Beating The Boredom Factor
How to stop your exercise routine from becoming boring.
Most serious athletes never complain about their training routine being boring. There are two good reasons for this. The first is that the training has a purpose –to improve performance –and athletes accept that improvements will not occur without training and with all that is entailed in the daily grind of training.The second is that their training routine is usually chosen to provide sufficient variety and stimulation that boredom is never an issue. Everyone who exercises can learn some lessons from the serious athlete –even if they have no competitive ambitions.
Because all serious athletes have both a structure and a purpose to their exercise program, some questions are never (or at least very seldom) asked: among these is “”will I train today?”” The only question might be “”what will I do today?”” Even this question is seldom asked as the training program will be the result of careful consideration and each day’s training will be fitted into the bigger plan that covers the whole training year. Changes to the planned program will occur to take account of changing circumstances: an unexpected commitment that reduces the time available, a sniffle that might turn into a cold, or weather that is so bad (or so good!) that the planned session has to be changed.
Most people whose exercise program is less structured and whose goal is less clearly defined (“I’d like to lose a few pounds and get a bit fitter” is a lot less definite than “I want to run 1h 15 min at the Great North Run next year”) are likely to have some days and probably some weeks –when they wake up and think that the afternoon run or the evening gym session are not really worth the effort. At times like this it is important to remember that even the most dedicated exercisers occasionally need some extra stimulation so that they do not get bored with their routine. The list of possible excuses for skipping a workout is almost endless and includes some that are very inventive, but at the end of the day they are all just excuses.
A lack of motivation that results in cutting workouts short or skipping them altogether is a sure sign that your exercise program is becoming stale and it is important to do something about this before terminal boredom sets in. The best bet, of course is to plan your exercise routine to ensure that it meets your needs: in doing so, you should avoid problems of waning motivation. It is much better to anticipate the potential problems and to take steps to avoid them rather than waiting to fix a problem that has arisen.
The First Step:
The first thing to do is to look closely at your current routine to determine what –if anything, is wrong with it. If you are becoming bored, there is clearly something wrong.Maybe you are training too hard or too often: each session might be too long,or maybe there is not enough rest and recovery between sessions. More often, though, it is likely to be a lack of stimulation as a result of doing the same session every time. Some people are comfortable with a regular routine and use their exercise session as a time to switch off from the worries and stresses of daily life. For those individuals the monotony is part of the therapeutic benefit of their exercise routine. Most people, though, are looking for their exercise program to provide mental stimulation as well as improvements in physical well being. Remember that we are all different: for some jogging is painfully boring, but for others it opens horizons that seem endless.
These days it is easy to find a wide range of exercise programs. The fitness industry is constantly devising new workouts because they are well aware that most people become bored rather quickly with the same old routines. Behind the commercialised hype, though, there are some good ideas. Remember that your heart does no’t know whether you are jogging in the street or on a treadmill at the gym, or whether you are doing a kickboxing routine at the health club. All it knows is that the muscles are working harder and that it has to work harder too to keep the oxygen supply going. Many people will walk on a treadmill in a gym when they would get far more enjoyment from the same distance around a park or along the side of a canal. People who think nothing of driving to the health club seem not to think of driving to the edge of town to run or walk on woodland trails or to the local park to do a few laps around the perimeter. If you are someone who wants to be active in a sociable environment, a dance class might be the answer. Line dancing or ballroom dancing might be the answer, and again, it can be just as physically demanding without the boredom factor.
Try something seriously different:
Once in a while, it’s a good idea to try an entirely new activity, maybe something you never thought you’ would even consider. There are lots of clubs providing an enormous range of different activities. If you have only ever tried solitary activities such as walking or jogging, you might be surprised to find that step aerobics can be fun. Equally if you thought that exercise was something you could only ever do in a warm gym, you might well find that jogging outdoors is not so bad after all. Joggers are a sociable lot, and after the first few times you see somebody going at your speed you are likely to find that the common bond of a shared activity leads to conversation and before you know it you have a training partner.
