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I know a lot of people who go to the gym, look around, and think, “Now what? I didn’t get here in time for the class, I’m bored of the ellyptical machine, and the bikes don’t give me a good enough workout.”

A way to breathe some life into your cardio workouts is to do intervals. Now, they’re hard work. But you truly get an awesome workout. Doing bursts of hard exercise not only improves cardiovascular fitness, but also the body’s ability to burn fat. Simply put, high-intensity workouts burn more calories.

The stairclimber is a great way to try an interval workout. Start at a speed you would normally consider average for you. For me, this is a ‘10.’ Step at this speed for 3 minutes. Then, on the 4th minute, go up to a speed that’s very intense. For me, this is a ‘14.’ I did this for 25 minutes this morning and I was sweating, breathing heavily, using every bit of energy…but so proud of myself when I was finished. Note: everyone is different! You know your own body, so gauge what feels right for you. I couldn’t have done a ‘10′ to a ‘14′ a few months ago, I worked up to that. Start low and work your way up.

If the thought of going on the stairclimber makes you want to leave the gym, ramp up your ellyptical workouts with intervals: 3 minutes moderate resistance, 1 minute hard resistance.

And then bask in the feeling of accomplishment.

The biggest challenge for a lot of people is actually mustering up the motivation to become more active. It’s tough. We’ve got a lot going on these days, with barely any extra time to squeeze in even a half hour at the gym. I know from first hand experience. When I’m ‘on’ and commited to working out, I’m on. When I’m ‘off’, well…I’m off.

In the past few months, I’ve become really consistent with working out, whether it’s going to the gym or something outdoorsy that doesn’t feel like I’m working out. Here are some ideas that helped me become more consistent.

Intensity trumps time. It’s true. 45 minutes on the ellyptical at an easy, unchallenging speed (signs: you’re not out of breath, you’re leisurely reading OK Magazine, you’re going so fast you’re practically flying off the machine), will not be that effective. On the other hand, 15 minutes of intense interval training on the Stairclimbing machine is going to be a much better workout. So, do 15 minutes of quality, rather than 20 minutues of quantity.

Go out and get a new partner. Not that type of partner. A gym partner. It’s true, setting goals with a buddy will help motivate. Keep each other in-line. 

Go outdoors. Hiking is an intense workout that’s paired with beautiful views. Or, go for a jog on the beach — the lack of stability in the sand makes your body work harder. Check out your local university’s track or stadium stairs. Try a new sport. I recently went surfing with my boyfriend and got the best workout ever…without even realizing it (until the next day, when I was sore).

Stay indoors. With a great workout video. If you don’t feel like dragging yourself out the door in the morning, drag yourself out to the living room. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a big fan of the Tracy Anderson Method mat workout video.

Track progress. It’s a little painful at first, but weigh-in, get measured, and then set some goals. You’ll feel amazing when you start seeing changes to your body. For those outdoorsy readers, a pedometer is a great way to track your walking/jogging. It always feels great when you look and realize you just ran 2 miles.

Everything counts, just add up to 30. If you are working on cardio machines, switch it up. For example, 10 minutes on the stairclimber, 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the rowing machine. It all counts.

Go to a class for variety. Running on the treadmill gets really boring. And boredom leads to quitting about 15 minutes before you’ve reached your goal. Check out a class, and if you’re in the market for a gym, find one with cool classes. Crunch has a ton, like “Moviography: The 80’s.” I’m serious. check it out: http://www.crunch.com/Classes/Fitness%20Class%20Descriptions.aspx?cat=Dance%20Rhythms

Buy cute workout clothes. Yes, this applies to the ladies – but guys too! If you invest in the right gear, you’re more apt to feel better about yourself and make a cameo at the gym.

When I first started working-out with a trainer, he had me get on the treadmill at a speed of “3,” and an incline of “15.” I said, “You’re kidding, right? This is so slow!” Then after about 15 seconds I stopped talking and realized that I was already out of breath. It’s a great low-impact workout that still gets your heart-rate up very high, burns a good amount of calories (15 minutes yesterday burned roughly 160 calories) and is great for toning your butt and legs.

So, wanted to update you on the Tracy Anderson Method. I’ve been integrating the mat workout into my workout routine and I love it! It’s tough, but you definitely start seeing results (toning up, trimming down, and not ‘bulking,’ as she says). The one thing is that she doesn’t give a ton of instructions, so you have to learn by watching. Do it a few times and you’ll get the hang of it. Click on the link to order the video :

http://tracyandersonmethoddvd.amazonwebstore.com/

After doing a mat pilates class yesterday at my local gym, I remembered why I loved it so much (I haven’t done Pilates in years). I did a little research,  and there’s a ton of Pilates studios in West LA.  Pilates Plus seems great. They offer the 30/30 workout that does 30 minutes of spinning and 30 minutes of Pilates. They offer a free introductory course, so I’m going to check it out tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes! Also, check out local studios in your area…they typically do a free class or one that’s super-reasonable.

I’ve always seen this thing at the gym and thought it looked cool, but never knew what to do with it. My trainer introduced me to it in a strength and conditioning session, and now I’m hooked. Feels a little odd at first, but once you find your balance, it’s a great workout. Now I’m doing squats on it, no problem (well, most of the time).

Check out this video. The woman uses free-weights, but I’d recommend getting the squat itself down first. I also do alternating, fast-paced lunges from side-to-side to get some cardio in.

My whole group of girls can’t stop buzzing about the Tracy Anderson Method.  Tracy Anderson Method is all about getting lean, toned muscles through dance moves that involve low-weight (own body weight/no more than 3 lb dumb bells) and a lot of reps.  I’m going to be incorporating these workouts into my own repetoire now.

Nah,  I can’t afford to go to her studios in LA/Studio City or NY/SOHO  (unlike Gwyneth and Madonna). But I’m okay with that: I can afford to check out her YouTube workouts and order her  DVD’s.

Try this YouTube workout to see if you like it– it’s surprisingly hard! Plus, Tracy just has a cool style and way about her. As I get better at these workouts, I will update. Let me know if you’ve tried her method!