There are as many ways to get your cardio done, and your heart rate up, as there are days of the month. Seriously! So if you're bored with what you're doing, why not try mixing it up!
You have a gym membership - what classes do they offer? Any of them fit into your schedule?
You can't run on the treadmill, which is fine, but what about incline training? Can you do an uphill hike on it, even at a walking pace? That can burn as many or more calories than running without the joint impact.
What other equipment does your gym have? Does it have a rowing machine? I used to do that when I needed a break and MAN, it is a burner.
Even inside your normal elliptical and stairclimber workouts, have you tried varying your program? Do some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), for example.
And then there's the whole world of cardio OUTSIDE the gym - running or walking outside, hiking, biking, canoeing...do you have pretty nature areas near you? Go walk in them! This works even better if you have a goal in mind - for example, if you'd LIKE to be able to run eventually, why not try a Couch-to-5k program or other type of goal-oriented program?
What about buying a few cardio DVDs to do when you're feeling too bored to go to the gym? You can do them in your house to vary your routine. Kickboxing, for example, is a real calorie torcher you can do with no equipment, in your living room.
My other tried and true response to exercise boredom is to get myself some new music. Something as simple as mixing up my playlist can really refresh things for me.
Getting bored isn't just bad for your mental health, it's going to slow your losses. Really! You can bet that by the time you're bored, your muscles aren't working as hard to do the same thing...your mind and body are BOTH ready to move onto something else.
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