It frustrates me when I see new faces at my gym struggle for hours at a time on the elliptical machines or exercise bikes. The "cardio room" people show up for a month or two, work their hearts out, and then quit. I suspect that 99% of them quit exercising regularly altogether. And no wonder! Cardio machines teach people terrible lessons: exercise hurts. It's boring. It doesn't show results. It takes too much time.
I see the same thing on the running trail. I'm a slow, happy runner, and I get passed by two types of people: chatty running groups composed of stringy, lifelong runners who breeze by me, and newbie runners who are running way too fast. Again: those stringy runners yell, "Hi, Bassgirl!" and slow down for a bit to gossip. The breathless newbies plod on, and I almost never see them twice.
Of course, cardio is only one part of a balanced fitness program, but it's the first thing most people try. People who have a bad experience with cardio just give up. People who fall in love with cardiovascular exercise tend to seek out strength and flexibility training that falls in line with their chosen exercise.
So tell me, folks who do cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis: what do you do? What keeps you going? How does it make you feel?
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