Why is it that most people find cardio exercises so boring?

Is it the lack of feeling 'pumped up'? Or is it the lack of mental focus that is often required when lifting weights?

Or maybe...it is the thought of hopelessness when realizing that those people who have been riding the same bikes for a year have yet to loose a pound? Boring or not, the fact still remains, to lose the spare tire that seems to hang along your waistline, you have to include cardiovascular exercises into your program.

The term "you reap what you sow? has probably never fit so perfectly as when in reference to 'body building' and cardio exercises. The more effort and intensity you put into your workouts, the better the result. Now, it is important to note that there is no perfect cardio exercise out there. The best exercise for you is the one that you actually choose to do with as much effort put into it as when you are lifting weights.

Cardio exercises need not be limited to the stationary bikes or elliptical machines often found at the gym. Cardio exercise can be anything that gets that heart beating faster and has you sweating buckets. That 'anything' can be a 'run' around the track, a game of pick-up basketball, or a swim at the nearest pool. The point is, cardio exercises do not have to be boring and you don't have to be in the gym to perform them. By taking a nice bike ride to the park with your family or by roller-blading around the block with your friends, you can have fun AND burn off excess fat.

Why is Cardiovascular Exercise so important? Why do we need to run, bike, or attend aerobics classes when it is a given fact that lifting weights burns more calories than cardio exercises? Cardio exercises are very important to add to your workout routine because they offer so many benefits:

a) Cardio exercise promotes weight loss by increasing our metabolic rate for an extended period, thus our bodies to burn fat faster long after we've done the exercise. So, if cardiovascular exercise is performed first thing in the morning with an all out effort and intensity, the benefit is that our body will be burning fat throughout the day.

b) Cardio exercise helps to gain endurance and stamina that will be beneficial to persevere in sporting activities. You will be able to last longer, participate, and possibly compete at a higher level. It is a good feeling to be able to play and keep up with little kids running around the house or at the park.

c) Physical activity through cardio exercises - along with proper nutrition - lowers the high cholesterol level in the body and reduces the risk of heart disease.

d) A good and intense cardio workout is great for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There is no better feeling at the end of the day than to release all the stress that builds up during the course of a workday. Cardio exercises can be used to convert negative energy into positive energy and push yourself a step closer to your goal.

e) Having an intense cardio workout will make you feel more alive and active, more energetic and more alert. Thus, you will be more effective in all aspects of your daily life - whether it be at work or at home.

These are just a few of the many benefits of cardio exercises. Unfortunately, even with these advantages in mind, many people are still having a hard time finding the motivation and the drive to stick to their workouts.

If you walked into a gym and took a moment to look around, you would find that many people perform certain exercises because they imitate other people's routines. They are looking for the "it? exercise that will speed up the process of their fat loss. We all know that there is no one exercise that will transform our bodies into a Herculean physique overnight. People want results too fast and they want that waist slimming down an inch everyday. If they don't see the changes right away, they get frustrated and eventually quit - only to repeat the cycle two to three weeks later.

While it is great to try out new and different forms of exercises, the first step to maintaining that motivation is it is to figure out which activities you enjoy the most. Whether it is running, biking, dancing, aerobics, boxing or swimming - the activity will be one in which you know you will have fun at. More importantly, the more you enjoy your chosen exercise the more likely that you will stick to it and the more likely that you will push yourself.

Once you figure out the activities that you enjoy, the second step to maintaining the motivation would be to challenge yourself both mentally and physically to make improvements on yourself everyday. By setting goals for yourself, you will be training with a purpose by competing against yourself ? all the while trying to beat yourself from the previous day.

Step three in staying motivated in performing cardio exercises would be to use variety in carrying out the exercise(s) that you picked out from step one. Variety keeps you from being bored and complacent. Variety also keeps your muscles stimulated as different cardio exercises hit different parts of the body.

The fourth ? and most important - step in maintaining your motivation for cardio exercises is to have fun. Do not treat cardio exercises as a chore - you have to want to be in the gym or on that field performing the cario exercise to achieve success. Treat cardio exercises as a hobby...an escape from the grind of everyday life. Think of it as personal time to be with your thoughts when all you think about is you.

Cardio exercises are part of a program that helps in the development of a healthy and muscular body. Hopefully, by highlighting the benefits and importance of cardio exercises, you will develop a newer perspective and appreciation of its significance.