Tips from the trainer: don’t slack on your cardio

Tips from the trainer: don’t slack on your cardio: “If you’re looking to stay fit, motivation is your number one obstacle” says Dewald Burger, personal trainer at Zone Fitness Bellville.

 

Getting in shape is a matter of consistency. It can be gruelling adhering to a rigorous cardio workout day-on-day, week-on-week, and especially hard if your motivation levels are dropping.

To combat natural fatigue – and dare we say it, boredom – Dewald outlines three key techniques that will help you stay on track.

 

1. Vary your cardio workout

 

Burger puts it simply: “Your muscles need to be stimulated, just like your brain. If you don’t vary your workout, boredom will creep on you quickly, no matter how much you think you’re enjoying yourself.”

 

Burger says that you shouldn’t always do the same cardio exercises. “Don’t simply head for the treadmill. Rather, incorporate the rowing machine in your workout, the step machine and always do functional exercises too.”

 

2. Get a gym partner

 

“The most effective way to stay on track is to go to gym with a friend. Having someone who you’ll be letting down if you decide to stay in bed instead of lacing up your gym shoes is just the push you need.”

 

In addition, Burger says that a training partner can help you perform some exercises better, and by making the gym a social excursion, it’ll turn even the most energy-sapping sessions into something fun.

 

3. Keep a record of your progress

 

“Keep a gym diary and set yourself a goal,” Burger says. “Then, write down your weight and take a photo of yourself. Every week, take a new shot and keep recording your weight. Look back two months later and you’ll be amazed at the progress you’ve made.”

 

Burger says that keeping photographic evidence of the progress you make is gratifying evidence and just the surge of goodwill you need to keep heading back.

 

So there you have it. Finding the gym difficult to face? Look for a training partner, keep a record of your progress and start varying your workout more – you’re sure to see an upturn in fortunes.