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Boring
Ol' Cardio |
by:
The
Icon Diet Reader |
| Cardio
is a very important aspect of any work out.
There are numerous benefits to a good cardio
routine. In the real world, there are many
ways to get a good cardio workout. You can
jog, play sports and get chased by the police.
In the gym cardio usually revolves around
a handful of machines. There are the stair
climbers or steppers, the elliptical trainers,
tread mills, and bicycles. That's about
it. A good cardio routine can last anywhere
from 20 minutes to an hour and is really
intensive. The problem is that when you
are on a cardio machine, you do the same
thing over and over. What I am trying to
say is that for most of us cardio gets boring
after about five minutes. Don't lie, you
know what I am talking about. The best I
have every heard about cardio is 'I don't
mind it.' In other words, I get really bored,
but I will keep doing it cause it works.
Being bored is horrible. Being Bored
is even worse when you know you have another
25 min left and the seconds crawl by like
eons. So what gives. Why does cardio have
to be so boring? I think it's a safety
issue. In the real world if you go running
or play soccer for example, you environment
and all its inputs are constantly changing;
you run by different scenery, you miss
the shot on goal. These changing characteristics
are what make the whole process fun. In
the gym, however, since space is limited,
you have to do your cardio rooted to one
spot. Very little happens to your environment
to elevate the boredom. Imagine though,
if you could have all the excitement of
a soccer game while sitting on a recumbent
health cycle? At first you may think it's
a great and fun idea. No more boring cardio!
Think about it and it becomes a little
terrifying. The sheer amount of stimuli
hitting you from all angles, your mind
would exhaust quickly and you would run
the risk of injury (not to mention getting
overwhelmed). That is why cardio machines
are so boring. They design them to be
boring so you don't hurt yourself. So
when you climb up onto your favorite elliptical
trainer, remember that its boring for
a reason.
What can we do to make cardio more fun?
Being new to the world of the gym I think
I have some neat ideas to make cardio
a more exciting activity. Ok that's a
lie. I don't have any way to make cardio
more exciting, but I do think there are
some techniques to make the cardio experience
pass more quickly, which, when you think
about it, is the next best thing. I really
try to distance my mind from my body.
I try to unplug. I daydream, listen to
loud music and think about my shopping
list. For a whole week I designed a basement
apartment for my house. It was quite the
undertaking. Really focus on not thinking
about time. Cover up the timer, know where
the near by clocks are and avoid looking
at them. Do what ever it takes to detach
your self from the realm of the here and
now. Remove yourself from our world governed
by the second hand. Slip into recesses
of your mind and tune out. While the cardio
won't go away at least you can distract
yourself. Cardio machines make cardio
boring and boring cardio is hard to stick
with. Take comfort in knowing that your
body loves the attention of a good cardio
workout.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Icon Diet offers a step by step weight
loss
information package to help people
lose weight quickly, naturally and effectively.
Visit the site by going to...
http://www.zizzoo.com/guides/loseweight/index.php
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