Tips to Keep You from Getting Bored
Walking, jogging, or running on a treadmill is an important part of many people’s exercise routines, but it can certainly be one of the most boring types of workouts as well because the movement can become quite monotonous and you really aren’t going anywhere despite how much you are moving, as opposed to when you are jogging in the great outdoors and you can watch the scenery change.
Thankfully, though, there are some clever tricks that you can implement into your exercise routine if you find that you dread getting on the treadmill because you find it too dull and uninspiring. Continue reading for some tips that will help you keep yourself occupied every single time you hit the treadmill, whether you are on it for 10 minutes or a half hour at a time. You may actually begin looking forward to your treadmill workout after you have tested some of these ideas out for yourself.
Bring a Friend and Have a Race
One way to make your treadmill routine a lot more interesting is to race someone who is working out on the treadmill next to you. If you can bring a friend along with you to the gym every time that you go, he or she will help to keep you motivated the entire time that you are there because you will both be working towards the same goals and, therefore, helping each other stay in the game so that you can both be successful and feel the great sense of accomplishment. But if your friend gets on the treadmill next to yours, you should take this motivation a step further by racing one another. See who can reach a full mile first, or test each other’s endurance to see who can last longer. The competition can continue the next time you hit the gym, and you can change the rules and goals as you go to keep things fresh.
Watch One of Your Favorite Television Shows
If, on the other hand, you prefer to work out at home on your own treadmill, try to put it in a room that has a television in it as well. Schedule your workouts during one of your favorite TV shows. Since they typically range from 30 to 60 minutes in length, this is the perfect opportunity to get in your daily workout without really even thinking about it. And because you will be focused on what is going on in your show, you will not even realize how quickly the time passes. Just try to push yourself harder during the commercial breaks to include some much-needed interval training to boost your endurance and build stronger muscles.
Utilize Intervals Every Time
Some people start off their treadmill workout with a simple warm-up for a couple of minutes, followed by a straight jog for the majority of the workout, and then finally a cool down for another couple of minutes. This, as you can imagine, can get pretty boring after the first few days. Rather than stick with the same old boring routine every single day, implement intervals into your routine. They will help you burn more calories and fat so that you can lose more weight, and you will never get bored. You can even try different routines so that you never follow the same interval plan twice.
Keep Yourself Entertained
If you purchased a high-end treadmill that features a jack into which you can put your iPod, take advantage of the ability to keep yourself entertained while you run. Whether you choose to listen to your favorite music, a comedy hour, or your favorite talk radio show, the key is keeping your mind off of the running and on whatever is entertaining you at the time. This will make the time fly and you will be a lot less inclined to constantly check the console to see how far you have gone or how much longer you need to be on the treadmill.
Utilize Preset Workout Programs
A lot of today’s best treadmills offer preset workout programs that you can take advantage of in order to switch things up. These allow you to take your boring workout to a whole new level. You will be able to challenge yourself with a new routine, and you can work on mastering it before moving on to a new one.
Working out on a treadmill can be boring because it is easy to get into a rut of doing the same routine every single day. But if you are able to entertain yourself, such as by watching your favorite television show, or if you find creative ways to further challenge yourself, such as by racing someone on the treadmill next to you, you can get through every workout a lot more easily and the time will fly by.
