Cardio includes any form of activity that causes an increase in your heart rate. Cardio is excellent for your heart and lungs and benefits people who want to reach or maintain a certain weight or stay healthy.
Cardio exercises have many beneficial effects on our bodies. Doing regular cardio sessions can help promote the following:
- an increased sense of well-being
- a decrease in stress
- less emotional exhaustion
- reduced body fat mass
- improved weight loss
- reduction in body fat percentage
Here are some of the best types of cardio and the benefits of each one.
Running
Running and jogging are some of the most popular exercises when it comes to cardio. There are different reasons to start running such as weight loss and fitness maintenance or just for fun. If you are just starting out, start with a light jog and build yourself up to prevent you from overexerting yourself too quickly.
Running regularly has many benefits including –
- Improved muscle strength, specifically your calves and glutes
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Helps to maintain a healthy weight
See another blog here for a full list of the benefits of running – Top 10 Benefits of Running
Don’t forget to stretch out your muscles before you run and cool down with some light stretches after to prevent any straining on your muscles.
Cycling
Another very popular form of cardio is cycling, which gets your heart pumping and helps build muscle (such as gluteal, hamstring, and calf muscles) without too much stress being put on your joints.
Cycling is a low-impact exercise, which means it is ideal for people of all ages. You can get stationary bikes also which still have many of the same health benefits. Some benefits of cycling include –
- Increase in bone density
- Eases joint pain and stiffness
- Decrease in stress levels
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Swimming
Another popular low-impact cardio activity is swimming. Research shows that people find it easier to exercise for longer in the water than on land, which means that you can do it regularly without feeling too much strain. Swimming is a full-body workout, working your upper body, core, and lower body.
With swimming comes many great health benefits such as :
- Tones the muscles in your whole body
- Builds strength
- Helps to reduce stress
Jumping Rope
While being a game when we were kids, jumping rope is also an excellent form of cardio for people who are trying to keep fit, maintain their weight, or lose weight. Jumping rope doesn’t require any special skills, just a jump rope, some space, and comfortable shoes.
Jumping rope helps strengthen calf muscles and arm muscles along with your core. It is recommended to add 15 minutes of jump rope to your daily exercise.
The health benefits of jumping rope include:
- Improvement in your coordination
- Reduce in stress
- Increase your agility
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HIIT
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is made up of a series of short or long intense exercises, followed by a low-intensity exercise or rest. Some common HIIT exercises include squat jumps, star jumps, burpees, and crunches.
HIIT can provide many health benefits including:
- Increase in muscle strength
- Lower blood pressure
- Burn calories quickly
The best thing about HIIT is the little time it takes, which means if you don’t have time to go for a run or cycle you can do HIIT and keep heading toward your goals.
How to Get the Most out of Cardio
To get the most out of your cardio try the following:
- make sure to warm up before and cool down after each workout session
- eat a healthy, balanced diet
- give your body time to recover between workouts
- create a weekly exercise routine
- set clear and precise goals
- start off slow and build up your strength and stamina
Check out our wide selection of workout programs including ones focused on cardio training. Take our survey to get the best program for you.
