Easy Tips to Spruce Up Your Treadmill Workouts

Let’s face it; walking on a treadmill can get rather boring after a while. But, the good news is there are many things you can do to make your treadmill workouts fun and interesting again. Here are just a few:

Movies, Music, TV and CDs. Are you a movie or TV buff? If so, treadmill workouts are an ideal time to feed the craving. Music lovers often find that walking to their favorite music makes workouts more enjoyable and productive. If you don’t have time to read, listening to audio books or motivational CDs during your treadmill workouts is a great way to get lost in thought while you are walking.

Pyramid Walking. Increase your walking pace by .1 mph every minute for 15 minutes. Then, slow your walking pace by .1 mph every minute for 15 minutes. This is an awesome mental and physical challenge.

Dancing Exercises. Many dancers find that walking backwards during their treadmill workouts not only makes them more fun, but it builds their strength and balance. Don’t attempt this unless you are confident in your coordination!

Numbers. To keep your mind busy during a workout, count your steps for one minute. Take a break the following minute, and then count your steps the next minute. Not only will this help you see when you need to pick up your pace, but over time you can see how your foot speed increases.

Circuit Training. Treadmill workouts can benefit greatly by adding circuit training into the mix. Those of you who are interested in strength training can do lunges, crunches, free weights or some other strength building exercise for one minute after every five minutes of walking.

Stretching. Stretching just feels good! After walking for ten minutes, get off of your machine and do stretch exercises for five minutes. Get back on your machine and repeat this process until your workout time is up.

Climb and Walk. Someone who wants to take it to the next level can put a stepper next to their treadmill and take turns stepping for five minutes and walking for five minutes.

Walk Around the World. If there is a place you have always wanted to vacation or live, why not see how long it would take you to walk there? You can chart your progress on a map. This is a very fun challenge for many people.

Heart Rate Training. Heart rate training involves finding out your maximum heart rate and cycling in and out of different heart rate zones for two or three minute intervals. This type of treadmill workout shouldn’t last more than 20 or 30 minutes and you shouldn’t do it more than three times per week because it is intense.

These are just some ideas to make your treadmill workouts more fun and interesting. The possibilities of what you can do are endless. Try new things and see what works for you. Keeping boredom at bay will keep your fitness goals on track and make your treadmill workouts fly by.