We all have those days when exercising outside just seems unappealing. Whether it is because of cold weather or the random torrential downpours of Williamsburg, we (myself included) often resort to hopping on an elliptical at the Rec. This routine can quickly get extremely boring if you’re not careful, making it harder and harder to finish your workout. Here are some tips to stay on that elliptical till the bitter end and actually enjoy the process along the way. Trust me…you’ll thank me later.
1. If possible, try planning your trip to the gym around your favorite TV show or movie. You’ll be distracted watching and won’t notice as the minutes fly by.
2. Break your workout down into segments. Rather than putting in an hour on the machine, break it up to three 20-minute stages. Reaching the end of a 20-minute goal doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as staying on for an hour.
3. Pick up your favorite novel or magazine to catch up on some pleasure reading.
4. Interval training is easy to accomplish on an elliptical. Not only are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts more effective in burning calories and building muscle, but you are also constantly changing your resistance and speed so it’s impossible to get bored. Try going at a lower resistance with higher speed for 1 minute then switch to higher resistance and lower speed for the next. Repeat this interval but switch directions on the next go round.
5. Call up your bestie to come workout with you. Get side by side on the machines and catch up on some gossip or funny stories from the past week while your crack a sweat.
6. A good workout playlist can make all the difference in the world. Make multiple playlists of upbeat, inspiring songs and listen to a different one on shuffle each time your workout. You could even move to the music by picking up the pace during the chorus of every song.
7. If you don’t want to stay on the elliptical for your entire workout, try breaking up your routine by incorporating a weight circuit or ab workout after every 10 minutes of elliptical. Another option would be to switch cardio machines every 10 or 15 minutes. 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 on the elliptical, 10 on the bike, and 10 on the arc trainer and you have your self a killer cardio burst.
8. Finally if you ABSOLUTELY hate elliptical, don’t force yourself. If you do you’ll only associate working out with torture. Take another route to get your cardio in like a taking a spin class.