I don't have the hot for cardio.

But in order to flatten my belly I have to do cardio. I do strength training too though, but a combination with cardio is better and helps fasten the process too... so I decided to do more cardio, starting at low intensity and slowly increase up until it burns in every move I make...

Then 30 seconds seem like FOREVA and all I want to do is GIVE UP!!!! BUT LORD I NEED TO DO CARDIO!!!

I don't want to give up, but I am having a really really hard time doing cardio... How do I motivate myself not to press the pause button? How do I teach myself endurance?

How do you keep yourself interested in cardio workouts? How do you keep running/ rowing/ pedalling when the evil you is telling you to give up (yet the good you knows you can do it abit longer =)?

PLEASE help me Im desperate!!!! I want to do more cardio, but I tend to run back to the machines instead... I know strength training helps burning fat a great deal, but a combination is better and I truly need to practice endurance... HOW DO YOU FIGHT THE EVIL VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD WHICH IS CONSTANTLY TELLING YOU TO GIVE IN???

bah...

Help is much much greatly appreciated!!!

Do you listen to music when your doing cardio? I only survive on the treadmill or elipticle with my ipod and I blast upbeat music that makes me want to MOOOVE!

Also, I didn't just jump on and start running 30 minutes...I had to work up to it....

My favorite type of cardio is aerobic/tae-bo/dance classes, so I don't know if you have tried doing any of those....when you hear the voice telling you to stop, think of how you need to work up to atleast 20 minutes to start shedding...and remember cardio can take many forms, so try to find something that gets your heart rate up and you like to do....good luck!

Yeah when I first started workout out I always had the ipod with me, but then it gave me headaches (strange - I know) so I put it away...

...my options for cardio are all around the machines: rowing, treadmill, stationary bike, or that stepping thing (no clue what it's called) I want to take classes but I don't have the time (schedule conflict and school work and all), so yeah...

I know I need a strong will to get what I want, but gosh the most I can last with high intensity is 4 minutes (bahh such a shame), and to me doing low intensity is just a waste of time, so I tend to run to the weight machines and end up doing no cardio at all =(

Thanx for the reply eh =]

you could try running outside. It's easy to pause the machine but hard to stop when you're still a mile from home.

What has helped me was doing speed intervals/pyramids. For example for about 30 seconds, I will do a jog, then for a minute I will do a sprint. I do this at different speeds and different length of times and it makes the time go by faster. You also have to think about what you want to look like and what your true goals are while you are "struggling" doing cardio.

Good luck! It basically is something that you may struggle with mentally for a little bit, but if you think about all the positive things that will happen and once you get into a routine, it will help.

Also, if you know you can not last 30 minutes on the treadmill right now, then do 10 minutes of 3 different machines (i.e., treadmill, bike, elliptical).

Runnning without music is very hard for me. I keep trying because I want to lose the headphones habit. I also dislike steady-state running. IF you are willing to put back your headphones on,
then check out http://www.cardiocoach.com

I am absolutely nuts about these workouts.

You can also check out www.itrain.com

Here are threads that talk about these:

http://www.traineo.com/12_422_0.html#msg3216
http://www.traineo.com/11_1127_0.html

http://www.traineo.com/11_432_0.html#msg3201

(The prices on the itrains don't hold any more)

ALso I agree with Heather. I started running outdoors because you just do it, you have to get back home right? I now run about 9 miles. I cannot do that on treadmill. I leave my cell phone behind as I am afraid I will call my husband half way and ask him to give me a ride back. Seriously, outdoor running is so much more fun than treadmill. I still need music though and I steady state out of exhaustion, I never start out "steady state"ing. I don't think it is a good thing to do, but this is what works for me.

I also agree with Heather.....running outside definitely beats the treadmill! If you can, enlist a running buddy or even form a running group. You start to feel accountable to the others and you can motivate one another to keep going. If you like challenges, you could set a goal.......running in a 5K, 10K or 1/2 marathon. Make out a schedule of how to achieve that and stick to it. If I am forced to get on a treadmill (because of weather conditions) I will do what Fred suggested with the intervals....that definitely makes the time pass alot faster.

