Conquering the Treadmill

I’m writing this blog post right before I head out to the gym. Since I have been back in NYC, the weather hasn’t really been cooperating, so I’m forced to complete my runs on the spinning wheel. If you can’t tell, I’m not the biggest fan of running on the treadmill. On days like this, I employ a few mind games to get me through. Here is a list of ideas that the BGR! team compiled to help you conquer your treadmill runs. 1. New Music – TI, Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, and Adele have all come out with new music recently, and when I say recently, I mean the past 6 months. (I’m usually a little behind) Anyways, I added all of this “new” music to my iPod. However here is the catch, I won’t play the albums until I’m on the treadmill. This is actually a pretty good incentive to get me motivated and distracted once I start running. Even if I don’t listen to songs in their entirety, I can usually knock out a couple of miles while checking out an album. 2. Podcast – If music isn’t your thing, check out a few podcast. There are podcast on virtually every topic these days, and listening to a 30-minute podcast is an entertaining way to pass the time. My favorites include: Joel Osteen, NPR and Real Time with Bill Maher. 3. Interval Running – What could be better than a little speed challenge on the ol’ treadmill? Check out the 4-3-2-1 Interval Run, it is a great way to energize your treadmill runs. 4. Hill Running – Hill running is similar to interval running. But, instead of increasing the speed, increase the incline. 5. People watch – Ok, I can’t and won’t take credit for this suggestion. This was all Toni’s idea. I’m not sure who or what she is watching, but evidently it’s pure entertainment. 6. Watch tv – A lot of gyms have treadmills that have a television attached. Schedule your gym time around a favorite show that you want to watch. Before you know it, you can watch an entire Oprah episode and have burned a couple hundred calories. Needed an added bonus? Increase your speed and/or incline during every commercial break. 7. Visulization – This technique is my personal favorite. Several self-help gurus talk about visualizing the things that you want to manifest. I usually spend most of my time on the treadmill thinking about what I want to accomplish in my career, our plans for BGR, the Ferrari I’m going to buy when I’m rich, my wedding plans (fyi I’m not engaged, yet). Anyways, I do a lot of my thinking on the treadmill, and even keep a little pen and pad in the cup holder so I can jot down the ideas that come to mind. I know that there are plenty of you guys who LOVE running on the treadmill. For those of you who don’t, how do you get through your runs?

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