Kick Up the Cardio

Welcome to the latest edition of Farmer's forum, an in depth look at health and fitness topics..

At the gym I often hear people say I can't do cardio for as long as I like because it's so boring. Most times I would agree and with winter here (I hope you have power by now) it's harder to do fun activities that burn calories like we can do in the summer. So here are a few ideas to make cardio fun as it is an essential part of a good weight loss plan and being healthy.

Variety is key. Speaking for myself I have a fairly short attention span. So I can't use 1 machine at the gym for long periods of time so I use different ones. Sometimes in the same cardio workout. I'll do 10 minutes on the stairs, 10 on the bike and maybe finish on the treadmill. It's a good way to keep the intensity high and keep challenging myself. Make sure you are progressing. It's always good to set goals, start with 10 minutes and add from there. Change the intensity levels on your machines. Go fast for a minute then slow it down for a minute. This is called interval training. It's a great way to keep you focused and on your toes when doing cardio.

Train with a friend. Find a friend who has similar goals as you. This will keep you both focused and have fun doing cardio. There's also nothing wrong with a little "friendly competition'. Perhaps set a distance goal and who gets there in the shortest time. Training with a friend is a great check and balance system to keep you both on track.

Find a sport. What a great way to make cardio fun. Swimming, basketball, raquetball are all great ways to burn calories and have fun. Also try my personal favorite boxing/kickboxing. Jumping rope, heavy bag drills or focus mitts-nothing works the total body more. See Farmer's forum, Boxing for Fitness, for more.

Holidays are soon upon us which means big family dinners and desserts. No better time then to start a good cardio routine to keep those calories burning. See you next time in Farmer's forum. As always do 1 more rep then yesterday.