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Boredom is one of the main killers of exercise programs. If you feel your treadmill workouts are becoming boring, mix it up a bit. There are a lot of things you can do to make your treadmill workouts interesting and enjoyable. Here are a few ideas:

Movies, Music, CDs and TV. Use your treadmill workouts as a time when you catch up on your favorite TV programs, the newest movie releases, audio books and motivational CDs. If you have music in your bones, workout to your favorite music and your workout times will go by fast. Don’t be afraid to sing along and entertain the kids and pets. They’ll get a kick out of it!

Pyramid Walking. A really cool mental challenge you can do during your treadmill workouts is pyramid walking. All you have to do is try to increase your pace by .1 mph every minute. Do this for 15 minutes. Then, try to decrease your pace by .1 mph every minute for the remaining 15 minutes of your treadmill workout.

Dancing Exercises. Many dancers find that walking backwards during their treadmill workouts not only makes them more fun, but it builds their strength and balance. Don’t attempt this unless you are confident in your coordination!

Numbers. To keep your mind busy during a workout, count your steps for one minute. Take a break the following minute, and then count your steps the next minute. Not only will this help you see when you need to pick up your pace, but over time you can see how your foot speed increases.

Circuit Training. Treadmill workouts can benefit greatly by adding circuit training into the mix. Those of you who are interested in strength training can do lunges, crunches, free weights or some other strength building exercise for one minute after every five minutes of walking.

Stretching. Stretching just feels good! After walking for ten minutes, get off of your machine and do stretch exercises for five minutes. Get back on your machine and repeat this process until your workout time is up.

Walk and Climb. Place a stepper next to your treadmill and alternate between walking for five minutes and stepping for five minutes.

Walk To a Destination. Many people love finding out how many miles it is to a favorite destination or relatives home and seeing how long it takes them to walk there on their treadmills. Chart your results and see how far it takes you to walk where you want to go.

Heart Rate Training. Use a heart rate monitor during your treadmill workouts and cycle in and out of different heart rate zones for two minute intervals. Heart Rate Training workouts should last no longer than 20 or 30 minutes and should only be done 2 or 3 times per week.

These are just some ideas to make your treadmill workouts more fun and interesting. The possibilities of what you can do are endless. Try new things and see what works for you. Keeping boredom at bay will keep your fitness goals on track and make your treadmill workouts fly by.

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