When people think of cardio they often think very unpleasant things. This is usually the thought of dragging themselves to the gym to get on a treadmill and have a boring run which eats up (with the drive included) an hour or more of their time for very little immediate reward. Yes, some people find a treadmill run fun and well worth the effort but I would think that most people are not like that. So what does a person who does not like a treadmill do to get their cardiovascular workout in?
My answer... Experiment, experiment, experiment. Try something new regularly. Gyms often offer a lot of ways to get your cardio in, such as: treadmills, stationary bikes, basketball courts, a swimming pool, row machines, stair climbers, racquetball and tennis courts, and a variety of classes. Also, do not be afraid to look for things going on in your community that involve some sort of exercise.
One thing that I would suggest, is to give each mode of exercise you experiment with a fair chance before writing it off. The reason I say this is because if you start any exercise that is foreign to your body, it may not be the most pleasant thing the first week or so. When you go from someone that has been pretty exclusive with the treadmill to trying to play basketball two times a week, your muscles are probably going to be sore and you will probably find it difficult to perform the sport in general. Therefore, once you get pretty good at it and are not hurting as much after a game, you may have found that it is what you have always been looking for.
A great way to get your cardio in and make sure you are motivated to stick with it, is joining some sort of league and/or team. Not only does it make it fun by including some camaraderie and competition but it includes a sense of accountability (discussed in my previous post). When a team is counting on you, it provides that added push to show up and participate.
Yes, some of the time you spend working your cardiovascular system is not going to be all that fun. However, making your regular cardio workout as fun as possible will make it much easier to stick with. Therefore, you need to get creative, try a variety of things out, and give it some time before giving up on anything.
Thanks for reading!
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