21
July
7 Ways to Make that Dreadful Cardio Session More Tolerable
Just thinking about doing cardio for 30-60 minutes causes people to feel sick to their stomach. So how can you turn that cardio session into something more tolerable, effective and maybe even fun? Use these seven steps to get you started.
- Change from doing cardio on just one machine and incorporate 3-4 different machines. For example, a typical 40-minute session can be turned into 4-10 minute sessions on each machine.
- Take it outside by either riding your bike, jogging, rollerblading and speed walking. It is more challenging and you get to enjoy the temperature and scenery.
- Let go of the handlebars or handrails to make the exercise more efficient, work the muscles more and burn more calories and fat.
- Listen to the right music. Get your iPod and set it to play low tempo music during the warm-up and low intensity parts of your cardio session and some fast temp0 energizing music during the intense parts.
- Use High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This cardio session will keep your body guessing and help burn more fat throughout the day.
- Play sports instead of always running on the treadmill. This will allow you to get your heart pumping, boost your competitive fire and help you interact with others. Some sports like tennis, basketball, soccer, flag football, racquetball, cycling, and rowing are excellent choices.
- Pedal backwards on the stationary bike or elliptical machine to target different muscles. When running outside, run backwards and sideways, take shorter and longer strides. Mix it up so it won’t be boring.
Finally, make the most of your cardio session. Don’t make it easy because your physical fitness will take longer to achieve. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.
Tags: cardio, cardio advice, cardio workouts, how to make cardio more effective, how to make cardio more fun