One of the real benefits of exercising in a group or with a partner is the motivation that it provides. If you know that someone is waiting for you on the street corner at 7 o’clock precisely, there is a strong motivation not to keep them waiting. They may not feel much like going out either –especially if it is cold, dark and raining – but they are not going to be the one to fail to show. Afterwards, there is a real sense of achievement in having defeated the voice that urges you to stay slumped in front of the television.
Setting your goals:
Most people take up an exercise routine to lose some weight and to stay in shape, and most of the time there is no need to have any specific objective in mind. Some people need a challenge and a stimulus to provide external motivation. Entering a charity fun run does the trick for some people: having decided to raise money, there is a strong incentive to see it through. This adds a sense of purpose to every run: every step is one more step towards that goal.
Others need a bigger challenge, and it may be that aiming to complete a 10 K fun run, a half marathon or even the marathon itself will appeal. Again this giver a purpose to training and if there is a specific target in mind, then exercise becomes training and everything is geared towards that objective. Instead of simply aiming to cover the same distance in every run or to be out for the same time, variety is introduced to provide an effective training stimulus. Rather than just 30 min of treadmill jogging, the session has a structure: first a gentlewarm-up, then some alternate fast pace runs for two or three minutes alternated with a slower runs for the same time for recovery. The time and the distance are not important – at least in the early stages – and the session can be as simple as sprinting to the next lamp post, and then jogging slowly to the one after that. You can do the same in the swimming pool, with alternate fast and slow lengths. Once every couple of weeks, you can record the time it takes to complete your favourite course. You don’’t have to make a race out of it, but you should get faster as your fitness improves, and that in itself can be a great motivation for some people.
A word of caution about goal setting, though. Don’’t let your goal rule your life – unless you are aiming for the very top in your sport. It is important to know when to ease off– to avoid injury or illness or to allow room in your life for other activities. The trick is to be able to do this without using these as excuses to avoid exercise without good reason.
Adding some variety:
Many athletes are now beginning to appreciate the benefits of putting some variety in their training. Many serious athletes now add cross-training sessions to their programs. For the runner, a swimming, aerobics or cycling session can keep the heart active while giving the muscles normally used for running a rest. Although the muscles’ adaptations to exercise are highly specific to the type of exercise, the cardiovascular and health benefits are not. It is also not necessary to train the muscles in the same way in every session. A session of cycling, weight training or aerobics can be just as challenging as your usual routine and will provide a chance to do something different without losing any fitness. The fitness room at most health clubs contains a whole array of shiny machines that do all sorts of different things: stair climbing, spinning, rowing, cross country skiing are all there. Try one different activity every week, and by the time you decide that you don’t like it, you have at least had a good workout.
There are other toys that can help. At most health clubs, you can try out a heart rate monito rthat will give you some feedback on how hard you are working. You can usually set this to give a digital display, and sometimes you get audio feedback too (this can certainly let you irritate other users). It can be fun for a while to see how fast your hard has to beat to cycle, run or row at a given speed. It can also help you to regulate your training pace and help prevent you from doing too much. One of the commonest problems in novice exercisers is a tendency to work too hard, which soon leads to disillusionment. Keeping your heart rate in a reasonable range – not more than about 140 beats per minute for beginners and 160 –180 for more experienced exercisers –is a good target to aim for
Knowing when to take a break:
Sometimes staleness and boredom are a sign that you really do need a rest rather than just a change. Don’t leave it too late, and don’t take any chances. Learn to listen to your body, but don’t let it fool you. Recognise the difference between staleness, when a change is all that you need, and the early warning signs that you are overdoing it. A few days off, or even a week or two will do no harm, but it’’s much better to do something a couple of times a week rather than nothing at all. This might be the time to experiment with different activities. If you are getting bored, it may just be that have not yet found the activity that you really enjoy and that you are really good at.
At the end of the day, we are all different. We need to find whatever it is that makes us tick and be comfortable with that. As soon as our exercise routine stops being something that we look forward to, then it is time for a change. Over time, by a process of trial and error, we can all find out what best meets our own individual needs.
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Filed Under: Training
