for boring stuff. Give a podcast a try:)

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