You may love to walk, run, or ride your bike. However, for one reason or another, you’re starting to feel bored by doing the same workout every time. When you don’t look forward to your workouts, it’s hard to stay motivated, even if you like the activity. Unfortunately, boredom and lack of motivation are common reasons why people stop exercising.
Whether you exercise indoors or outdoors, here are some tips and tricks to slay boredom, keep your workouts fresh, and help you make progress toward your goals.
Change Your Routine
For those who like to go outside, try a new route. If that isn’t easy or possible, try doing your usual route in reverse. Exploring new routes or seeing your regular route from the other direction will provide new mental stimulation while you exercise.
If you use a treadmill, try a pre-programmed workout that varies the speed and elevation while exercising. In fact, many modern treadmills even have interactive programs that bring different parts of the world to you. You’ll be able to walk, run, or cycle places you may never be able to experience physically.
If you usually exercise in the morning, try exercising in the afternoon or evening. The same holds true if you typically work out later in the day.
Listen To Something
If you’re in a safe area where you don’t have to pay attention to traffic or people, listening to something can help break the boredom. There are a few options depending on your preference.
Listening to your favorite songs can keep your tempo up and energize you from the beat of the music. If you don’t want to listen to music, you can listen to topics that interest you from a podcast or audiobook. If you do most of your workouts inside, another option is to catch up on some movies. In fact, you may even exercise longer because the story from the podcast, audiobook, or movie is so good.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help you stay present, enhance the experience, and improve your mental well-being. Not sure how to exercise mindfully? Here is how to get started.
You can begin with your warm-up while preparing physically and mentally for your workout. Focus on your movement, the sensations of your muscle stretching, and your breath. While you exercise, pay attention to your breathing when you inhale and exhale. Notice any tension in your body and focus on releasing tension in your muscles that feel tight.
Bring your attention to your senses and notice your surroundings, such as colors, sounds, and smells. Try to immerse yourself in the experience of where you are and what you’re doing. Let thoughts pass through your mind instead of getting caught up in them. Lastly, express gratitude that you can do what you’re doing right now and where you’re doing it at this very moment.
Make It Social
Although you may prefer solitude while you exercise, you may find it refreshing to invite a friend or family member to work out with you. It is an opportunity to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. If you’re not in a chatty mood and you have a dog, you could take them along instead.
Another option is to join a local walking, running, or cycling group. Not only will it be a change in scenery, but you’ll also be able to meet new people and be in the company of others who are motivated and excited to exercise.
Working out with others can help keep your workouts fresh, as the conversations can be interesting. Additionally, it can help you stay accountable and consistent, a cornerstone of any successful workout routine.
Gamify Your Workouts
Playing games can be fun and exciting. Why not fight that boredom by making a game out of your workout? Research suggests that competition can help you work harder and stay motivated. For example, you could create a 30-day challenge or set out to beat your time or distance total every week. Challenges may be more fun if you include your friends and family, where everyone can help each other stay active and engaged.
Fitness trackers have many different features that track your workouts. Many apps can combine all that data to show your progress over time. Although tracking your progress can help you achieve your goals, watching your distance or total time per week, month, year, and all time can be motivating.
The Takeaway
No matter how much you like your workouts, it can be difficult to stay motivated and keep boredom at bay. However, you can mix things up by changing your routine, listening to something interesting, exercising with friends, or making a game out of your workouts. Finding ways to keep your workouts fun will help you maintain your quality of life as you age.
FitTrend’s mission is to help you along your self-improvement journey, promote an active lifestyle, and help you achieve your goals. Our journal can help you track your workouts, weight, mood, calories, and more. Also, FitTrend allows you to connect supported gadgets to your account to make it easier for you to update your journal automatically. Create your account today and start using FitTrend for free!
Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
