Exercise should not be a routine but rather a challenge. This is whereby you strive to be better each passing day regardless of the test at hand. A workout on the fitness bikes can be isolating and sometimes might seem like a chore. I mean, who wouldn’t get bored when they do something repeatedly in the same exact manner? Well, there are always many ways to reduce boredom on an exercise bike.
Though these workout bikes come with an assured comfort, exercising is no different. It can be boring and most people quit at some point. Monotonous training and a lengthy period of exercise contribute to this. Challenge yourself, have fun and stay healthy.
What are the ways to reduce boredom on an exercise bike?
Portioning
Consider breaking down your session into segments. If it’s a two-hour section, break it into two sessions or four. Here is an example of how you could break your cycling workout;
- Start with warming up, walk or skip a rope for five minutes at 5 km per hour.
- Next, cycle for one mile at 9 km per hour at a moderate speed.
- Without changing the pace, have a rest set by slowing your speed to 8 km per hour for three minutes.
For the intense work set, speed up to 10km per hour for 30 seconds. Have another rest set, again cycle at 8 km per hour for three minutes.
- Continue cycling at this pace, speeding up for 30 seconds and slowing down for three minutes. Do it until you reach 25 minutes.
- Now cycle for one and a half more kilometer at 10 km per hour.
- Finally, cool down by cycling slowly at 6 km per hour for a period of 20 minutes.
If you are a lover of a stretched period of an intensive workout, you could take breaks to hydrate. You could also finish up on your daily house chores, pack your kid’s snacks. Additionally, you could break to prepare for your presentation. Each of this break time comes in handy in all ways imaginable.
Tag a Friend
I find it motivating to have people around on many occasions. You will find that having someone there is much better than an on-screen interaction.
Having an exercise buddy and have some fun social time working out. It is more so like killing two birds with one stone.
This will also help you push yourself even harder to exercise more. This is especially if your workout partner is fitter than you. Set targets and get to see who completes faster for the competing set that is motivating.
Bike upgrade
Upgrading your bike is among the many ways to reduce boredom on an exercise bike. It might hurt the pocket but it will be worth every coin. It is definitely for you if you would love to have your cake and eat it.
The most revolutionized exercise bikes like the GC come with a customizable screen. This is so you can display both your workout pane and another screen side by side.
You can also shift positions and resistance levels with the likes of GC and get to spin with style often. This will allow you to get that workout on different levels on the same bike. This is unlike that which lacks the feature that could limit you.
The spinning exercise bike will give you an outdoor cycling feel. You can also perform your desired stunts on it.
There is a wide range of modern bikes whose capabilities will leave you astounded. There are those that auto-detect a sudden slug in the cycling. They also increase the intensity to get you burning the calories.
The hybrid bikes have a speech aid that engages the user to keep them from boredom. They are also well toned for reminders of certain activities.
When connected to a certain device like a phone, they can read out aloud incoming call names. Also, they can perform other things they are instructed to.
Whether you are onto a spinning bike or a more advanced bike the catch here is to do various interesting stuff. Be braced for an exceptional workout.
Other bikes like the Proform Tour de France connect to google maps. This helps them to display worldwide locations you can bike. Wait! That is not the gist, it actually adjusts the gradient and resistance to suit your location.
Yeah, I want to cycle somewhere at the North Pole while sweating off in my gym in the South Pole.
Listening to Music
The secret here is to have your mind off work and transit to a more relaxed state with ease.
Music is a good way to curb boredom but a proper choice of music is a major plus. Find the genre of music that motivates you while on that bike.
High-tempo music will give you the required drive when cycling faster. This is by dropping the resistance on the bike. Slow music will intuitively make you increase the resistance. It will be more so like cycling up-hill thus cycling in a slow manner. It is also advisable to keep an updated playlist to keep you focused. The reason is that a particular one will become monotonous leading to boredom.
A boring choice of songs will not only lower your morale, but it will also eat up into your cycling time. This is as you try to rumble through the playlist for a better song.
Audio Aid
I once entered a gym on my gym hunting expedition and saw a large colorful post. “Hearing is an exercise on its own”. You will need to turn your head hear something said. As a result, you will be wasting your cycling time. Everyone has their own preferences. Some wouldn’t prefer listening to music while cycling. The innovations present offer a wide range of audio materials other than music.
