Hey friends!
If you're like many of us out there (maybe it's really most of us, actually) that aren't huge fans of cardio, you might be looking for a way to get it done without having to plod along sadly on the treadmill for 45 minutes straight...
Luckily, I have a suggestion for you that has worked wonders for my cardio-hating self - and hopefully it'll work for you too!
Since I love to lift weights and believe wholeheartedly in the host of health benefits this practice provides, lifting is almost always a component of my workouts... So, in order to sneak in some cardio without really noticing how much I'm doing, I work for 1-2 minutes in between each set of lifts instead of resting. I do whatever I feel like that gets my blood pumping and my heart rate up - high knees, jumping jacks, jump rope, fast step-ups, running, rowing, assault bike, etc.
That way, I'm able to mess with the intensity of my cardio (push when I have extra energy, use it as active recovery when needed) as well as accumulating lots of minutes of movement during my normal workout time when I'd usually be resting...
Efficiency is key, especially if you're low on time - which most of us are!
I also find this approach more manageable mentally. In all honesty, if I try to save my cardio for after I lift then I am so much more likely to find a way to get out of it - sound familiar to anyone? My biggest goal for myself and my clients is to find ways to get everyone to actually do what we know is good for us, which often means tweaking the plan to anticipate and circumvent potential road blocks. In this case, my road block is just mental - I never feel like doing cardio after I already feel tired from a workout, so I've gotta work it into my routine while I'm still fresh!
This technique of breaking up cardio work has been a game-changer for me, since I know I only have to do a little at a time and then I get a break! I feel like I could do those small amounts all day, and I love seeing the time, distance, and calories add up :)
By going back and forth between lifting and cardio, things stay interesting and you don't feel trapped in one exercise for too long... I don't know about you guys, but my attention span is SHORT and I like dynamic workouts that keep me moving around!
I hope this helps some of you to squeeze even more out of your workouts without really noticing - isn't that the dream?!
Have you ever tried this strategy? How do you structure your workouts?
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you'd like! :)
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Thanks for your post made free resteem . I resteem your post @annemariemay
Oh wow, thank you so much!! :D
I stopped doing cardio for couple of months... this motivated me to do some now :)
Oh good! I'm so glad :) I find it really helpful, because I hate to commit to doing things that suck haha... And let's be honest, cardio kinda sucks! :D