One of the most common issues that people mention when they come for physical therapy is that they just don’t have enough time for cardio workouts due to their busy lives. Sometimes, it’s not only a time issue but also a matter of simply hating cardio in the first place. By working with your physical therapist and making some effort to fit cardio into your routine, you can enjoy success with physical therapy and with your health journey. Below, you’ll learn three sneaky ways to incorporate cardio, even if you’re a cardio hater. Your physical therapist at The Fitness Lab can help you implement these successfully, so contact us anytime to learn more.
Bite-Sized Pieces
One of the main reasons that people dread cardio is that doing half an hour or more may seem discouraging or overwhelming. However, you can approach it more like physical therapy. You know how the physical therapy exercises that you do are sometimes short and sweet? Take the same approach to cardio, even when you’re not with your physical therapist.
Shoot for half an hour of cardio a day, but chop it up into three 10-minute pieces. For example, a 10-minute brisk walk or jog before work could start your day. Add a 10-minute cardio session during your lunch break and a 10-minute session after dinner, and you’re set for the day — and you probably didn’t feel like you were doing a lot of hard work, either. Remember that high intensity matters when you’re doing these shorter sessions, so go hard for the whole session to get the best results.
Expanding Your Horizons
Expanding your exercise horizons is a great way to get in cardio in a sneaky way. Your physical therapy providers can give you some great ideas for cardio, including options like:
- Swimming
- Biking
- Hiking
- Mountain climbing
- Dancing
What all of the activities listed above have in common is that they’re fun — and one of them might be something you already love to do in your spare time. These activities get your heart rate up and allow you to get the cardio you need, but they’re not repetitive or boring. Talk to your physical therapist about a schedule. It’s ideal if you can schedule this exercise five days a week. It’s a supplement to your physical therapy but should not replace it.
Engage Your Interest
Staying engaged with cardio can be challenging — and fortunately, there are now apps for that. There are a number of apps that are designed to track your progress in a variety of cardio exercises. From tracking your number of steps each day to monitoring your heart rate and beyond, having an app can help you stay interested and accountable.
You can even try one of the gaming apps that reward you for walking, biking or running. Check out Ingress, Pokemon Go or Jurassic World Alive to keep track of your mileage while being engaged in an exciting virtual world at the same time. You won’t even realize how much cardio you’re doing because you’re too busy keeping up with what’s going on in the game world.
Ready to Get Strong and Healthy?
Our physical therapy team is ready to help you heal from injury, achieve your best physical fitness and feel the best you’ve felt in years. Contact our Highlands Ranch CO office now to learn how physical therapy can help you enjoy your life, pain-free!
