I’ve done cardio in the form of the stationary bike, stair-climber,
and treadmill. I haven’t taken any scientific data collection but
I’m sure there’s one word to explain the number one reason why
people don’t commit more to a regular cardio routine: BOREDOM.

Cardio is only efficient at raising your metabolic rate and burning
calories when you perform the exercise for at least 30 minutes. Even
though 30 minutes is one episode of Seinfeld, it will seem like an
eternity if you are bored and look at the LED display on the cardio
machine constantly. I’m guilty at this myself when I first started riding the bike at the gym. I tried to overcome that by putting a t-shirt over the display and looking at the TV screens. That does help but it’s still boring when you can’t watch the programs that interest you. These days, all they show on TSN/ESPN is poker. Poker can be interesting to watch if you are on the couch with a cold drink but it’s no fun when you are sweating and panting. Doing cardio at the gym is also tough because there are time limits when other people are waiting. It’s not too great of a workout when you can only do 20 mins before you get kicked off a machine.

After a long struggle with boredom, fatness, and a sore ass, I can easily go on the bike for an hour now. What’s the key to this? Cardio at home!
When you perform cardio at home, you have all the controls. You get to go on the machine when you want, the machine isn’t filthy with someone else’s sweat, and you can blast the TV with your favourite shows. Most people sweat when they exercise but it’s a down pour of sweat for me. That’s another reason why I love doing cardio at home. I can change shirts as often as I like in the comfort of my own place without having to run into the changing room. In a good, intense bike workout I can easily go through 5 shirts. It may sound gross but it’s gross to NOT change shirts and sweat through them. Changing shirts also allows you to last longer with cardio because it doesn’t not weigh you down or distract you.

Don’t cancel your gym membership because of this article. Just use the gym for weight-training and invest in a good piece of cardio equipment. Just remember not to use the cardio machine as a clothes hanger after the first month!