Most of the time, the hardest part of a gym routine is sticking to it. Even if you consistently go and are passionate about what it does for your body, repeating the same activity over and over again is bound to become monotonous.
Of course, one way to avoid this is to constantly switch up the way you do your workout. This could mean combining the gym with outdoor activities like running or swimming, or you could keep it in the gym and make sure to split your days properly.
But another way, and something that has proven successful for me, is to be excited about the gym for a very different reason altogether. I’m sure I’m not alone in the treadmill being my favorite cardio equipment in the gym (I know TikTok definitely agrees). It is so versatile because you can either work your way up and try to hold a steady pace, or you can max out and sprint as long as you can.
The problem I find though is at the moments when I’m not sprinting my heart out, and I’m doing long-sustained cardio instead, I get bored. And when that happens, I find myself fixating on the burn a lot more, which just makes the workout feel longer and more difficult. That’s where Netflix, or any other streaming app, to be honest, comes in.
Associating the treadmill with continuing the new show you started or watching a movie you’ve been meaning to watch makes it more exciting and is additional motivation to get me out of bed. On my own, it’s hard to find time to watch anything without combining it with some other activity like eating or working. Or, if I do, it’s hard to do it without the constant reminder that I could be doing more with my time.
So, combining it with working out gives me a guilt-free way of continuing my binge-watch. I think I’ve even tricked my mind to the point that I think more about where I left off in what I was watching than what my actual plan for the treadmill is that day. But hey, at least I’m still getting all the benefits of my workout.
And don’t worry, this hack isn’t just for treadmills — it works great on the Stairmaster, elliptical, and bikes too, so no matter what equipment you’re using, you can always make your workout just a little bit more entertaining.