Cardio blues? Ideas to break through!

Everyone has been there at SOME point or another.  If you’re not currently bored with your cardio workouts, and have been seeing the results you want, keep it up!!!  That’s not an easy task for most people.  If, on the other hand, you’ve been dreading the gym at the mere thought of stepping on the ______ (you fill in the blank) one more time, you need a serious cardio-makeover for the sake of your body AND your brain!  Whether you’re bored or not, read on… you might end up trying something new!  

 

• Machine Swap  Try a new piece of equipment.  If you’re sick of the elliptical, jump on the treadmill, stepmill or bike.  People are often scared of the treadmill because of the high impact activity that can be performed there; if you prefer low impact activity, UP that incline and force yourself to walk a tough climb! 
  
  Try a new brand of equipment.  Believe it or not, the Life Fitness ellipticals or bikes actually feel different and have different settings than the Precor ones, for example.
  

•  Vary Your Intensity Increase your intensity and shorten your workout time… try a HIIT workout, for example!  HIIT stand for High Intensity Interval Training.  It is, in one word, EFFICIENT.  It’s also extremely physically demanding and isn’t for everyone.  The key element of HIIT training is that you must push to your actual MAXIMUM effort, not just a higher heart rate, to achieve full fat loss potential (not muscle loss) and calorie burn.  Check out this quick article for more info on HIIT workouts: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=621
  
  Decrease your intensity and workout a little longer.  If you’re feeling burnt out by the hardcore training you’ve been putting in, it may benefit you to take a different approach and workout at a lower intensity for a longer period of time.  Variety is the spice of life, my friend. 
  

•   Make it Social
  Whatever your feelings are about group fitness classes, get over them and give one a shot!  If you’re bored, it could be the perfect solution.  Most commercial gyms offer classes at no extra cost and include formats such as cycle/spin, pilates, yoga, kickboxing, boot camp, muscle conditioning, etc.  If you’re not a member of a gym that offers them for free, check out some places close to where you live.  Or jump on Groupon.com or LivingSocial.com to receive special deals – there are always tons of classes on special!  Not only can they be a boatload of fun, they allow you to not “think” yourself through your workout.  Someone else is at the front telling you what to do, and when you’re not feeling like planning it out yourself, and/or bored with your current routine, what could be better?! 
  
  If you’re already a group fitness junkie, venture out into the gym and test out your workout skills and abilities on your own!  Take a tip or two from the other pointers here… and you should be set with a great workout (and NOT be bored… wow!!). 
  

• Get Fresh Music
  This can freshen up a cardio routine almost instantly when you’re jammin’ to some tunes that haven’t been played to death on your iPod already!  Buy some new music online, a new CD, or try something different by hitting up a discount store like Half Priced Books and choosing from their music selection! 
  
  Or… try doing your workout without tunes.  You may think it sounds crazy, but you might be surprised.  Music can be distracting (which I realize is often the benefit when you’re on the treadmill for an hour), but putting away the music and focusing on your body, its strength, and how you feel can be truly strengthening… leading to a really kickass workout. 
  

• Change Your Mindset
  As we move closer to spring, this is a great time to look ahead and set some new fitness goals.  Maybe you want to race a 5K or complete your first half or full marathon, participate in a trail run/obstacle event, start rollerblading or biking outside, be able to keep up with your kids on the playground… Whatever goal you set for yourself, achieve it!  Mentally having a goal to strive for will help you beat boredom… because you’re not doing your “usual routine” anymore; now, you have a goal you’ve gotta reach.  Oh, and don’t forget to tell people so they hold you accountable for what you set out to do!!! 
  
  
  
  
  

Try one, or all, of these ideas… and I guarantee your workout will be, at the very least, less boring!

Make it a happy Wednesday!