Making Cardio Fun

I have a confession to make; many cardio workouts bore the enthusiasm right out of me. Sometimes when I’m on the treadmill at the gym, I feel like a caged rat on an exercise wheel and getting motivation to continue can be a real drag.

You see, I’m an outdoor-loving adrenaline junkie, and for years I kept fit by climbing up steep cliffs in remote areas or actually any area that had a decent rock face. Then came marriage and children. Rock climbing is not only a dangerous sport, but a time-consuming one as well. I didn’t want to be away from my girls for long periods of time or worse, forever. So I had to look for another form of exercise.

For me, the most important kind of workout is cardio – it’s what gets me relatively trim and healthy. Yet, going from a shear rock face 300 feet above the ground to a Cross-Trainer inside a gym was a difficult transition. I found many of those exercises monotonous.

Gradually I invented ways to ease the boredom, several tricks I’d like to share with you.

Get Yourself An MP3 Player Suitable For The Gym And Other Types of Exercise

For a fun cardio session, an iPod or MP3 Player is a must. You’ll want purchase a group of dance songs or at least tunes that have a quick beat. Granted, disco songs are not normally my favorite, but when I’m on the treadmill, I love running to Gloria Gaynor and the Village People. As much as I love the Indigo Girls and Counting Crows, I find it hard to get a stimulating workout listening to their often-doleful ballads. Fun tunes and fast songs enable me to move more and make the time pass a lot faster.

You Could Be Climbing K2 Whilst Doing Your Cardio On The Elliptical Trainer

You Could Be Climbing K2 Whilst Doing Your Cardio On The Elliptical Trainer!

Let Your Mind Wander

Daydreaming is another useful tactic that costs no money at all. Some days, – in my head – I’m the first middle-aged American mother to scale K2 when my body is actually on the Elliptical Trainer. Or I pretend I’m finishing an ultra marathon when, in reality, I’m in my first 30 minutes on the Treadmill. Our bodies react to our thoughts whether they’re real or not, which makes daydreaming a sure way to increase your adrenaline and energy while turning minutes into seconds.

Set Some Goals

Another way to maintain your interest in cardio is to set specific goals for your workout routines. I’ll never forget the time I reached a goal of running a 5k under 30 minutes on the treadmill, or when I lasted a whole hour on the Stair Climber. I also like to make goals for exercising outside. If I run for thirty minutes straight one week, then I’ll hike it up to 35 minutes the next. Perhaps you want to run in a 10K race. Simply go online and find an upcoming event in your area, and train for it. Your workouts will have more focus and meaning, and you’ll feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment once you’ve achieved your goal.

Take In The Scenery

And speaking of running outdoors, if you have hiking paths in your area, use them. Trail running is a fun and scenic way to exercise and you’ll be hard-pressed to feel bored doing it. It’s also great on your body – I’ve talked to too many people who can no longer run on any surface because they blew out a knee or a hip by running on pavement. Leave pavement to the cars.

Man’s (and Woman’s) Best Friend

As a last resort, you can do what I did and get a puppy. Rain or shine, in sickness or in health, I must run this dog at least twice a day. Otherwise, he’ll repay me with even more chewed up furniture and torn-up seat cushions than usual. My canine has been my best motivator yet.