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Losing Weight: Fighting Workout Boredom

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oswego chapter.

So, the semester is ending and all that’s on your mind are the awesome activities you are going to do this summer, which is when your workout regime may begin to wane.

I’m still pushing myself, but lately, my mind is wandering. Sadly, this usually means I’m constantly checking how much time I have left to do my workout. Usually, the minutes slowly tick by and I just don’t put my whole effort into the workout.

Most of the time I am pumped to work out, but some days it can just feel like a chore. Because I know I am not the only one who feels this way (whether you are doing a long workout or a short one), here are a few things you can do to make the time feel like it’s flying by:

Bring your iPod. It really is an essential tool to help pass the time. Sometimes the TVs on the cardio machines don’t work, and depending on how you like to listen to your music (shuffle, playlist, or a-z order), it can help you float off into your own head and get you totally pumped (when one of your favorite songs come on) to work even harder.

Don’t think I’m dissing the TV though because that can be another good distraction. I use the TV when my iPod dies or simply when I forget it and don’t have the time to go back to my room and grab it. The only problem is the commercials — they suck me right back into reality…yuck!

Study. Say what? I know, it sounds ridiculous. Personally, I thought it was always absurd when I saw people bring their homework to the gym because quite honestly, gym time is supposed to be time for me, not the school. I also thought that it must be hard to concentrate. After all, how can you read when you’re constantly moving? That, or you might not be working out all that hard if you are able to keep the words in focus.

Nonetheless, my concerns were calmed the other day when I had a speech to prepare for. I didn’t want to forfeit my workout for the presentation, so I decided to bring the speech and study while I worked out. The time flew! Just reading my speech over twice took up almost 30 minutes of my time; it was fantastic to multi-task with two things that would benefit me. No, I didn’t get the best workout ever, but hey, it’s better than nothing!

What do you do to make your workout fly by? 

Samantha Shelton is a senior at SUNY Oswego with a dual major in journalism and creative writing. Hailing from a super small town that doesn't even have a stop light, Samantha enjoys soccer, spinning and trying any flavor of frozen yogurt imaginable! She has been the Managing Editor of her student newspaper, The Oswegonian, and completed the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) summer internship program in 2010 at FITNESS magazine. Samantha recently launched Ed2010 at Oswego State, a national networking organization that helps students break into the magazine industry. These days, (when she’s not running from class to class) you can find Samantha at the campus fitness centers, where she works as the PR student manager and a personal trainer; working with Colleges Against Cancer to help find a cure; or in a comfy cafe chair reading her latest pile of magazines.