1) Create a Training Plan
Our favorite tip for how to not get bored running on a treadmill is creating a training plan. Depending on your fitness and experience levels this might simply involve a gradual increase in time and speed, or it might really challenge your stamina and fitness levels. For beginners, planning a week or two ahead is a good idea. If you're a competitive runner, put a race in the diary and create a training plan that takes you up to race day. Having an endpoint to focus on is a great motivator while knowing that every day's routine is going to be slightly different beats the boredom.
The foundation of any training plan should be interval work. Change your speed up and down to give your heart and lungs a good workout. This also keeps your muscles guessing about what's coming next. To make your training plan even more effective, keep a record of your distance, speed, and time (or let your Technogym Treadmill do this). It's also worth writing down how you feel after each session. When you reflect on your results and feelings each week, you'll be proud of the progress you've made.
2) Vary the Pace and Incline
If you always walk or run at a similar pace and incline, you're quickly going to become demotivated with your treadmill routines. With a treadmill with an incline such as the Technogym Run Personal, however, you'll get far more enjoyment and benefit from your sessions. When you walk or run up a hill, your heart along with your hamstrings, glutes, and quads works harder and the calories disappear faster. Start with a gentle increase in incline while keeping the same speed number. You should be able to maintain this comfortably for one minute. Then introduce variations between walking, jogging, and running into your training plan. As well as working your body harder, this keeps your mind engaged, banishing boredom. Aim to set a higher target in speed or incline at least once a week.
3) Follow an Online Trainer
Another trick on how to make running on a treadmill fun is to work with a Virtual Trainer. Technogym Treadmills give you full access to Technogym Live. This links you to a library of one-on-one workout sessions led by our motivational Virtual Trainers. You won’t be bored as you dip into training sessions designed to meet your calorie, distance, time, and pace goals or explore training zones such as Speed Shift, Hills, Hi-Low Blocks, Cross Training, and Outdoors. Your Virtual Trainer will push you through different intensity levels that take account of your starting point while motivating you to achieve more than you ever thought possible. Follow the instructions directly from the console of your treadmill or, if you're in entertainment mode, your next instructions appear as pop-up messages. All your training stats are stored, providing extra motivation towards your final treadmill goal.
4) Listen to Music, Audiobook, or Follow a Podcast
Another great way to stay motivated on a treadmill with a screen is to tune into an upbeat and high tempo music playlist, listen to motivational podcasts, or enjoy the latest audiobook from your favorite author. As well as knocking boredom on the head and increasing motivation, this strategy also helps with the stress relief benefits of workout sessions. Create your own music playlists or dip into the ones at Technogym Live. Alternatively, motivate yourself by downloading the albums of an artist new to you and only listen to them during your treadmill training. You'll always have something to look forward to when you power up your treadmill.
5) Watch a TV Series
Not only is the Technogym Run Personal a classy piece of equipment bearing the design trademarks of Antonio Citterio it is also a treadmill with a TV. Its 21.5" HD screen features high-end tempered glass and integral Hi-Fi speakers. Scheduling your sessions around the TV series you're currently watching makes a change from listening to music or audiobooks. You can also download a box set from catch-up TV (or those classic films you've been meaning to watch) and save it for your treadmill sessions. Having something engrossing on the screen in front of you is a great way to take your mind off the intensity of your workout. It also makes the time go faster. One tip from our Technogym Trainers, however, is to avoid bending forward when watching TV on your treadmill screen as it puts a strain on your neck.
6) Focus on the End Result
Another way to maintain motivation is by focusing on your goals. Remember the reason you're working out in the first place. Is it for weight loss? To recover from an illness? To get fitter? Or, to prepare for a big race? Write your motivation down in big letters and put it where you can see it from your treadmill. Another way of focusing on your end goal is to break it down into chunks. If working out is a new experience for you, start off with weekly or fortnightly goals. Aim to cover a set distance or increase your pace and incline slightly. While a 26-week plan is often used to prepare for a marathon, this stretch of time can seem daunting. Instead, break it down into smaller training chunks with short and mid-term goals along the way. Hitting your goals, however small they are, will really spur you on especially if you factor in some small (and healthy) rewards for achieving them.
