My clients are always asking me how they can lose the weight. The obvious answer is, be consistent with your cardio. They hate that answer. “But it’s boring! What machines should I use and for how long? Do I have to?” Yes, yes, and unfortunately, yes! So, it got me to thinking, if we all know what’s really good for us, why is it soooo hard to “just do it”? Because Cardio SUCKS!!!
That’s right! Cardio is BORING! There is no getting around that fact. So we have TVs to watch, music to listen to, friends to chat with on the machine next to us. But those distractions don’t always get us into the gym. My trick is to play the variety card. There are so many kinds of cardio equipment: treadmills, recumbent bikes, upright bikes, stairmasters (and yes, those still do the trick), stepmills, all varieties of ellipticals. Shall I go on? There is no piece of cardio equipment that is better than another. They all work if you use them the right way. That means concentrating on your form: alignment, posture, abs, etc. Yes, correct form on cardio equipment is just as important as correct form when lifting weights, holding a Yoga pose or swinging a golf club. Paying attention to form will actually give you a better workout and will get your heart rate up. With the repetitive aspect of cardio, solid form will also deter the risk of overuse injuries.
Another way to shake it up in the gym is to take advantage of the different programs on each of the machines. Programming a different workout on your machine will keep your body on its toes, so to speak. Doing the exact same workout on the same piece of equipment every day is a sure fire way to bore not only yourself but your body. Your body has an amazing knack of finding the easiest, i.e. laziest way to perform an activity. Once it knows what’s up, it shuts down. Keep it guessing and you’ll keep seeing changes.
So, cardio basically sucks unless you’re one of those weirdoes that honestly enjoy it. My hat goes off to you, but for the rest of us, variety is truly the spice of life. Take advantage of ALL that your gym has to offer and mix it up.
Workout smart and see you at the gym!