Boredom – one of the reasons people fail to go to the gym. So here are a few boredom busting tips:

Music

Headphones in, music on, get pumped, and get focused. Music can enhance motivation and enjoyment when it comes to working out.

Change it up

There’s more to the gym than steady state cardio. Have you tried high intensity interval training (HIIT) or lifting weights? Adding variety to your gym sessions means you’re less likely to get bored. Why spend 30 minutes on a rowing machine when you can do six 30 second intervals?

You can even try new equipment such as cables and kettle bells or learn to master bodyweight exercises. The fact is, anything repetitive can get boring and so changing your gym routine can keep you focused.

Have a focus

Have a focus or a goal in mind when you’re at the gym, a weight you want to lift, a distance you want to run, a number of calories you want to burn, a number of exercises you want to complete. Remember what you want to achieve in the long term too.

Take a friend

Taking a friend along to the gym can reduce boredom and also help to motivate you, or even get you to the gym in the first place! Just make sure you don’t spend so much time chatting that you forget to make the most of your time at the gym, which brings me to my next tip…

Make the most of it

Make the most of the time you set aside to workout. What’s the point in wasting the time you’ve set aside? Make the most of it, feel like you’ve achieved something every time you work out.

Progression

Focus on improvement every time you go to the gym, what have you done in your gym session that makes you better than you were the time before. This doesn’t have to be running faster or lifting heavier weights it can be improving the enjoyment you get from your gym sessions or perfecting your technique. You can start with small steps and gradually progress.

Give yourself a challenge

Set small challenges to keep you motivated. Teach yourself a new skill like how to do press ups (progressing to diamond, clap or even one armed), pull ups or squats (progressing to one legged squats) or you could look to improve your flexibility or the time it takes you to row 500m for example.

So there you have it, more than enough ways to say “no boring gym sessions”. If you still aren’t convinced then don’t forget that there are many other ways to exercise too!

Adie Blanchard – Researcher