I know how daunting ‘cardio day’ can be for many of us, especially when a treadmill or elliptical is in our future, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. There are so many different ways you can use these machines, in fact, you don’t even have to use one to get a cardiovascular workout in.
Here are a few options to keep things interesting:
Circuit Training- Circuit training involves doing exercises (strength, cardio or both) back to back with little recovery in between. This allows you to get a cardio effect even if you are only doing strength exercises.
Here is an example of a circuit workout:
Trail running- One of my favorite ways to get in steady- state cardio. With the beautiful scenery around you, you will find it much easier to get through a 30- minute run, and might even end up running longer than you planned!
Group classes- There are so many to choose from- cycling, Body Pump, cardio kickboxing Zumba. Try them all out and find which one fits you best.
Interval training- Workouts in which you alternate from a period of high- intensity work to low- intensity work (or rest). This promotes excitement in your workout, and can get your out of a slump. Plus, you burn more calories in less time!
Here is an example from Julie over at PB Fingers:
Cross training on cardio machines- This is a fun way to keep things interesting. Basically you move from cardio machine to cardio machine of your choice.
Example: spend 10 minutes on the treadmill, then move to the elliptical. Choose two or more, do steady- state or intervals. There are many options to choose from!
I hope this has given you some ideas on ways you can implement cardio into your workout without dreading it days before.
How do you get your cardio in?
