It's no coincidence that 'treadmill' is listed under 'tedium' in Roget's Thesaurus. Imitating a lab rat is hardly one of life's thrills. No matter what kind of exercise you do, how many calories you burn or how many dress sizes you drop, boredom is bound to hit you at some point. When monotony strikes, turn to these suggestions to transform your workout from a snore to a score.

Get pre-programmed to avoid a fitness plateau.
Most gym and home exercise machines have a manual mode that allows you to control how tough your workout is. But, it’s easy to get lazy and stay at the same pace throughout your workout. If you find yourself feeling like your exercise programme is too easy, experiment with the various pre-designed ones in the computer's memory. They’re brilliant because you don't have to decide what to do next, yet they challenge you just the same.

Read a mag or listen to a tape.
Exercise mags offer lots of encouragement and contain easy-to-skim lists—the kind that are perfect to read when you're drenched in sweat on the stair climber and want something short and inspirational. Listening to a book on tape or even to your favourite music is a great way to zone out and take your mind off of your workout, both indoors and outdoors. One caveat: Don't turn up the volume so loud that you lose awareness of your surroundings.

Exercise in short spurts.
To prevent boredom, alternate 5 or 10 minutes of cardio exercise with 5 minutes of weight lifting, or mix two 5- minute sets of different cardio exercise (switch from the treadmill to the bike, say). Breaking up your workout into small bits is a great way to burn maximum calories and improve your health. However, longer steady workouts are more effective for building overall endurance.

Have a think.
People tend to have their most creative ideas when they're doing something repetitive that doesn't involve intense focus. But, don't set out to solve the NHS crisis. Instead, use your time to ponder more solvable dilemmas, such as how you can get your boss off your back or how to deal with your in-laws.

Watch the telly.
If you’re in the gym, tune in to whatever you fancy, whether it's GMTV or Panorama. To add some spice to your workout, increase your intensity during the adverts. Many gyms now have extensive entertainment systems that allow you to tune in to the telly, surf the Internet, listen to a CD or choose from dozens of films, so you have no excuse for getting bored mid-sweat.

Monitor your heart rate.
To keep yourself occupied, use a heart rate monitor to create an interval programme. For instance, after warming up, you might alternate 5 minutes at the low end of your target heart rate zone with 5 minutes at the high end. Some machines have built-in heart rate monitors that calculate your heart rate when you grasp the handles. Or you can wear the type of monitor that wraps around your chest. The machine picks up the signal from the heart rate monitor strap and beams it on to the console right alongside speed and distance. Or if you're exercising outdoors, you can wear a special watch that picks up a signal from the chest strap.

Be chatty.
Some people believe if they're able to talk while exercising then they must not be working hard enough to make a difference. But that’s hardly the case. In general, during workouts your breath should be heavier than normal, but not so laboured that you can’t carry on a conversation.

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