It's not a secret that aerobic activity is essential for the health of your heart, body and mind. After all, regular cardio exercise has been shown to reduce body fat, decrease total cholesterol, boost mood, lower resting heart rate and improve heart and lung function. It's almost like a magic "health" pill when you think about!
So why don't more people do cardio regularly? Well, some think it has to be extremely difficult or miserable to count, and others just don't set aside the time to make it a priority. Both camps, in fact, are misguided, as aerobic exercise doesn't have to be back-breaking (it can actually be fun!) and being active is a cornerstone to living a long, healthy life. When you get right down to it, what do we have if we don't have our health?
The really fantastic news is that cardio doesn't have to take you forever and it doesn't have to be at the gym, nor does it have to include running or other high-impact exercises if those aren't your speed. There are hundreds of cardio options out there. The trick is picking a few that you like and then doing them intensely enough to count as cardiovascular exercise.
How does one particular thing go from "activity" to "cardio?" It just has to meet two principles:
- The first is intensity: It only counts as cardio when you elevate your heart rate into an aerobic zone, which is 55 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You can calculate your target heart rate here. Simply check your pulse during any activity to find out if your activity counts as exercise.
- The second is time: For any activity to count as cardio, it has to last at least 10 minutes per session. Shoot for a minimum of 10 to 20 minutes per session, building up to a full hour over time. And remember, time can be cumulative, so 10 minutes here and there throughout the day is a perfectly fine and convenient way to squeeze in your cardio!
Lastly, for best results, you need to do at least three days of cardio—with no more than two days off between sessions—per week. As you get stronger, you can work toward doing cardio five to six days a week.
Anything from the extensive list below that meets the intensity and time guidelines above can count as aerobic exercise!
At the Gym
- Elliptical trainer
- Stair stepper (Stairmaster)
- Stationary or recumbent bike
- Jacob's ladder (the climbing "treadmill" often seen on "The Biggest Loser")
- Arm ergometer (arm cycle)
- Rowing machine
- Circuit training
- Burpees
- Treadmill (walking or running)
- Kettlebells
- Interval training
- Sprinting
- Box jumps
- Battle ropes
- High knees
- Step-ups
- Plyometrics
Household Chores
- Vacuuming
- Scrubbing floors
- Cleaning the bathtub
- Washing windows
- Mopping
- Changing sheets
- Painting
- Heavy renovations (pulling carpet, knocking down walls, etc.)
- Moving furniture
- Raking
- Gardening
- Cleaning the gutters
- Washing the car
- Mowing the lawn with a push mower
- Shoveling snow
- Sweeping the patio and walkways
- Cleaning out the garage
- Raking leaves
- Heavy landscaping such as planting trees, shrubs and bushes
The Great Outdoors
- Cycling
- Hiking
- Snowshoeing
- Downhill skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Water skiing
- Wakeboarding
- Rock climbing
- Jogging / Running
- Power walking (brisk walking)
- Interval running
- Rollerblading
- Paddling a canoe
- Nordic walking
- Surfing
- Paddle boarding
- Swimming
- Water jogging/running
- Skateboarding
- Bleacher running
- Ice skating
Sports
- Tennis
- Flag football
- Hitting balls at the driving range
- Soccer
- Hockey
- Basketball
- Lacrosse
- Boxing
- Volleyball
- Martial arts
- Kickboxing
- Kickball
- Karate
- Jiu-jitsu
- Racquetball
Group Classes
- Spinning
- Step aerobics
- Jazzercise
- Zumba
- Bootcamp
- Power yoga (Ashtanga and/or Vinyasa)
- Salsa dancing
- Dance classes or lessons
- Cardio kickboxing
- Hi-lo floor aerobics
- Water aerobics
- BODYPUMP
- Pound
- Silver Sneakers
- Gliding
- Orangetheory Fitness
- BBG or PWR programs
- Barry's Boot Camp
- Hip-hop dance
- Sports conditioning
- Group boxing
- CrossFit
- Krav Maga
- StrollerStrides or StrollerFit classes
- Turbokick
Play Time
- Walking the dog
- Run with the dog
- Playing with your children
- Dodgeball
- Tag
- Hooping (hula hooping)
- Obstacle courses
- Jump rope
- Water games in a pool
- Playing with your dog
- Skipping
- Hop scotch
- Taking the stairs
- Jumping jacks
- Trampoline jumping (rebounding)
As you can see, there is no shortage of options! Have fun finding some new favorite cardio exercises from the list above. With this many choices, there's never an excuse to get bored or dread cardio ever again!
This article has been reviewed and approved by certified personal trainers Jen Mueller and Nicole Nichols.
Updated April 2017
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