jog / brisk in a park, enjoy the fresh air, scenery etc

jog around your neighborhood!

you dun have to limit urself to a gym and machines

*brisk walk* i mean...

walk! i love giong for a walk outside. or, do some heavy house cleaning on the days you don't feel like walking. also take a day or two off. as long as you do it 30 minutes 3 times a week you are healthy, but losing weight requires more.

I am so in the same predicament!!

Everyone hates cardio when youre a beginning, but after awhile you just get used to it. I honestly had to adopt a just do it attitude. Schedule it into your day as if its a job, a meal, etc. It is just something that you HAVE to do.

After awhile, you begin to enjoy it, you try out different things to see what you really like and you learn to crave that feeling you get after a satisfying cardio workout.

Sometimes I had to trick myself by saying "oh today, ill just do an easy walk", but once the endorphins kick in, I say to myself "oh, well, youre already out here anyway, might as well push yourself a bit and make the workout worthwhile!"

So ends up Nike really knows what they are talking about, just do it!

go on hikes or take up speed walking around your neighborhood

Do it with a friend so you can complain together - ha!

Work out with an ipod or some other type of music player and pick really fun, bouncy songs that get you moving. I couldn't even use my elliptical without my ipod.

Take a class. If you're in a class setting, you won't want to leave--you'll want to stick it out. Also, you'll get used to the instructor, and you probably won't want to disappoint your instructor by missing or slacking off. Just do it. Make it a part of your routine. I went to spin classes for 18 months religiously 3x/week before I felt confident that exercise was enough a part of my life that I could branch out into other things. Classes help you form the habit.

When I don't feel like doing cardio, I create new playlists on my iPod. I also break it up by doing 10 minutes on the elliptical, 20 on the treadmill, then 20 on the bike. Most of it is psychological. I think of my fitness goals and what it's going to take, and that usually motivates me.

Everyone has some great ideas already. I would like to add variety is important. I used to only do cardio on machines or by running outside. Now, in a week I vary my cardio by: biking outside, hiking, taking bellydancing classes (seroiusly), doing workout videos ondemand, printing out fun workouts online from self.com, playing tennis, etc. Once you branch out a bit, I found it was more fun, and you work different muscles. Also, once you get in a routine, I really look forward to doing my cardio, because I clear my head and it lets me escape the day for a little bit. Also good is getting a support system in place. I started an online group here, Fitness Challenge Group. You are more than welcome to check us out and join!

I read gossip mags while I'm on the elliptical... there are ALWAYS pictures of fit celebrities that motivate me! Shape and Self are also good motivation, and great reads too!

I agree with lindentree 100%! Pick music that you enjoy and your cardio will breeze by! I have use an interesting mix of pop music (especially Ashlee Simpson 'cause her music is so upbeat, cheesey, and bubbly) and like, angry death metal. They both get me pumped!

for me it is all about music, so i try t get some new songs into the rotation to spark my interest. i usually love cardio but lately i hate it....i try the treadmill, elliptical, stair master and they all bore me now even though i switch up in the same day. this sounds really silly but i just put on some music and ran, danced, hopped around my apartment for about 30 minutes and i am sweating! i wish i could run/walk outside but it is currently 90 degress with 70% humidity so i would pass out if i tried it.

i do it on my lunch break. it's a great way to break up the day and i look forward to getting out of the cube and into the gym!

I have to agree that music is a huge motivator. I listen to COMPLETELY different music depending on what I'm doing. Cheery happy music with a beat keeps me moving in pace & makes me happy until the endorphins kick in. Video Killed the Radio star does it for me everytime. Also, try a spinning class. Even when you "take it easy" it kicks your butt & it goes really quickly due to working in short intervals!!

Like a few people said in their posts before mine, everyone kinda hates cardio at first. but find some things you love to do, like walking for example. i used to hate the treadmill, but i've begun to challenge myself with uphill walking at different levels. however i can't do cardio without my ipod, so find some good music you like or that makes you want to dance and put it on there and walk to the beat of it. it actually does help, whether you choose to walk/run indoors or outdoors.

i LOVE to go to bestbuy and get all sorts of cardio dvd's. i usually have about 4 i rotate so i dont get bored.

also, break it up throughout the day. take your dog on a 20 minute walk in the morning. then right after lunch take a 10 minute stroll (it also helps digest!). then at night, another 20 minute walk with the pooch! if you dont have a furry friend, bring a two legged friend!

Try a spinning class, its challenging and they play good music to pedal to.

Do a variety, one day the treadmill, then rollerblade, take a brisk walk, play a sport like soccer or football where you run a lot and grab an iPod or a friend.

Also, maybe pick out an outfit that will be your reward when you reach your fitness goal, nothing motivates me like a new outfit!

Keep changing it up! I do classes in the morning whenever I can, but the days when I can't make it for the morning class (which is different every day) I make sure my music is up loud, first, and then I just try to keep changing what I'm doing. Yesterday I did 10 minutes on the elliptical, then I moved to a treadmill and did a 3.4 pace (brisk walk) and at every minute, I upped the incline by .5 until i had done 10 minutes. At minute 11 I started adjusting the grade back down by .5 at every minute. By the time I was back to no incline, I had finished 30 minutes of cardio and wasn't bored.

i speed walk around the neighborhood with my ipod. it's fun!

