Cardio is easily the part most people hate the most about working out. As a matter of fact, it is one of the main reasons why people quit or don’t even bother with it. It’s perfectly understandable when in most people’s minds, the only way to do cardio is to spend hours on a treadmill or using an elliptical, staring into empty space.
But cardio doesn’t have to be a soul-sucking experience and there are fun ways that you can include it into your routine, so you can stay motivated. Here are a few of them.
5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Do Cardio Workout
Get Yourself a Bike
If you’re struggling with doing cardio at the gym, we would suggest that you invest in a bicycle. One of the reasons why gym cardio is so tough is not only the effort but the fact that it’s so monotonous. But why would you spend hours on a cycle in a gym when you could be enjoying yourself outdoors?
You could use your bike just like you would a stationary bike or elliptical, or you could simply get in the habit of using it as your main or second mode of transportation. This way, you won’t even have to worry about getting your hours of cardio as you’ll be too busy getting from point A to point B.
You may not even have to monitor how much cardio you’re doing if you use the bike every day. We would also suggest that you go out for a ride whenever you get the urge. You don’t have to think about the time you spend or the intensity, though it could always help stay on your objectives. But, as long as you’re doing something, it’s all that matters.
Related: HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST GYM EQUIPMENT
Play a Competitive Sport
The most fun way to get your cardio in is to play a sport, and preferably, a competitive one. You want to get lost in the spirit of competition. What’s great about competitive sports is that you can end up spending hours playing without even realizing it. So, you could play 2 to 3 times a week and get all the cardio you need.
We would also suggest that you get serious about it and practice when not playing. If you like baseball, for instance, you could get yourself a pitching machine and get your blood pumping even on days when you’re not playing. If you’re into basketball, you could get yourself a net and a shooting machine. Anything you can to stay active.
If you’re older, then you should consider low-impact sports like badminton or bocce ball, for instance. Again, the goal is to keep moving, so these will be more than enough to get some cardio time if you’re a senior and allow you to keep a social circle as well.
Start Walking
Walking is also one of the best ways to get your cardio, and it can be fun as well. One of the things we would suggest you do is get yourself a public transit pass. This will allow you to start exploring the city on foot and have a plan B in case you’re too tired to get back home. We would suggest that you go on an expedition every day and mark specific spots on your map.
These could be landmarks, or random areas like a subway station, for instance. Make sure that you calculate the distance and choose destinations that are roughly at the same distance from your house for a week. Then you can start lengthening your trips week after week. You might end up surprising yourself by how far you can get on foot and how enjoyable it is. More importantly, you’ll be shocked at how much weight you’ll have lost simply by adding this routine into your lifestyle.
Learn How to Fight
However, if you want to know one of the most useful ways to get cardio, you may wish to consider learning a martial art. Martial arts are one of the most physically demanding activities that you can do and you’ll learn a valuable skill that might end up saving your life one day.
The simplest one to start would be boxing as there are many gyms out there and it’s one of the most beginner-friendly fighting sports you can try. There are some boxing and fighting-inspired aerobic programs that you try as well. You won’t even realize how much energy you’ll be spending as you’ll have too much of a blast. This is also a great practice if you need something to let off some steam from time to time.
There are tons of ways that you can motivate yourself to get more cardio. All you have to do is find an interesting way to get your cardio time and diversify as much as possible.
Related: TOP 7 TIPS THAT WILL MOTIVATE YOU FOR WORKOUT
