6...5...4...4...5...6...

For some, cardio is the, most exciting, most terrific, most super-duper form of exercise. For others it's a close second to bare-feet on hot asphalt. I would classify myself as one of the "others". I don't enjoy cardio; rather I see it as a necessary chore...like cleaning the bathroom. I'm satisfied, and feel good, when it's finished...but I bitch and moan while engaged in the activity.

It's not the work that bothers me so much, it's the tedium (As an aside, I much enjoy outdoor activity...see "12 minutes 100 calories...outdoor work is much less tedious). Sitting, or standing, on a machine that doesn't really seem to get you anywhere for 30 minutes...45 minutes...an hour...is a task I find excruciating. Especially if the TV's are small, or there are no good magazines, or the gym is empty, or the gym is hot, or - in true sorcerer's form - any of the other thousand reasons I conjure from thin air through a combination of bitching, whining, and complaining, and even a little magic. In an effort to avoid this excruciating, vise-grip of a chore (that some out there actually enjoy, or even call "fun"), I devised a plan.

During one particularly hot day in the gym, a day in which I found myself harboring particularly hard feelings towards "cardio" was the day I decided to take a stand. On this day, I decided I was finished working for cardio...I'm going to make cardio work for me! Ok, ok...fair enough no matter what, cardio is working for me; conditioning my heart, preventing bone-density loss, fighting free-radicals, burning fat, chewing calories...but I wanted to make this chore a little less horrible.

On this day I squared off against my nemesis. I found myself standing in the middle of the gym, leering-solidly at the rows of cardio equipment. Row upon row of machines stood quietly, baiting me, stoking my ire. How badly I wanted to 180 for the door...how badly my muscles ached to spend time with my favorite friend...free-weights. But no...I refused to let those stoic bastards win...I refused to walk away without making them work as hard as I planned to.

I counted the types of machines...six (rower, bike, elliptical, stair-master, step-mill, tread-mill). I planned on spending 30 minutes on one of them, no more, no less. I thought to myself, if I spend only 30 minutes on one machine, the other five will laugh at my misery without actually any work themselves.

Like the dawning of a millennium, an idea slowly crept into my mind (in reality it was much less dramatic and theatrical, and much more mundane and stereotypical...the idea just "popped in" like a light-bulb going off...but for dramatic effect, we'll stick with the millennium prose). What if I used ALL six types of machines? What if I made each one work like they made me work? It was settled, all six it was. But wait, I can't spend 30 minutes on each one....I can't even spend 10 minutes on each one (this would be far more time than I was willing to commit). But I could spend five on each one...as long as it all shook out to 30 total minutes. That's when I came up with six minutes, five minutes, four minutes, four minutes, five minutes, six minutes - right on down the line.

The time flew by. Before I knew it, the timer ticked down the last ten seconds and I was off to the next machine. The tedium was broken, the boredom tackled. I had won, I beat those machines. No more did they stand there, an air of superiority surrounding them. I had broken their will. Yes, I had to put forth effort...but so did they! Check-mate my good friends. I had won the battle.

In the time that's elapsed since starting this scheme I've come to learn the true physiological benefits of such work. By jumping around you're guaranteeing a more balanced, well-rounded cardio routine. For example, running is hamstring intensive, while stepping is quadriceps intensive; rowing works both upper and lower body burning more fat in less time; the elliptical allows you to vary the targeted muscle groups. This scheme gives a more intense, more effective workout in less time. And with this, I had won the war.

Like I said, for some cardio is a close second to bare-feet on hot asphalt...how will you win your war?

--BA
Fit2You Fitness, LLC
www.fit2youfitness.com
Philadelphia and Main-Line In Home Personal Training, Yoga, Nutrition and Corporate Health and Wellness