5 Ways To Trick Yourself Into Loving Cardio

Cardio––an activity that many love to hate; however, the physical and mental benefits of incorporating cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine will have you finding the time and the energy to get it done.

In saying that, we go over 5 ways to trick yourself into loving cardio and succeed:

1. Set Goals For Yourself

It’s been said time and time again to set realistic goals for yourself, but do we really stress the importance of it? Perhaps not to its entirety. Fitness experts and enthusiasts will tell you that setting short-term goals that can be turned into a habit or long-term goals that can be broken down into smaller achievable goals can be your building blocks for success. Be it a short-term goal of learning to eat a whole food diet or a long-term goal for a leaner body––having goals for each stage will set you up for a smoother transition to accomplishing those goals and sticking to them.

2. Support Your Goals With Quality Equipment And Features

Having the motivation to achieve your goals is one thing and having the tools to get you there is what sets you apart from the rest. Support from having quality, innovative equipment puts you at an advantage.

For instance, the Commercial X22i Incline Treadmill has the functions and features of a normal treadmill that you can find at your local gym. Except, this specific treadmill takes fitness to the next level with its massive incline range from -6% all the way up to 40%. Not to mention the interactive personal training with iFit®. Intensity, variety, and global destinations have never been so close within your reach on a daily basis until now.

Take Keren from KKandbabyJ for example. Courtesy of NordicTrack, Keren was sent an X22i Incline Treadmill for her use and honest review, and here is what she had to say:

To access Keren’s first iFit workout in Tenerife, Spain with Tommy Rivers Puzey, log into your iFit account, and access the La Laguna Recovery Run workout here.

We look forward to watching her new fitness journey with her X22i, and hope you can help us support her!

3. Schedule Cardio Workouts Ahead Of Time

Time is of the essence, and we can surely find the time to do something else other than doing cardio. However, when you are dedicated to a specific time to get physical, you’re more likely to run out of excuses and get it done. Better yet, schedule a workout for each day of the week. An example could be to schedule a short, HIIT cardio workout for Monday because your Mondays tend to be your busier days with work or family, then schedule in an interval workout on Thursday since Thursdays happen to be a slower day of responsibilities for you.

Thanks to iFit, this is easily available to you! Log into your iFit account at home on your mobile app, schedule your workouts at the weekend for the upcoming week, and hop on your NordicTrack equipment each day. Showing up is half the battle, and having the workout all ready for you makes it that much easier to schedule in.

4. Listen To Your Favorite Music Playlist

Certain music can stir up a bit of energy within us, and what better way to get our bodies moving than to our favorite upbeat music. Make a workout playlist for your workouts––making your next cardio workout more fun and motivating.

As a matter of fact, Jenny Markell at the National Center for Health Research states, “Studies show that faster-paced music tends to help improve athletic performance when a person engages in low-to-moderate level exercise, either by increasing distance travelled, pace, or repetitions completed.

Quoting Ms. Markell, “[F]or example, a 2006 study that looked at the effect of music on the selection of treadmill speed found that while listening to fast-paced music, participants increased their pace and distance travelled without becoming more tired. Other studies drew similar conclusions, suggesting that listening to music with more beats per minute can enhance physical performance during low-to-moderate level exercise.”

5. Track Your Cardiovascular Progress

What tastes better than success? Some may say nothing. But how do you know when you succeed with arriving at your final goal if you can’t track your progress? Tracking your progress is more important than you think:

More likely to succeed with the potential to surpass your original goals
Become more efficient with your time and workouts
Makes you accountable
Allows you to modify your progress within areas that need more attention
Helps you maintain your motivation during your progress
Maintains your focus and direction towards your goals
Motivates you to stay committed

Tracking your calories-burned, miles ran, heart rate range, and everything else can seem extremely demanding and time-consuming. Some just want it to be easy and done automatically, which is why iFit comes with workout tracking, as well as nutrition and sleep tracking via the iFit app. iFit allows you to stay on top of your progress, giving you total power of overall health.

Conclusion

Cardio that was once dreaded is now something for you to look forward to. With setting personal goals for yourself, gifting yourself with quality equipment, and utilizing iFit workouts, music, and tracking, you’ll be well on your way to tricking yourself into loving cardio and making it a way of life.