Exercise is a must as a daily routine in order to keep good health. For those who are obese, or those who want to remain slim, the treadmill is a popular gym machine. It is a good cardiac form of exercise and is highly recommended by physicians.
The only issue that one has to cope up while using a treadmill is the boredom. In fact, boredom can slow you down and needs to be tackled in a smart manner. It is easy for physicians to recommend treadmill exercises, but daily one hour or 45 minutes on a treadmill can be very monotonous. One requires a lot of will power to carry out daily exercise be it on the treadmill or otherwise. How can this monotony on the treadmill be resolved? How to spend an hour or 45 minutes at a stretch on treadmill, when it is difficult to lose weight?
Here are few interesting and worthwhile tips to overcome treadmill boredom. Try them out and see for yourself. Not only will you lose pounds, but also relax mentally and whistle like a bird while carrying out the exercise. Sounds great doesn’t it?
Popular 7 ways to beat boredom on treadmill
- In between exercises: One need not spend hours on the treadmill itself. One can go step off the treadmill and do some push-ups, about 8 to 12 of them, bicep curls or lunges or even squats. These exercises also strengthen your body muscles and also help in losing weight. Apart from that they break the monotony of continuously being on the treadmill. Different types of exercises can be done after stepping down the treadmill, so that one can tone up the entire body as well. One can do arm exercises, neck exercises, waist exercises and also stretch one’s knee joints and calves. You will feel exercised all around!
- Music motivation: One can plug on to one’s favorite songs to get rid of the boredom. Also, one can increase and decrease one’s speed and inclination depending upon the song tune. Pick a word in the song and whenever that word comes do a faster run on the treadmill, thus making your activity on the treadmill more livelier and interesting. Those spiritually oriented can listen to spiritual music. A mixture of hi-tempo as well as low-tempo songs are very good to listen. Music on the ipod can be very lively. In fact, digital attractions can be good alternative to boredom.
- Pyramids: These exercises are to break the monotony on the treadmill as the speed variations are there as well as various inclinations. For instance, one starts at a speed of say 5.00mph and the slowly increasing it by .5 every single minute. Once, one reaches one’s top speed, then, one can proceed then on in the reverse pattern.
- Audiobooks: One can download some audiobooks onto one’s iPod and while away precious time on the treadmill in a worthwhile and interesting way. Boredom is at bay. Many treadmill addicts enjoy comedy audiobooks and also listen to podcast.
- Browsing magazines and books: If the intensity of the workout is low level, then one can browse through a magazine or book. One can read a comic or joke book and have plenty of fun while on the treadmill.
- Watching television: One can keep the television in front and watch favorite programs and relax while working out on the treadmill. One can watch music programs as exercise is more entertaining when one is listening to music. You can even step down from the treadmill and dance to the music to feel entertained.
- Picking up weights: One can pick up weights as one would then concentrate on one’s arms and think of having slim arms. The mind gets diverted and the focus is on another part of the body. Thus, for a while one does not get bored on the treadmill.
Treadmill exercise is common among those who are exercise conscious and have one at home. A daily hourly exercise is fruitful, but it can also be boring and naturally these above mentioned options can help elevate the boredom. These have been proven to be effective in making treadmill workouts more viable.
Women, men, teenagers and even children love to spend time on the treadmill and that too if they feel entertained as well!