Best Cardio For People Who Hate Cardio

Cardio is always the exercise people dread the most, no one is born loving cardio. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’d definitely rather lifting some weights than be on a cardio machine for 40 very long minutes. Why do cardio machine minutes feel even longer than microwave minutes? 20 more minutes… that’s just 4 times 5 minutes.

Honestly what I’ve come to realize is that you have to find the least painful one, there’s got to be something you’ll enjoy over the other options.

Best Cardio Workouts For People Who Don't Like Cardio

There are different things you can do to get the same results, you don’t have to spend long quantities of time on a machine to improve your fitness. Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s the combination of weights and cardio that is really going to give you the results you want. Cardio is just the extra push, don’t make cardio the only thing in your workout routines, all you’ll do is lose muscle instead of gaining.

1. Go out for a run (not the treadmill)

I used to be one of those people who hated running, well of course, who doesn’t hate running on a treadmill looking at a wall? I started seeing that a bunch of people were into running and decided I had to try it out. Running outdoors is definitely not even comparable to running on a treadmill. When I realized running outdoors wasn’t as bad as I thought, I made it one of my goals to start making it a thing. I started slow, a few kilometers per day and started waking up early to run. Then started running 5KM per day, then tried 10 and sometimes 15. Although 15 was pushing it, by training my body to run little by little I was able to run that far of a distance.

I’m not telling you to run 15 KM, but I’m telling you if you pace yourself and start running little by little daily or a few times a week, running will not be that bad anymore. At first it will be a pain but it’s all about learning how to breathe and building up your resistance. Now I don’t run that often, but I like going out on Sundays and running 10KM, even though I don’t run everyday anymore, I have more endurance and find it enjoyable. I like running outside because it’s a time to be alone and think and listen to music. You can use it as your meditation time.

2. HIIT

We’ve all heard of High Intensity Interval Training. As much as the treadmill may sound painful, doing HIIT workouts is a bit more entertaining. Less time and more work while burning more fat. The point of HIIT is to elevate your heart rate for a brief period and then rest for another brief period. You can do it by sprinting 30 seconds at the fastest pace you can, and rest for 30 or sprinting for 30 and resting for 1. There’s a bunch of combinations you can do, the key is going at your maximum effort during sprints. You can do these intervals for 15-20 minutes and burn the same or even more calories than if you were just running for 40-60 minutes. Intervals tend to burn fat at a faster rate and continue to burn calories after your workout is done. Do HIIT workouts a few times a week and you’ll be set on your cardio.

3. Walking on incline

Yes, walking… for the lazy ones!  This is literally my go-to cardio exercise when I’m feeling lazy, AKA most of the time. Walking on incline increases your heart rate and fat burn compared to walking on a flat surface. You activate most of your leg muscles so it does have some strength training benefits. I tend to walk for around 40 minutes each time and I usually burn more calories than I would in any other machine. I find walking less tedious than running on a treadmill. You can even watch a show while doing it without getting dizzy. I’m not one to watch shows though, usually I listen to music and think 

4. Stairmaster

My favorite machine of all time, also the most exhausting. I usually get off this machine dripping sweat like crazy, imagine going up 100 floors of a building running… YEP! I love this machine because you can also do HIIT and do some leg exercises while on it. It’s like a two in one combo you can’t miss! Definitely a good option and a nice way to switch it up. You also don’t have to be on this machine as long, since you burn calories faster and you workout them legs while you’re doing it!

5. Spinning

I used to hate spinning because my legs hurt like WHAT? Isn’t that the point? Recently I decided to start giving it another try. Now I’m obsessed with it! You have to have a good combo of music and a good instructor or else it will be a pain, but otherwise you’ll have the best time!  A spinning workout builds muscle, increases endurance and burns tons of calories. Spinning classes consist of intervals so you’ll be raising your heart rate a lot throughout the 45 minutes. It’s also a low impact exercise so you don’t put as much pressure on knees and joints as other aerobic exercises, perfect if you have any injuries.

6. Rowing

My least favorite but also the BEST one exercise wise. whether you like the rowing machine or not really depends on the person. I always push myself to do it because rowing works all the muscles in your body and helps build and tone them. You also burn calories pretty fast, 5-10 minutes doing it and you’ll be exhausted. Throughout the years I’ve been working out, rowing has helped me tone my back and arms, also amazing for the core if you engage it.

These are some alternatives to your regular cardio routines. Combining any of these into one cardio session is pretty much how I do it. Spending 40 minutes doing the same thing isn’t necessary, you can do 20 and 20 and still have accomplished a nice cardio workout. So many different combinations, ditch the elliptical and start trying new things, there’s gotta be one that you’ll love the most!