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Work Out for Longer Without Noticing

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Do you find yourself glancing at your watch every 30 seconds after a while during your cardio session? Are you just trying to get to the end without giving up? I know my eyes are often glued on the time when I go jogging to try and improve my fitness.

But there are also certain times when I don’t focus on just getting through it… sometimes I hardly notice I’m working out at all and the time goes by very quickly.

What is different about those times? Is it just that my motivation varies from one workout to another?

It seems that during the fitness sessions when the time passes quickly, distraction is the key – I am focused on something other than all the effort I’m making.

Here’s what seems to work for me…

  • having something to think about. Sometimes at the start of a session I decide to think about a particular issue or topic that’s bothering me while I’m working out. Bonus is that I often come up with great ideas during that time.
  • having something to listen to – whether it’s great music, a radio show or a book on CD it passes the time without it feeling like a trial
  • having a companion. Mostly I work out alone but on the rare occasions I jog with someone else the session seems to go faster as we chat away 19 to the dozen
  • having something to watch. The better the scenery, the more that’s going on, the more interesting the jog. This one also comes into it’s own when I work out at home in front of the TV – with a favorite show on view I often end up exercising for longer than I intended

Just a couple of things to watch out for if you decide to use distraction to keep yourself going for longer

  • stay safe – make sure you are still aware of what’s going on around you – for example don’t have your music so loud that you can’t hear the traffic
  • don’t forget to keep up the pace of your workout – keep checking that you are working hard enough – the best way (so you don’t have to keep reminding yourself how hard you’re working) is to use a heart rate monitor with a built-in alarm signal which will sound if you reduce (or increase) your pace outside the right zone for you.

What do you use to get yourself through a workout?

March 2, 2008 | Filed Under Fitness Motivation 

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comments

One Response to “Work Out for Longer Without Noticing”

  1. Richien on May 19th, 2008

    Your point about having something to listen to is right on the mark. Before I understood that, I would take “obligation walks”.

    Now, I am learning Spanish, German, and I listen to exciting books. I don’t even know that I am exercising.

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