I will admit that I don’t particularly enjoy a cardio workout. I prefer standing still movements, like plies or on the floor exercises. The truth is that I’m not a fan of intense (or even moderate) movement.
But I force myself to do it (although, not as much as I should). The reason is because cardio has so many benefits.
First of all, it helps with weight loss. It gives you more energy and can reduce stress levels. But it also has tremendous health benefits, such as reducing your risk of chronic diseases.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you incorporate 30 minutes of moderately intensive exercise into your fitness regime, for at least five days a week. Now there is no way you are going to catch me doing 30 straight minutes of cardio…there just isn’t.
So what you might try, which is something I sometimes do, is break it up. Do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 in the afternoon and 10 in the evening. But you don’t have to spread it out that far in between.
At one point I had this crazy system of exercising for 10 minutes, answering email for 10 minutes, exercising for another 10, looking at Facebook for 10 and well, you get the idea. Those little “breaks” kept me motivated.
You can also break up the routine by doing a variety of exercises. You don’t have to do jumping jacks for 30 minutes straight. There are a variety of aerobic exercises that can make sticking to your routine easier.
Laziness isn’t my only problem. So is boredom. By breaking up the types of activities I do, this helps. But so does a challenge.
It could be that if I am getting really bored with what I am doing, it has become too easy. It may be time to step things up a level.
These are some of the ways I combat cardio obstacles in my way when it comes to exercise. What are some of your strategies?
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Photo by lululemon athletica in Flickr