You might try some of the sound tracks from www.cardiocoach.com or from www.itrain.com . I prefer the cardiocoach sound tracks, as they work perfectly with the elliptical. Just when you are about to give up, the voice spurs you on to "make it to the finish." I find these tapes quite motivating, even though some people find them a bit corny.

You can't go at a super high intensity for very long... in anything. You have various heart-rate training zones and each one is doing different things, burning different amounts of sugar or fat in your body, and requiring different time periods to train in. When you go super high intensity you're only able to train there for about 30 seconds to a minute.

If you want to improve your endurance and fat burning, this is not the zone to train in. This zone uses only glycogen (sugar stored in muscles) to feed your muscles, because oxidizing fat takes too long and your muscles need energy fast. You'll improve your ability to sprint when you train here, but this won't burn off much of your fat, and you can't do it too long.

Not to say you should be in what most people say is a "fat burning" zone... since this burns few calories, even though a large percentage is from fat the total isn't high so neither is your burned fat total.

You either want
-a moderate intensity that you can keep up for about 30-45 minutes
-or you want to do your high intensity sprints for only 30 seconds followed by a minute or 2 of much lower intensity recovery intervals for about 20 minutes.

You don't have to do cardio. It speeds up the fatloss process because you're burning a lot of calories during the activity itself, but it isn't necessary for fat loss or weight maintenance, lifting will do that just fine.

If you still want to do it, find something you like rather than struggle with it. Ride a bike or do the sprints I mentioned above. Sprints outdoors can be fun. It's run hard 30 seconds, walk back to your starting position. repeat.

Find something you like and you'll stick to it. Keep thinking like something is a chore and you'll hate it and stop doing it because it'll be easy to dissuade you from it.

The key to cardio really is finding something you like. If you can't, it's near impossible to do it. I don't have television at home, so I always look forward to jumping on the stairstepper or eliptical at the gym in the morning, so I can watch the news (or shameless music videos, depending on my mood). I'm lucky to have a gym with brand new tv screens for each machine. Before they got them, I could barely slug through half an hour of cardio because I got bored. With the tvs, I can easily keep going for an hour or more, as long as I have the time in my day.

I found that when I first started training, I would hit a spot in my cardio about 3-5 minutes in when I would just feel awful, and burnt out, and like tere was no way I could keep going. I desperately wanted to stop. But, after getting as frustrated as you seem to be, I finally just forced myself to push through the feeling, telling myself I only had to keep moving for 10 minutes. But I found that once I pushed through that feeling, I was fine, and found that I got more comfortable and could keep going for a full 30 minutes. Give it a try, the roadblock may be temporary like mine was. Now that my cardiovacular system is stronger, I don't get this sensation anymore.

Have you thought about martial arts (I'm always recomending this to everybody, I must sound like a broken record), circuit training, or hiking? Remember that it doesn't matter what the books or magazines tell you is best for you. If you can't bring yourself to do it for more than a couple minutes, it's not the best strategy for you.

I use the treadmill everyday for 30 minutes and do long runs (about 6 miles right now) once a week. I run the NYC marathon this year 4.42.16. How do I do it? I don't think much about it. I just do this! I wake up at 5am in the mornings and take care of business as if I was taking a shower or eating my breakfast! I just do it! I don't think about it! I just do it!

I either download a tv show and watch it on my video iPod...

or I will watch a movie on my portable dvd player... netflix / blockbsuter.com is great for this.

OH WOW!!!!

Too many good advices I dont even know where to start thanking!!! THANK YOU ALL OMG I LOVE THIS FORUM!!!!!

