Tired of doing the same cardio routine? If cardio conjures the same image of you either running on a treadmill, or spinning away on a bike/elliptical it might get tough to stick with it. And if your like most people, your not very fond of the gerbil on a wheel feeling the gym sometimes has on your cardio days.
Here are a couple reasons we need cardio in our daily lives. Cardio is one way to help you either lose weight or maintain your weight by burning calories. It also aids in increasing your lung capacity as well as making your heart stronger. It even reduces the risk of you having a heart attack, having hypertension, diabetes, or even high cholesterol. It has even been known to make you feel good, sleep better, reduce stress, and improve your sexual drive.
I think we can agree that cardio is by far a good thing, now the only thing we need to do is to make it something you would enjoy doing. If your tired of the same old routine, your body probably is too. This article will introduce some fun new things that will help add some cardio, and all of its many health benefits, to your life.
There are so many activities that people might not see as a workout but in fact offer a good cardiovascular exercise. One such activity is dancing. Nowadays many health clubs offer cardio dance classes that are usually either free or for a small per class fee. If you want to make a night of it instead of your normal bar scene there are bars that have salsa dances for beginners. There is something for everyone and many times beginner classes are free.
If you have two left feet and dancing is not for you, why not try swimming. This helps especially if you have sore knees or if your joints hurt. If you don’t know how to swim or don’t want to just swim laps, try doing aquaerobics (the water version of aerobics). Of course if you just want to have fun, there are always games like marco polo that will have you moving around.
If you enjoy running or cycling but are tired of the gym, get outside! Whether its a local 5K or your first triathlon there are ways of bringing out that competitive spirit that will bring out your love of the sport, and add to that a support group to help keep you motivated. Finding a good trail near you might be an easy search of local forest preserves or lakes/rivers/oceans. You might be surprised how far you go when your running or biking outdoors.
Another option you might not have considered is practicing martial arts. There is a plethora of different kinds of martial arts that one can practice. Ranging from the popular Karate and Taekwondo to some less popularized styles like Capoeira (which is a Brazilian dance fighting technique) there is bound to be something that suits you. If your hesitant because you do not wish to fight, there are many places that will help you learn self defense techniques. Here are a couple tips to finding a good martial arts school. Some questions you might ask are; What is the teacher to student ratio? Does the school spar as much or as little as I want? and What is the average age of the students that would be in your potential class? Also, take advantage of a free class if there is one available, it will give you a good idea if it is a good fit.
Lastly, don’t forget the main reason we went out as kids, sports. When we were little going outside was a pleasure, at times a privilege, but never a chore. Find whatever old sports equipment you have collecting dust and use them at your local park or backyard. When in doubt ask your children what sports they would like to play. If you don’t have children you can either borrow a relatives or neighbors or volunteer to be a big brother/ big sister and make a child’s day that much brighter. Remember we are the role models, and there is no better time than now to make a positive impact.
These were just a few examples of how to get more cardio in your life. I hope that at least one of these might have given you some ideas and/or inspiration the next time you are contemplating not going to the gym for cardio. Its not the easiest thing to stay motivated, but getting creative definitely helps. And once you make it fun, you will undoubtedly do more with pleasure.
Jerry Goode
