3 Tips to Break Cardio Boredom :

It's easy to lose your motivation when you are bored with the same cardio routine. You might think that getting on a treadmill, an elliptical or stationary bicycle for 30-45 minutes is a drag. But getting your heart rate up 60-80 percent depending on your personal goal is a very important part of burning fat , being fit and feeling energetic.

A simple way to determine your target heart rate is to subtract your age from 220 which gives you your maximum heart rate, take this number and multiply it by .6 and you have your lower exercise range, then multiply it by .8 and you have your higher exercise range. Now that you have your target heart rate to maximize your results, here are a few tips to spice up and rev up your cardio routine by doing cardio circuit training. The First Tip: Change machines every 15 minutes.
If you walk into the gym and always chose the same cardio machine and keep the same intensity the entire time, then you have created the perfect plan to plateau at your current fitness level. We are creatures of habit and adapt very quickly. Therefore, you have to challenge yourself in order to create change and see progress.

So the next time you walk into the gym, instead of getting on the same machine and doing your usual, start with something different. Warm up for 2-5 minutes to increase body temperature, loosening up your joints to prevent injuries or soreness and then bring your heart rate up to 60-80 percent for the entire 15 minutes of exercise. Then move on to a different machine. It's a good idea to monitor your heart rate to make sure you are at the correct level.

The Second tip: Challenge yourself
It’s only 30-45 minutes of your day that you are going to do cardio, is it that long? Not really, so make it count by challenging yourself. Circuit or interval cardio training is a challenge that involves doing a period of moderate to high intensity aerobic activity alternating with a short period of low intensity work.

You can vary the intervals and intensities to your liking. For example: 5 minutes of moderate work, 2 minutes easy, and 3 minutes hard, or perhaps 5 minutes hard, 5 minutes easy. It all depends on your fitness level. Focus on the routine and be consistent. Combining low, medium and high intensity spurts of training will maximize your calorie burn and will increase your stamina in no time. It's generally recommended that you progressively increase your intensity 5-10 percent every month.

Continue reading »