Yeah I realized this is rather a mental roadblock... This is how my mind usually goes "OK one more minute you can do this I can do this YES YES I can oh NO I cant DAMN IT BURNS OH DAMN IT just one more minute YES YES OH NO!!!" *presses PAUSE* LOL

I should try to enjoy doing it first, starting low and go from there. I was too greedy to see results *__*

THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN I LOVE YOU ALL

I use my Ipod. I blast it loud and nice!! I have a playlist for sprots music. Also, I use my heart rate monitor to help me settle at a good pace so I can keep on running. Also, if you run outside with friends, it makes you unable to stop becuase everyone would have to stop and wait for you. So even if I don't feel like it, I am forced to run with friends. At the end of the run, I always feel great! So it was all worth it.

I also listen to music ( loud, angry action-movie stuff ) and I have little contests with myself ( I try to make it a minute at a speed I haven't managed before or try to hit a particular distance before a swimmer makes it to the other end of the pool - that kind of thing ).

I stay motivated by finding new routes to run. I love to run outside. I just focus on how much I enjoy the sunlight and fresh air and trees and nature around me. I hate to run on a treadmill! It's boring. I do my 30 minutes on the treadmill in the winter but it's yicky. I only do it to stay in shape for when I can run outside again.

When I run outside, I take my garmin forerunner 301 GPS. Then I can download the info when I get home and find out where exactly I was! (SportTracks software is awesome for that, by the way) I frequently run until I get lost. Then turn around and retrace my steps to get home.

Music helps. Running intervals helps. The endorphin rush from a long and fast run is pretty sweet too. Just do it!

If its too cold to run outside then I will head for a treadmill, if there is an indoor track I like that better but if Im stuck on a treadmill I take a towel and put it on the screen and just start running you'd be suprised how fast it goes by when you dont have to stare at it the whole time!! that helps me a lot.

Yeah I do that too, and I notice alot of people do too LOL. But I stopped running, it hurts my ankles =\

Yup I recommend proper running outdoors too. A treadmill is soooooooo dull. All that effort and you go absolutely nowhere. I'm awful at running and can't do very much at one go but I set myself targets like running to the corner a couple of streets away, making it to the next junction before that car in traffic does or if I'm running in the park, making sure that I'm still running and not chickened back to walking when the runner I just passed going in the opposite direction comes by again.

With real running I also like the fact that you have to adjust your run to rubbish patches on the pavement, for crossing roads, for passing out other people. I makes it more interesting. Get off that hamster wheel and on to the streets!

When I do cardio, I cover the panel with my towel (or for the rowing machine, switch it off of time/calories per hour to distance/strokes per minute) and either daydream, or listen to an audio book on my Nano. If I'm on a bike, it has a "magazine stand," so I like to bring some reading homework, since I always have so damn much of it. That way, I'm not thinking about how long 30 minutes is, and I can get some homework done. I'd read and row, but it'd probably make me seasick.

When you go to the gym AND finish your homework, you feel like the most productive person in the world. I just wish there were a way to do my housework and taxes from the gym, during cardio as well. I'd just die!

My goals keep me running.

Which do you want more? Your perfect body (whatever you think that is) or to stop working out?

Part of my goals is good cardio vascular health and endurance, that is why I run.

What keeps me weightlifting? I want to be strong, lean, nice for my fiancee to look at.

Why don't you tell us why you keep running? Because obviously you still try.

After playing team sports all my life, I find it very hard to run...just for the sake of running. I need a ball in front of me and pack of opponents chasing me to really get motivated!

I'm terrible at running outside. When I lived & ran in Boston, I would usually end up walking & window shopping.

Now that I belong to a gym and work out exclusively inside, I always use the treadmills or elliptical machines that have a TV "in" them. I time my workouts to coincide with favorite TV shows and plug in for an hour. If I concentrate on the show, I don't usually give up my workout. (Unfortunately, I love to watch the Food Network!).

Whenever I feel tired and I can sense the fat bouncing up and down on my bum as I run, I want to run more so that sensation goes away! Ick!

