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    Suggestions to make running less boring on treadmill?

    Posts: 10 Member
    edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
    Hi all. New here....looking to find some ideas during the winter. I am not a fast runner and need to lose some weight. Not obese, not a stick.

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    • Posts: 49,119 Member
      Intervals. Time seems to pass by faster and fitness usually gets improved faster. So something like 30 second sprint, 1.5 minute recovery. Or even, raise incline to 10%, run at say 6.0 for a minute, then decline back to zero. Repeat.

      A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
      IDEA Fitness member
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      Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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    • Posts: 714 Member
      Yesssss. HIIT
    • Posts: 24 Member
      I dance on mine! Lol sounds weird but the time just flies. I get really upbeat tunes going and use the treadmill like a moving floor and just dance. Burns lots of calories and loads of fun... But just FYI... My treadmill is here at my house. I don't know how other people would look at it at the gym... Might end up famous on you tube!
    • Posts: 52 Member
      A scary audiobook
    • Posts: 5 Member
      I turn on law and order SVU on Netflix on the iPad and power walk at an incline. 42 mins flies by!
    • Posts: 5 Member
      Oh and with headphones to cancel out the annoying loudness of the treadmill.
    • Posts: 66 Member
      Yea, on treadmill you have tv options and music options, both can help pass the time. TV doesn't really do it for me, but you might try doing the treadmill when one of your favorite shows in on...a 1/2 to hour can pass quickly. Other than that, I daydream :-) . I use the elliptical at the gym and can watch the ladies in lower area work out...that also works for me :-)
    • Posts: 25 Member
      Math games. (like intervals) I pick specific times or distances to move the speed or incline. It breaks it up in your mind to short intervals, and goes WAY faster! Going the same speed the whole time is what creates the monotony. Its actually helped me get faster too!
    • Posts: 611 Member
      Go outside?
    • Posts: 2,113 Member
      Watching t.v. is my guilty pleasure, especially since I don't normally watch at home anymore. Old episodes of Friends and Seinfeld are pretty mindless. Sometimes I watch the Food Channel.

      Or I "play games" with my music--I change the pace or incline slightly with each new song--makes the time fly by in 3:30 increments.
    • Posts: 19,251 Member
      Intervals, and listening to books.
    • Posts: 558 Member
      Intervals. Pandora.
    • Posts: 20 Member
      I don't run but walk at a brisk pace. I find one TV series that I didn't watch when it was out and download it for watching only when I am on the treadmill. A few years ago it was Entourage and now I just started Fat Actress. I only let myself watch while on the treadmill so it is also incentive.
    • Posts: 2,033 Member
      I don't use it but I have friends who use the Zombie Run! app that is an HIIT program where zombies are chasing you. If someone created a app that was a clown run, I'd be running marathons by next month. Clowns are evil.
    • Posts: 6,993 Member
      I don't have any suggestions. I hate treadmills. I'd go to a good cardio class instead - Zumba, cardio kickboxing, dancealates,
    • Posts: 10,322 Member
      Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
      Intervals, and listening to books.

      Exactly what I was gonna say...
    • Posts: 17,456 Member
      I like to stare at people

      Until I notice they notice I'm staring then I get slightly embarrassed and hope they think I've been spacing out in their general direction

      Generally staring at the back of people doing pull-ups is my favourite .. cos those muscles ripple

      also music

      seriously though - I do intervals - or inclines or both or try for endurance (but I'm rubbish at long periods) - I tell myself if I do 4 x 400m at at least 10km/h I can go squat
    • Posts: 302 Member
      Got to have good music!, If the treadmill is in your house then tv shows make time fly (most of the time) I am watching Nurse Jackie on Netflix and the shows are short enough for my workouts. Good luck!
    • Posts: 469 Member
      I watch nature documentaries! I learn new things and get fit :)

      Although if you're easily overwhelmed and get emotional about the beauty of space, don't watch Cosmos. I ended up sobbing through my workout last week, it was just so spiritual and moving >.>
    • Posts: 300 Member
      Music with a good driving beat! I can't resist moving faster as the beat increases.
    • Posts: 1,249 Member
      Throw a towel over the display!
    • Posts: 1,630 Member
      I change the speed/incline every minute. So rather than it being boring, I make it hard and watch the clock countdown until I can change it again :)
    • Posts: 145 Member
      You could try this workout
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
    • Posts: 18 Member
      I do intervals, jump off every 10 mins to do push ups, mountain climbers, planks then get back on. I also dance on mine (sounds ridiculous) but it works and do side shuffles. Also the hill program.Makes it less boring. Hope this helps.
    • Posts: 1 Member
      I use a video of the WII character running around the island. I play it on my ipad. There are plenty of videos to download from you tube and they come in different abilities.
    • Posts: 48 Member
      _EPIC_ wrote: »
      Go outside?

      I'm with Epic. Once you go outside you'll never look back
    • Posts: 10 Member
      Yes. I love outside but it's too cold for be if under 45 degrees. Which should why I struggle indoors
    • Posts: 1,868 Member
      I studied Rosetta Stone Chinese audio review on my iPod. When I finished RS I was lost! It was great to get both my run and a review in before 7 am!
    • Posts: 688 Member
      I agree with others about intervals. Google (or check Pinterest) for treadmill interval workouts, there are some really good ones and I'm always surprised at how much faster the time goes while also wearing me out more than if I'm just running at one speed the whole time.

      Otherwise, I mostly just accept that running on the treadmill is boring and tedious but I don't need to pay attention so I can kind of just zone out to music. So the boring aspect can be a good thing some days.
    • Posts: 66 Member
      Netflix! I'm not really a music person, but I love to walk go a good show!
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