Need to get your heart pumping, but can't stand the thought of jogging or cycling? That's perfectly normal - many people get bored and disconnect due to the repetitive nature or running and similar activities.

While some people can go to the gym and run for a solid hour, others need something more stimulating. This is why we are providing you with a run-down of ideas for more fun cardio activities.

The '55'

This one doesn't involve any particularly fun activities, but there's no running involved. By the time you have completed the 55 challenge, you will have completed 55 squats and 55 push-ups.

Your first step is to complete 10 squats and 1 push-up. After this, you can rest for 30 seconds.

The next set of exercises is 9 squats and 2 push-ups. You will perform 11 exercises each time, increasing and decreasing each type to follow the pattern.

Completing exercises this way helps you to remain engaged mentally by counting the reps, and achieve a great cardio session!

Battle ropes

This one is fun to watch - it involves holding two thick pieces of rope and lifting them with alternate arms.

The motion creates waves in the ropes, which can be enjoyable to observe. Naturally, the ropes are heavy, making for a sharp increase in heart rate. Much more enjoyable than running or cycling!

Water aerobics

If being in the water is your thing, water aerobics might be the cardio activity for you. Even treading water for one minute burns 11 calories, which is equivalent to a run at 6mph!

There are a variety of strokes you can learn to swim with - from breaststroke to butterfly. Some strokes require elevated levels of fitness to sustain, but it can be great fun to get in the water and simply swim as many laps as possible.

Weighted hula-hooping

Hula hooping can be a fun yet hypnotic cardio activity. If you're already able to hula-hoop for around 10 minutes, adding some weight to the hoop can prove to be a great cardio challenge. On average, women can burn 165 calories in 30 minutes of hula-hooping, and men can burn 200 in the same amount of time.

To make hula-hooping easier, you should use a hoop that is the right size for you. When resting vertically, the hoop should reach a point between your waist and chest.

Rollerblading

An awesome activity that can burn calories too, it beats running in terms of enjoyment hands down!

Specifically, it can burn up to 400 calories in one hour. Some researchers even place inline skating in the top 3 activities for maintaining physical fitness and wellbeing.

Rollerblading has a host of benefits, including but not limited to:

• Muscle building: the balance required to rollerblade successfully means leg muscles are quickly developed, as well as the buttocks, hips and back.
• Since your heart is a muscle, rollerblading is great for cardiovascular health. The American Heart Foundation labels the sport as one of the most effective forms of aerobic exercise, averaging 150 beats per minute in the heart of a standard skater.
• Creating endorphins, which boost mood. They also help maintain mental concentration, which is important for developing rollerblading skills.

As you can see, there are lots of vigorous cardio activities to practice - it doesn't always have to involve jogging!