Five ways to make your treadmill workout less boring
La Nina’s crazy and wet weather patterns are keeping many Australian runners indoors on the treadmill rather than out pounding the pavement between the raindrops.
So how can you keep yourself motivated and not let monotony sabotage your fitness routine?
Health and fitness experts
Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire
Smith from Keep It Cleaner offer some tips and tracks from their new treadmill workouts to keep you motivated and those endorphins flowing.
1. Start small
Begin by saying you will run for just five minutes and see how you go. If you’re feeling good, more often than not you will feel motivated to keep going.
2. Plug in some audio
Listening to someone else can distract you from the intensity of the workout itself. Put on a playlist, listen to a podcast or tune into a guide such as KIC’S guided Treadmill workouts where Henshaw motivates users up every incline and through every sprint.
3. Change up pace and incline
Jaclyn Murphy, head of exercise physiology at Upwell Health Collective, says not only will the change of pace and incline level help maintain interest and variety, from a physiological perspective, incorporating interval sessions on the treadmill helps to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity, increase oxygen uptake and long-term increase in endurance capacity.
“Users might also find that their fitness levels stagnate if they just run at the same pace or do the same run all the time,” Murphy says.
4. Throw in a quick walk
If your body is telling you that you need to slow it down, do it. Then slowly build back up to a pace that feels good for you when you’re ready. “Incorporating interval sessions can also reduce the risk of injury by changing the overall load on the body,” says Murphy.
5. Remind yourself you’ll feel amazing
The “runner’s high” is a sure thing. “There are very real and well known mental health benefits of interval training including the release of endorphins,” Murphy says. “Endorphins in particular increase feelings of wellness, happiness and wellbeing and decrease or dampen pain signals within the body.”
KIC Treadmill Masterclasses include 10, 15, 20 and 30 minute workouts designed to challenge you and improve your fitness. Available in the KIC app now