As far as our health and well-being is concerned, cardiovascular exercise is incredibly important for a whole variety of different reasons. To begin with, cardio is important because of the fact that it helps you to burn fat. Being overweight and carrying excess body fat puts you at risk of all kinds of ailments and health conditions, including: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and organ failure. Your mental health is also more likely to suffer as a result of being overweight. But, is there any other reasons to do cardio? Well yes, actually, there are lots of reasons. You see, cardio helps improve endurance and stamina, it increases your energy levels, it enhances your metabolism, and it strengthens your heart, lungs, and other major organs. One thing many people agree on however, is that cardio can get pretty boring. Well, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way. To prove so, here are five ways to make cardio fun in 2018. Listen to your favourite music – Firstly, having any music during cardio is better than no music, but if you can, always listen to your favourite music. There are plenty of apps you can use via your phone, along with headphones which will allow you to listen to your favourite music as you exercise, so make sure you take advantage of this tech the next time you jump on the treadmill, or head out for a walk or run. Music you enjoy will increase adrenalin and will help get you fired up, allowing you to work harder as you exercise. Find a training partner – Secondly, another great way of making your cardio workouts more enjoyable is to train with a buddy. When you perform cardio with a friend, it doesn’t matter whether you go cycling, walking, running, play sports, or just hop on the treadmill, you will both motivate each other, plus the time passes much faster when you have somebody to talk to. Remember that you don’t have to stick with jogging – Jogging is a great form of cardio, there’s no denying that, but it’s not the only form of cardio ever created. If you like jogging then that’s great, but if you don’t, or if you feel like a change, remember that there are so many more possibilities out there to choose from. You could try walking, you could try using different cardio equipment in the gym, you could go cycling, you could swim, the possibilities are endless. Find a sport you enjoy – If there’s a particular sport that you enjoy playing, then why not get involved again? That way, not only can you get fit and burn fat, but you will also have fun at the same time. You could play games with a friend, I.E racquetball, or you could consider signing up for a local sports team perhaps? When you enjoy the exercise you’re doing, it doesn’t actually feel like exercise at all. Make your cardio workouts a challenge – If your cardio workouts consist primarily of you jumping on the treadmill and performing the same monotonous routine, counting down the minutes until you feel you’ve done enough then something has to change. We don’t all have the luxury of training with a buddy, and sometimes the routine we stick with is our only choice. To help make things interesting, and to push yourself harder, why not make your cardio workouts a competition with yourself? Each session or round, try to focus on beating your last previous best. If you are flat out sprinting, don’t allow yourself a break until you reach a certain distance, or burn off a certain amount of calories. You’d be surprised by just what a difference this can make.