The Secret to Powering through Long Cardio Sessions
Happy Monday FitFam!
Today I wanted to share some tips and tricks on how to tackle a long cardio session.
We've all been there! Cardio is so good for you, but sometimes it can seem endless, which is why I use these little tips to help make the time go by a little less painfully.
Cardio is a different experience for everyone, some of us can mindlessly zone out or focus on something to get us through a session like it's nothing. But some days, lets face it, cardio can seem to drag on forever.
I'm usually someone who can space out and get through a run (treadmill or outdoors) with no issues. I use it as my own personal time to just get out of my own head.
My struggles usually come in when I'm tackling a long stair-master session, incline walking, or the elliptical. When it comes to these types of cardio, I really have to implement some challenges or other ways of distracting myself. These are a couple of methods that I've found work amazingly well.
#1 Make lists/Draft Emails/Write a Blog Post. This one is my own personal hero for incline walking sessions because, not only is it mentally distracting but it helps you resist the temptation to hold on to the handles, so you get a better workout AND it goes by faster! I always start by getting a good playlist going and then I'll open up the notes on my phone and get started on my grocery lists, writing out meal plans or workouts, or getting to some emails that I may not have been able to finish at the office.
#2 Watch a Fitspo on YouTube: Nothing motivates you to workout harder than watching someone else workout! This is my staple for stair-master sessions that seem to drag on forever because watching other people who work hard and push themselves makes it so much easier to resist turning down the intensity level or glancing up at the timer. My current favorites to watch are Randi Kennedy, Courtney King, Nikki B, Taylor Chamberlain, Jen Heward, and Sarah Bowmar (this chick goes for 45 minutes on level 10 on the stairs! What's more motivating than that?)
#3: Choose one of the Interval Settings: Stair-masters especially have some awesome interval settings that really help to pass the time and keep your mind occupied. I don't know what it is about having to focus on smaller amounts of time that makes the total time seem to go by faster, but it works! You'll find yourself focusing on "okay only 30 more seconds and then I get a little bit of a rest" rather than "holy crap we're only 20 minutes into this thing?!"
I'm not sure if all Stair-master's have the same settings, but the one at my gym has a Fat Burn interval workout that really makes the time go by faster (but it's freaking hard).
#4: Create your own Interval Circuit: I always have a lot of fun doing this one during my runs, elliptical sessions, or even on the stair-master! You can get as creative as you want with these but I'll share some of my staples below!
Today I wanted to share some tips and tricks on how to tackle a long cardio session.
We've all been there! Cardio is so good for you, but sometimes it can seem endless, which is why I use these little tips to help make the time go by a little less painfully.
Cardio is a different experience for everyone, some of us can mindlessly zone out or focus on something to get us through a session like it's nothing. But some days, lets face it, cardio can seem to drag on forever.
I'm usually someone who can space out and get through a run (treadmill or outdoors) with no issues. I use it as my own personal time to just get out of my own head.
My struggles usually come in when I'm tackling a long stair-master session, incline walking, or the elliptical. When it comes to these types of cardio, I really have to implement some challenges or other ways of distracting myself. These are a couple of methods that I've found work amazingly well.
#1 Make lists/Draft Emails/Write a Blog Post. This one is my own personal hero for incline walking sessions because, not only is it mentally distracting but it helps you resist the temptation to hold on to the handles, so you get a better workout AND it goes by faster! I always start by getting a good playlist going and then I'll open up the notes on my phone and get started on my grocery lists, writing out meal plans or workouts, or getting to some emails that I may not have been able to finish at the office.
#2 Watch a Fitspo on YouTube: Nothing motivates you to workout harder than watching someone else workout! This is my staple for stair-master sessions that seem to drag on forever because watching other people who work hard and push themselves makes it so much easier to resist turning down the intensity level or glancing up at the timer. My current favorites to watch are Randi Kennedy, Courtney King, Nikki B, Taylor Chamberlain, Jen Heward, and Sarah Bowmar (this chick goes for 45 minutes on level 10 on the stairs! What's more motivating than that?)
#3: Choose one of the Interval Settings: Stair-masters especially have some awesome interval settings that really help to pass the time and keep your mind occupied. I don't know what it is about having to focus on smaller amounts of time that makes the total time seem to go by faster, but it works! You'll find yourself focusing on "okay only 30 more seconds and then I get a little bit of a rest" rather than "holy crap we're only 20 minutes into this thing?!"
I'm not sure if all Stair-master's have the same settings, but the one at my gym has a Fat Burn interval workout that really makes the time go by faster (but it's freaking hard).
#4: Create your own Interval Circuit: I always have a lot of fun doing this one during my runs, elliptical sessions, or even on the stair-master! You can get as creative as you want with these but I'll share some of my staples below!
- Elliptical:
- 5 Minutes Warm-Up @ Level 5
- 1 Minute Sprint @ Level 12
- 1 Minute Active Rest @ Level 6
- (Repeat 2 & 3 For 10 Minutes)
- 5 Minutes Steady Jog @ Level 9
- 1 Minute Sprint @ Level 15
- 1 Minute Active Rest @ Level 6
- (Repeat 5&6 For 10 Minutes)
- 5 Minutes Steady Jog @ Level 9
- 30 Seconds Sprint @ highest level possible
- 30 seconds Active Rest @ Level 7
- Repeat 8&9 for 5 Minutes
- 10 Minutes Cooldown @ Level 6
- Stair Master
- 5 Minutes Regular Warm-Up
- 1 Minute kick-back's
- 1 Minute facing left
- 1 Minute facing right
- 1 Minute Skipping Stairs
- 1 Minute Regular
- (Repeat 2-6 for 40 Minutes)
- 5 Minutes Regular Cooldown
I hope these tricks help you as much as they help me! I love incorporating new ways to keep my mind busy and entertained during cardio! It's the key to staying consistent and happy in the gym!
Have an awesome day!
xoxo,
Kels!
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