Banish workout boredom

If you’re used to exercising outdoors, a few minutes on a gym cardio machine can feel like the ultimate drudgery. Spice things up by adding a little competition—in the form of Spin class or martial arts—to your routine, suggests Geralyn Coopersmith, fitness expert and author of Fit and Female.
“When you work out on your own, it’s difficult to push yourself, but when there are people around you, you feed off of their energy and that keeps you going,” she says. Sophisticated equipment designed to boost motivation is also arriving in gyms: The Expresso Fitness Bike—which can be found at Gold’s gyms, NY Sports Clubs, some YMCAs, and Crunch locations nationwide—lets you race against other riders both in your gym and other locations around the country. (To find a gym near you with an Expresso bike, call 888.528.8589.) Or try setting the treadmill on an interval course that will have you changing inclines and speeds, so you’ll have to stay alert. You can also download an audio books or educational podcasts, which can keep you distracted while you’re working up a sweat.