BANISH BOREDOM ON THE TREADMILL: 13 Ways to Enjoy Your Treadmill Again!

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Banish Boredom on the Treadmill: 13 Ways to Enjoy Your Treadmill Again!

by Lisa Marie Metzler

Is your treadmill collecting more dust and cobwebs than sweat? The problem most of us have with the treadmill is our enthusiasm soon erodes into redundancy unless we’re motivated to keep going. Try these ideas and get moving again!

1.Escape into another world and listen to your favorite author’s new book on cassette tape or CD. You won’t want to step off until you finish the next chapter and the next and the next……..

2.Walk around the world. Or at least a virtual walk with Treadmill Virtual Walks DVD (www.treadmillwalks.com). Created specifically for treadmill users, the walker views gorgeous scenery from the perspective of a real pedestrian walking through the gorgeous cities of Europe.

3.“Walk backwards,” says Jackie Keller Founding Director of NutriFit and author of Body After Baby: Turn The Simple 30-Day Plan to Lose Your Baby Weight. “It uses the opposite leg muscles, and is an effective alternate exercise.” Keller says this requires coordination and proper guidance, so use caution and walk safely.

4. Penny Knauss of Lake Ann, Mich., walks her way through prayer and praise. She prays for the people on her prayer list and counts her blessings while she logs in her cardio time.

5. Como estás? Planning a mission trip or vacation in a foreign country? Pop in a CD and walk your way to a new language.

6.Create a CD just for you. Record slower music for a warm up and add higher tempo songs for the faster pace segment. Finish with a soothing selection for cool down.

7. June Kahn, CPT, Pilates Director at Lakeshore Athletic Club in Boulder Colo., suggests intervals like bicep curls while walking. Slow down the pace to 3 mph and curl for two minutes then increase the pace to 3.5- 4.0 mph with the pumping action of your arms for another three to four minutes. Switch it up and try shoulder raises in place of bicep curls.

8.Walk at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes then step off and do one minute of exercises. Cycle through crunches, lunges, push-ups, bicycles and side squats.

9. Jennifer Gilfilian of Homer, N.Y. was motivated to keep walking by her competitive spirit. She participated in a contest with friends to see what team could reach the chosen destination first by logging in miles on the treadmill.

10. Record your favorite shows and walk through a TV show or entire movie. Instead of fast forwarding through the commercials, pick up your pace and return to normal pace when the show resumes.

11. Collect wandering thoughts like to do lists, grocery lists, goals and etc by recording them into a tape recorder. Play them back after cool down.

12.For the leisurely paced walks, purchase a headset for your telephone and make long chit chat sessions with your gal pals more productive.

13. Before you step off, try this - raise the incline to the limit and “lunge” walk at a speed of 1.0 - 1.5mph for a minute or two. Increase the speed to 2.0 mph and keep the incline. Now walk taller for 3-4 minutes. Lower the incline, have a cool down walk and call it good!

~Lisa Marie Metzler is a health and fitness freelance writer. She’s tested all the tips and can honestly say her treadmill is free of dust and cobwebs.