In the gym world, there are exercises that everyone loves to do. Who doesn’t love working their biceps or really getting into a good chest workout? But there are also the exercises that everyone hates. The boring, tiring, painful, monotonous excuse for fitness called cardio. Cardio can take many forms and they are all, generally, boring and painful.

However, I’ll focus on running for this. 

There are a few things you can do to make this waste of time more bearable. Cardio is different from other exercises in some important ways. When you’re at the bench, you have a concrete goal. You’ve got the weight, you’ve got a number of repetitions you’re trying to reach and you can strive for it. When you run it’s basically just “Do this strenuous activity until it hurts and then…keep going!” Oh, you have a cramp? Dang, try running some more! Finally, ran two miles? Great, now run back.

In all the other fitness activities, if something is actually hurting that’s the time to stop. When running, however, just suck it up! Notice, I’m not talking about pain, like a cramp in your side or your shoulders killing you on the incline. I just mean being sore.

Another general problem with running is that it is also, quite possibly, the most boring activity on the face of the planet. It’s just completing the same repetitive motion over and over again for a length of time. The best thing you can do to make this more bearable is to bring an iPhone (because who has an iPod anymore?) and play some music. If you’re a guy, whatever you do, please do not wear those tiny little running shorts. This is not the 1980s and you are not a girl. Also, I’ve heard that some runners shave their legs to reduce friction? Except for those who are running for OU or at the Olympics, it really just sounds more like your looking for an excuse to shave your legs. Another, quick tip for the guys beginning a jogging routine: if you are not yet in shape and are running outside, please don’t take off your shirt. It’s not a pretty picture.

 The reasons we still have to do it are vast, yet barely enough to motivate one to ever run. Yes, running is a great way to condition and burn off fat. Yes, it’s a pretty efficient way to get abs and it tones up your legs better than any other workout. These reasons, alone, are enough to hit the jogging track. Also, I’d wager that running around sorority circle is probably an incentive to the more desperate joggers out there.

In summation, running is something you have to do if you want a well-rounded workout and body. While it may be the most miserable part of anyone’s day, it is still a necessity if you are trying to get fit. So go out there and get to running. Don’t creep anyone out with unnecessarily short shorts and do your best to get into that spring break shape that is so annoyingly hard to achieve.