I love run to music, because Music is wonderful to fight the boredom and to inspire you.
I’ve created with professional coach mp3 workouts for everything from Beginners’ Training Sessions to Speed Sessions , including VO2max Tests , and compiled music for Runs of an hour or more…
These mp3s could help you reach your goals.
It is totally free and legally (music is under creative commons) and it is here : http://blog.jiwok.com/en

Denis,

I've been looking at the Jiwok website, and it's wonderful with the workout music!
When I get home, I'll download them for my workouts.

Thanks!

You're welcome ! Enjoy to run to music with my mp3 workouts.
I have just finished mp3 cooper test to calculate v02max.
http://blog.jiwok.com/en/index.php/2007/04/10/excl usive-mp3-cooper-test/

hey xuan, i'm not sure if you'll check this again, but there's lots of things that are more fun than running on a treadmill. everyone mentions running outside, but if your ankles hurt from running on a treadmill, they'll hurt all the more on an unlevel course.

josephine mentioned martial arts. you'd be surprised how intense you'll find 30 minutes of that to be. since it's hard to fit classes into your schedule, you might try videos. the key with that is to not take yourself too seriously. if you have a friend or children to do it with, it will be more fun.

i like working out with a jump rope. (broken record, lol). it's challenging and fun. when you're first starting out, you might try jumping without the rope so you're not frustrated with mistakes.

but to get to the core of your question, how to suppress that little voice that tells you to stop, all it takes is doing it once. if you've done it once, you can do it a hundred times. when i've been in workout hibernation, i usually just get up one morning and run 10-15 miles. that nagging voice comes and says, "you know you can do it, who are you trying to impress. no one's looking. just take a break." i probably reach this point only half a mile into my run! and 100 times again throughout (especially near the end, hehe). there are a lot of things i do to get past these points. what works best for me (if i'm not listening to music) is to repeat something over and over that fits my pace and breathing. maybe the chorus of a song or some simple inspiring words.

recently, i've been repeating the chorus of songs by My Chemical Romance. Linkin Park has always been good for workouts. my favorite for running is Marilyn Manson's "This is the new Sh*t." lol, that song keeps you going. for inspiration, i keep reminding myself that the human body is an incredible machine capable of far more than your mind limits it to. i tell myself "i know i can do, so i'll do it."
the voice says, "you know you can do it. you've done it before. why bother?"
then i say, "i don't need a reason. just do it!"

like anastasia said =)

i guess the short of it, if you don't have time to read all that, is to know that you can do it, and to do it for no reason at all. if you start thinking about the logic behind the pain, then you're mind will probably convince you to stop. when you're at the point in your exercise where it burns and the voice is constantly telling you to give up, just repeat to yourself, "do it, do it, do it, do it, do it..." or just grunt with every movement. i think in martial arts it's called chi.

i'm picturing bicyle kicks right now, lol. "grunt grunt grunt grunt grunt grunt..."

sorry for any grammatical errors; this is too long to proofread at work, hehe.

Usually I have the mentality "I've ran this far and if I stop now I'll be angry.. so what's another 5-10 minutes".

Essentially I set a goal before hand.. and I know I'll be angry if I don't reach it so it pushes me to the end.

I think everyone has this problem when they're starting a work out after being stale for quite some time - I find that the best way to keep myself going is to distract myself from that stupid voice. If I have something to read or motivating music it gives me something else to focus on - back when I could still do stuff like running and elliptical stuff (before tearing my knee's cartilage) I would bring a good, light book to read (or a magazine if I had one, but I generally don't buy them), make sure it covered the digital readout on the machine, and turn on my workout mix on my mp3 player.
I was never in good enough shape to mentally race the person nearest to me while jogging, but when I used to do the rowing machine I would usually try to race my own best time along with the person rowing in front of me... that way even if I knew how long I'd been going I kept thinking, "Just two more minutes" instead of "oh god, oh god, oh god... two whole minutes! I'll die!"

Good luck to you!