Buy an Ipod and make a workout playlist full of fast moving tunes!

Don't do it! Just kidding. I put new tunes on my Shuffle, upbeat, and then go for a brisk walk to my new songs.

Walk your dog. They'll drag you around the neighborhood and love you to pieces for it.

I also hate most cardio because of the monotonous motions of running, walking, etc. So instead, I take belly dancing lessions like mymaria and do a Zumba class that uses latin dance moves at the gym.

1- bring a buddy you can gossip on the machine until you get your heart rate up to high to talk.
2-join a gym that has tvs on the machines and at a time when a show you like is on.
3-play tennis, walk 9 holes of golf, walk your dog, visit a batting cage (also good for your abs) box with a punching bag (learn how to punch first... also super good for your abs)
4-commit a half hour a day to watching tv (no really) but every time there is a commercial you have to get up and do burpees (fit has shown how to do them) and jumping jacks until the show is back on... when the show is on do 1 set of squats one of push ups (modified if you can't do regular)lunges bicept curls lateral raises and crunches ( you'll want to do the stregnth training part only 3 times)
5- go for a bike ride or bike on the stationary bike witha magazine.
6- blast the music in your living room and DANCE your butt off!!!
7-do sprints (i knwo you said you are a beginner so just do as many as you can) at least you'll be done sooner. go flat out for 60 seconds then take it down to a comfortable pace for 90 seconds then go flat out again... shoot for doing ten of these but they are hard so if you only get two or three the first time you should still be proud
8- take a karate class
9- as everyone said get an ipod blare some music... or listen to a book on tape thing.

Remember as others have siad the reason that you don't like a lot of the machines is because they are still hard as you get more comfortalbe with them you'll enjoy doing them so you might just wnat to grin and bear it for a few weeks. Good luck

Sometimes I completely hate cardio too, sometimes it's just uncomfortable having your heart race and sometimes being out of breath. I definitely agree with taking classes, especially ones that have an element of something besides cardio, like a cardio salsa class. I'm also a big fan of kickboxing--you learn a little self-defense, strengthen your muscles, and get your heart working in one. I'm also a big fan of walking EVERYWHERE!

I'm usually all for it but sometime I just glare at the treadmill from the entrance to the gym. Here's my strategy: If I hate it after 6 minutes I can stop and try a different cardio activity. If I hate that too, I can stop after 6 minutes and try something different. If, after 6 minutes on activity #3 I still have no love for my cardio routine, I'm off the hook but I've gotten almost 20 min of cardio in despite myself.

If I'm feeling anti-gym and anti sweat - I go for a long walk through one of the neighborhoods I'm hoping we can buy a house in someday

Dance in front of the mirror! hehe

i hate doing cardio too long so my advice is high intensity interval training, you can do it in less than 20 minutes and the cals burnt is equal to that if you did 40-50 mins of it. Just alternate high intensity to med/low intensity an example would be I'd warm up to a 1 minute fast walk then sprint for as long as I can then fast walk again. Try to get in 10-15 sprints then you're good to go.

Take a class. Who says you have to run?

OR switch it up--do ten or fifteen minutes on one machine, then switch to another one.

OR find a program for the treadmill that requires you to change the incline or speed every 30 seconds. You'll be so distracted that 30 minutes goes by like a heartbeat.

Remember that nobody loves repetition. The world's greatest musicians admit they hate practicing. Marathoners need help to keep going. It takes practice to learn to get through it. In no time you won't mind cardio at all!

Today it rained.,...sot instead of not doing anything i went to mall...walked, took the stairs, and carried heavy bags! haha

I really like swimming, but I, too, hate swimming in public. I started going with a friend that felt just as conspicuous as me. I also scoped out the gym for the least crowded times- when I'm guaranteed to get a lane, and there's a good chance I'm the only one there.

Don't underestimate the value of just FUN stuff, either. My b/f and I play pool basketball during the summer, and that leaves me just as exhausted as running for an hour!

try spinning

go with a friend..the time passes SOOOO much quicker...i go alone but always have my mp3 plugged in..

I loathe cardio. It just bores me, but to get some exercise I make myself take a walk. If nature isn't a big enough motivation for me that day, I walk to a coffee shop a mile away. That way I get a reward in the middle of the walk, and I don't feel like I'm exercising. Sometimes I find it hard to do things without an immediate goal.

I work out while reading books that don't take a ton of brainpower and are quick reads. This way, I can partially concentrate on good form, but also have something to distract me from how long it's taking. If I'm in a really good part of the book and my program stops, I've been known to add more time to finish a chapter.

Dance! Whether you take a class to learn ballroom, salsa, etc, or go out dancing at a club - it gets your heart pumping, and you have tons of fun!

Yes dance routine is excellent! you can take a class, go to club or buy a dvd and practice at home!