How to Make Cardio Workouts More Joyful and Fun

With 2008 now before us, many people will begin a new exercise program, or recommit themselves to their old one. I’ve been exercising for nearly 20 years, and have gone through countless ebbs and flows in terms of motivation. What I’ve found is that different things inspire me at different times, and below, I’ve outlined a few tips for keeping cardio workouts fun and fresh:

Pick something you actually like doing as your mainstay. This one seems obvious, but I’m sure some people choose their cardio workouts based on other people’s recommendations, or what a magazine said would make them fittest fastest. However, if you hate bicycling, by all means, don’t make spinning the mainstay of your weekly cardio routine! If you hate all forms of cardio exercise, choose the one you hate the least and stick with that. The less resistant you are to whatever it is you’re going to do, the more likely you are to stay with it.

Listen to music or watch TV during your workout. Personally, I prefer listening to music because the varying tempos really get me moving. However, I also like to watch a TV that’s on mute for visual stimulation. If you’re a reader, while that’s an excellent way to work out your mind, it’s not necessarily a good partner for cardio workouts. Reason being, if you’re going at such a pace that you can read words on a page, you’re probably not working out at a high enough intensity to challenge your heart, lungs and the rest of your body. On that note, studies have shown that people who listen to music while working out maintain higher heart rates and achieve better results than those who listen to the TV.

Break your cardio goal into smaller segments. What I mean by this is that if you’re planning on doing 45 minutes of cardio, but your mind thinks that’s a long time, break those 45 minutes down into three 15-minute segments. It’s easier to get through 15 minutes than 45. When you finish one 15 minute segment, your mind processes that you only have two more segments to go. In many cases, it not only feels easier, but can be fun, too. Here’s how:

My cardio mainstay for the past four years has been the elliptical (it used to be running, but three consecutive injuries forced me to choose something with less impact). I typically do 45 minutes a day on it, and to keep it interesting, I break those 45 minutes down into three 15-minute segments, as mentioned earlier. However, within those 15-minute segments:

• I do the first five minutes at a medium incline and speed.
• The next five minutes are done on a lower incline at a much higher speed to simulate sprinting (which is so much fun!).
• The last five minutes are done at a very high incline at a slower speed (to simulate a hill-climb).

Not only does treating each 15-minute segment in this way excite my mind, it stimulates different muscles sets and works my entire lower half – butt and all. (NOTE: I’m not a fan of going “backward” on the elliptical, as some people are. My whole workout is done in forward motion. For those who like the backward option, you could easily throw it in as one of the varied segments.)

Use the music you’re listening to as a pace-setter. On days when even15-minute segments feel like too much, I do something totally different and use my music to set my pace. I have a combination of fast and slow songs on my workout mix, and as each song comes up, I adjust my pace (incline & speed) accordingly. For instance, when The Clash’s “London Calling” comes on, I set myself up on a medium incline and medium pace (again, this is using the elliptical, but it works for treadmills and stair climbers, too). If Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” comes next, I lower the incline to zero, decrease the resistance and let my legs fly. If Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” comes on after that, I increase both the incline and resistance and head into a three-minute climb. Before I know it, my 45 minutes are up and I’ve actually had fun doing it!

Throw other cardio options in as substitutes to your mainstay. Every other day, as opposed to just doing the elliptical, I’ll do the last fifteen of my workout on the bike or treadmill to round things out. I like varying what I do for my mind’s sake as much as my body’s. The bike really grinds into some of my leg & glute muscles better than the elliptical can and some days, it feels good just to sit. Other days, I want to run on the treadmill to free myself from the constraints of the elliptical pedals.

On days when I simply cannot fathom doing any one piece of cardio equipment for more than 15 minutes, I pull a “round robin” and choose three or four machines to complete my 45- or 60-minute workout. I make sure to jump right from one to the other and go all out, so I don’t compromise my heart rate. When everything’s said and done, time has flown by, and I realize I enjoyed freshening things up like that.

If you’re really ballsy, DANCE while you’re working out. I’ll never forget the kid I saw working out four weeks ago. He was a teenager, and was running on the treadmill. Well, he wasn’t running so much as he was dancing. He had this whole hip-hop/techno jive thing going on that was as much fun to watch as I imagine it was for him to do. I couldn’t believe it. He was moving around from one side of the belt to the other, and started skipping at one point! Now, I’m no dancer (thanks to my family genes!), but there are times when whatever’s on my iPod has me so jazzed that I started shaking my groove thing to the rhythm. Better yet, when I was in Seattle at my cousin’s, her treadmill was tucked safely away from everything else and I was able to throw my hands in the air like I just didn’t care without anyone seeing. It was fantastic!

Good luck to anyone starting an exercise program this year and may your love for it blossom and bring you much joy.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2008!

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