You all know I am a fan of cross training since it adds a nice variety to a workout routine. Even if you don't cross train, you should vary your workouts to reap even more benefits from your cardio time. 
You need to play with speed, distance, and rate and mix it all up. This variety confuses your body and helps you burn more calories as well as increase your fitness level.
So mix up short and intense runs, less distance at a faster pace, with longer and slower runs to work on endurance – this variation works for cardio machines, too. If you run outside vary your terrain, doing some hill runs mixed with runs with less inclines. This also applies to the treadmill; you need to play around with the incline. And don't forget about intervals. Mix up short and long intervals of pushing your pace and then slowing down to recover.
With this much variety in your workout plan, you will never get bored and neither will your body!
Comme des Garcons
Heals
Emporio Armani
I try and do a mix between power walking, jogging, stairmaster, and ellipitcal(sp?)!
1I need to vary because the elliptical is so boring some times...
2What is the difference between speed and rate?
3I do the elliptical every day, but its a cross training machine right??? I can do that?
4i mix up between speed, incline, time and machines throughout the week.
5Yep - this is so true. You can tell when your routine gets too easy or it's not working any longer. Often when people are losing weight and they hit a plateau, this is the cause.
6inclines kill. AAAAAAAAAH sore butts
7I think by rate she means heart rate. I mix it up as often as I can. I've been trying to run for a bit at first to get my heart rate up. Then I start switching up speed, incline and way I'm facing. Like I'll walk backwards on the treadmill at a medium incline and slower pace, then I'll lower the incline and do some sidesteps, then I'll face forward again and jack the incline all the way up, then back down for some more running, etc, etc. As long as it keeps me from getting bored, its good to me! Tonight I'm getting off the treadmill where I've been for a few days and hitting the bike and elliptical.
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