- Podcasts are an alternative to music. Come to think of it you enjoy a worldwide access to content mostly for FREE. You download audio files into your personal gadget and listen to it during your workout or stream live. They are designed in a way that they can fit both long and short workouts.
- You can use prompts once in a while or as a regular setting. Try the “Stuff you missed in History Class” podcast amongst the many available, it has some really good stuff.
- Audiobooks are good too though you cannot download them, you only stream live. They have an additional benefit in that it keeps you recalling power and an intellectual bit on the check.
Online language platform mostly has a readout aloud option. You can use the time cycling to stream an online class of your desired language. It can be French, Spanish you name it.
It takes time to learn a new language, you can learn a new language whilst cycling and grow yourself. The concentration involved in grasping all you can ultimately take your mind off. It makes you forget that you are on that bike cycling.
Doing a Group Exercise
Whether you are a loner who likes to have things done on a low key and with less audience, you could definitely use some group time. There is magic in numbers, trust me on that. The many they are the merrier.
The internet is a great way to search for exercising groups or gyms that advocate for such. Groups will always beat the boredom out of almost everything. There are innovative ideas that come up when at it. Constant involvement in groups will lift your spirits when all seem impossible. And in the process, you will develop group cycling skills. You will work out more than when cycling solo. There is that motivation that hovers around when different personalities mingle. The result is eruptive energy.
Organizing cycling events coupled with fun activities like arm workouts will create an aura and boy will you sweat it more than on other occasions. You end up working harder, longer and stay on for a longer period. Oh! Plus you get to laugh your heart out when a group member does something laughably weird.
Writing
Do that happy dance, yes you read it right. You can actually write while on that cycling mission. I do that too on days when I go some journaling to do as well with a busy day lurking ahead.
How? You simply need a diction software for instance; Voice finger, Braina Pro, Apple Diction only to mention but a few. Surf through and identify one which is compatible with your device since they have specifications.
The software listens to you speak and simply transcribes it. You like I, have to learn the art of conversationally speaking and allow yourself to dig deeper financially to get good software. Be it that you are a writer or are in the field that involves a lot of writing you can now write as well as cycle concurrently.
If you are doing intense cycling you will need to keep yourself on the ground with both hands. This is where the diction software comes in handy. You will also appreciate the comfort and increased concentration that comes with the bike upgrade we had mentioned earlier.
Target Setting
Nothing can ever deter a self-motivated and a goal setting person. Inner motivation is actually a factor. Regardless of the ways you use to kill boredom, you are still devoted to see the cycling to fruition. You stop at nothing but the best when you put your whole mind, body, and soul to something
When you put yourself to cover a certain distance at a certain speed and time, you work towards that. Once conquered, it is a human nature to want to outsmart and go harder on a tougher setting.
Every time stamp during cycling can actually be a target setting time. Decide on the long term and short term (spontaneous) goals that you actually would love to slash and go hard on them.
Interval Training
Design a time formula that allows you adequate rest in between. I would not prefer a workout that leaves me gasping for air like am running from danger. No, easily and nicely so I get to enjoy the ambiance and soak it all in whilst at it. If you are starting out I would recommend the 2:1 interval. That is having a 1-minute rest amidst every 2 minutes of bike exercise.
For an advanced or more experienced cyclist, you can do a long stretch of exercise with short rests in between depending on your boredom countering activity.
It does not stop at allowing you some time to rest. There is a prove that interval training has given people some decision-making platform. You are cycling thinking of something that is bugging you and that eureka moment down on you just as you are going easy on the bike
Visualizing
A right mental position is actually what makes a hard situation able to conquer. Winning in all instances starts from within. When cycling on high resistance, picture it as if you are coming down a ramp where you don’t need effort. This will help push you to completion of the session.
Imagine leading a whole group of bikers or overtaking them at taking lead. Would you want to slow down and give others a chance to catch up with you? Definitely no, that winning spirit won’t let you back down.
Conclusion
If you have been looking for the best ways to reduce boredom on an exercise bike, now you have them.
We can only say this; Exercise and exercise!
An exercise bike will help you achieve all your workout goals.
Find that exciting thing that works for you from time to time to make working out on an exercise bike less than a chore. Do not, I repeat do not let the excruciating boredom catch up with you as well as the carbs with all the options given.
Take your sports beverage along to stay hydrated and to restore the energy you are burning. Add that spice and get your groove on!
Best of luck.