6 Things You Have to Try if You Find Exercise Boring

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As a general rule, Americans desperately need to spend more time in the gym. As a nation, the United States is overweight and suffering from all the associated problems that come with obesity. Heart disease, diabetes and high risk of stroke all abound. An entire industry has grown up around promising an easier way to shed those unwanted pounds, but the only healthy way to lose weight and keep it off remains the same as always. That way, of course, is through healthy eating and regular exercise. Americans, unfortunately, tend to focus on one or the other rather than combining them. Many people spend exorbitant amounts of money on craving-crusher shakes, special weight-loss meals and other diet foods while refusing to go to the gym. Others worse out like maniacs and hire special trainers but continue to subsist on a diet of cheeseburgers and hot dogs.

One of the most common excuses people give to avoid exercising is that they find it boring. Even if they know it is good for them, the idea of spending 30 minutes inside a gym bored out of their skull is torture. Those people, however, might not find working out so boring if they tried something other than walking on a treadmill or doing bicep curls. Here are six things you have to try if you find exercise boring.

Kill Your Routine

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If you used to exercise and have come to hate it or have tried repeatedly to form an exercise habit but have never managed to power through your boredom, you might have fallen victim to forming a fitness rut. Some people do their best work with a constant routine. They like to know exactly what it is they will be doing when they get to the gym. They know what machines to use, where to set resistances or seats. They also know exactly how long a workout will take them. Some people really like that consistency. Even the most experienced gym rat, however, can be driven to distraction by an unaltered routine. One of the first things to do if you find exercising boring is to switch up what you do at the gym especially if you used to enjoy it or at least did not find it painfully monotonous. If you like lifting weights but are bored out of your skull on the machines, switch over to free weights for a week or two. If you have come to loathe the treadmill, try a rowing machine. Sometimes small changes are all that you need.

Take a Class

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Another easy way to spice up your workout is to take an exercise class. Fitness classes may create mental images of an overly peppy aerobics instructor in a leotard and legwarmers bouncing to eighties music, and that image may keep some people from wanting to subject themselves to a neon colored nightmare. Fitness classes, however, are not necessarily pulled right out of an eighties workout video. Modern fitness classes run the gamut from light stretching to sweat-dripping cardio to iron pounding weight lifting classes. Some are based on traditional exercises such as biking, weight lifting or body weight exercises such as pushups and crunches. Others are based on martial arts, various forms of dance, swimming and gymnastics. Exercise classes also vary wildly in size and intensity. Some classes are deliberately kept to groups as small as eight while others pack gymnasiums with as many people as will fit. Regardless of the class you choose, a fitness class is a great way to mix up your workout and to add a social element to your routine.

Complete Overhaul

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Small changes, like going from weight machines to dumbbells, might work for some people. Others, however, benefit most from completely overhauling their workout. For them, changing from a treadmill to an elliptical does absolutely nothing to alleviate the crushing boredom they feel at the gym. Instead, they need to do something completely unlike what they normally do at the gym or have tried in the past. Gym rats who focus on cardio and complete newbies who associate exercise with running should try weight lifting. Weight lifters or those who feel running is for weenies should take on some cardio.

When planning a complete overhaul of either an existing fitness habit or how you perceive fitness so you can start exercising, do some research into off-the-wall exercise options as well. Working out today is not simply limited to running and weight lifting. There is also exercise-based pole dancing, yoga done while balancing on a stand up paddleboard in the pool and classes that are done entirely suspended from the ceiling. When it comes to workouts anymore, the sky really is the limit.

Embrace a Distraction

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If you are planning on running on the treadmill for 30 minutes and you have nothing to do but stare at the wall during that time, it is no wonder that you are bored out of your skull. Next time you go to the gym or head out on a run, take your favorite distraction with you. It may seem counterintuitive to purposely bring something that is distracting to the gym given all of today’s lifestyle advice touts staying present and focused on what you are doing as the way to get the most out of life. This, however, does not always work when it comes to exercise. Theoretically, it might be great to be completely focused on each repetition you do with your weights. It could even work in reality for those who are extremely dedicated or whose jobs depend on staying in the best possible shape. For the average person, however, perfect focus on each repetition or each step is a pipedream. After a few minutes, the brain starts contemplating what you are going to have for lunch, how someone missed the bright orange Gatorade spill on the floor, why that jerk just left his sweaty towel laying on the bench and, of course, how much longer do I have to stay here? This is not the best way to get yourself to come back to the gym another day. Instead, make sure you have something else to focus on while you work out. Listen to your favorite music or tune into a podcast while you lift. Turn on an episode of your favorite show or read a book while doing stationary cardio like spinning or running on a treadmill. Having a pleasant distraction will make time pass faster and may even get you to stay longer during each individual workout.

Set a Goal

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A common problem among those who find exercise boring is the sense that their workout is pointless. They might know intellectually that each workout is an investment in their health or appearance, but it can be hard to remain motivated without some sort of goal. This is actually especially problematic for former athletes. Athletes are used to having a goal to work towards when they work out. They are training for their next race, their next meet or their next game. They have friends and rivals alike to compete against and constant measures of their progress. They can look and see how they have improved with each game, race or meet. Once they are no longer training for something specific, it can be very difficult for them to conjure up their previous motivation and focus. The same can be said of those just starting to work out. Results from a workout take a long time to show which can be discouraging. So, pick something to work toward. Aim to be able to do 10 pushups without stopping by the end of the month or train for a 10k at the end of spring. You will be able to see yourself improving and have a reason to keep going to the gym beyond a vague sense that you should be there.

Recruit a Workout Buddy

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Sometimes misery really does love company. So, if you find working out to be a miserably boring experience, see if you can make it less terrible by inviting a friend to share in your ennui at the gym. If you think working out is boring, sharing your pain might actually be what kills your boredom. When you have a friend to work out with, you automatically have a social element in your workout. You have someone to talk to while walking on the treadmill, resting between weight lifting sets and while you stretch. You two can laugh at how neither of you can touch your toes when you stretch, lift the chest press bar or manage to avoid falling over in yoga class. In addition to sharing humor with each other, a friend also acts as your own personal cheerleader. When you feel like giving up, your friend can encourage you to finish that last set or push through that last mile.