Boredom can kill your exercise program faster than losing your motivation to get off the couch, health experts warn. These five tips from the President's Council on Physical Fitness will help you knock it out:
• Make your workouts and other exercise less structured. Change your workout to add variety. New workouts will challenge your body and allow you to see and feel the results much better. Bored with the treadmill? Then, hop on the aliptical machine.
• Make your exercise less lonely. Like the song says, one is a lonely number, and that is certainly true when you're exercising by yourself outdoors or in the gym. Find an exercise buddy or two, or even a small group of people who are on your same physical level and who you enjoy being around.
If they are counting on you being at the gym at a certain time, chances are you're more likely to get off the couch or out of bed and go.
• Look for rewards from exercising. Note the "little changes," such as your clothes fitting better, your spirits soaring more, that overall good feeling getting more pronounced.
Why not reward yourself by buying new workout gear or treat yourself to a massage after you're done exercising?
• View exercise an investment in yourself, or a gift to yourself. You'll have more energy to spend fun times with your family and friends. You'll feel like doing more fun things.
• Set an exercise goal. What do you want to accomplish by exercising? Do you want to run your first 5K road race? Do you want to attend at least three group exercises a week? Do you want to lose three inches around your waist?
Once you defined your goal, you can keep your eyes on the prize, regardless of whether boredom shows up.
Do you sometimes get bored exercising, whether you're walking on the treadmill, jogging through the park or biking in the bright sunshine? If so, watch out.
