Five Steps To Make Cardio Enjoyable
- No more boring workouts
- Basic changes for better health
CARDIO FITNESS
We all know that cardiovascular fitness is vital to overall health, yet why is it so often ignored? Basically, cardiovascular fitness involves doing the same repetitive movement over and over and over again. Whilst fitness is not always the most exciting of things, even at the best of times, this makes it even more off-putting.
Many people will talk themselves out of cardiovascular fitness before they even begin. Excuses are coming because of the fact it is deemed to be boring. Well here are 5 hints to make it exciting, rewarding and easy to stick to your plan:
Structure
Without any distinct structure, your fitness plan just becomes a random set of connected exercises. not only will it become impossible to monitor progress but it will become distinctly uninteresting.
Creating a structure does not need to be rocket science. In short warm-up, a timed phase of intense exercise (with some moderate intervals included) and then it cool down. That is a simple as it gets.
Structure will allow you to monitor your progress and give you extra motivation by being able to extract tangible results from your training.
2) Long Boring Duration
When I was marathon training, the least enjoyable workouts were always the long slow duration (LSD) sessions. these sessions were designed to increase distance by conserving energy by plodding along at the same pace.
This monotonous, boring workout was definitely not the most enjoyable. When you're starting fitness, yes there is a market for this kind of workout as it will allow you to gradually progress at your own pace.
However, too much of these kind of sessions will leave you feeling bored and soon becoming dissatisfied with your training. So use these in moderation.
3) Intervals
if you're looking at a quick fix to make your workouts more enjoyable. Then look no further than interval training. The session will pass in the blink of an eye, regardless of even doing the most monotonous movements.
It will break down a longer session into smaller, more manageable chunks.
The aim here is to spike the intensity through short, maximal effort bursts then allowing time for recovery.
The charm about intervals is that they can vary so widely common depending on goals and ability. You could have a 10 second sprint with a 10-second recovery, 20 second sprint with 10-second recovery, 30 second sprint with 15-second recovery, 45 second sprint with 15-second recovery or 60 second sprint and 30-second recovery. The recovery interval will determine how difficult the training becomes. it becomes about experimentation and using the knowledge of fitness professionals to design a training plan that is specific to your needs.
4) Change
Cardiovascular fitness does not need to be two-dimensional. It doesn't need to merely consist of running, cycling or swimming. There are many other variations, including but not limited to: rowing, boxing, circuit training, cross training and so on.
In a nutshell, whatever endurance-based activity can get your heart rate to peak can be utilised as a fitness plan.
Mixing up your sessions will make it more interesting than merely performing the same routine over and over again. On the other hand, if you are training for a specific event it will mean more time devoted to this particular activity but change will still help your lung capacity and cardiovascular endurance.
Ultimately, change is good and will keep the body guessing and developing.
5) Audio Dynamite
During a long training run for a marathon, there is nothing that will keep you going quite like having music to accompany you. As great as getting fresh air and and healthier is, there are times when you need an extra push.
I discovered many new artists and bands through listening to hundreds of hours of music when out running. Of course, this is a personal preference and some people prefer the silence and serenity of being alone.
In today's society, there is an infinite amount of podcasts, music and audio content to take your mind off the gritty edge of cardio training. I firmly believe that sometimes "mind over matter" is the best idea although with the hectic nature of modern life, sometimes being able to switch off is a blessing too!
Weekly reviews of your nutritional progress and monitoring where it didn't go to plan will negate any poor tendencies.
If you are able to address any issues then you can ensure you will healthier over the longer term.
Try the RYPT nutritional and workout app today with a free trial.
Ask me for more information.
Ross
Owner
