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Cardio Exercise

What Cardio is the most effective?

You already know that one of the most important things you can do for weight loss goals and general fitness, is regular cardio exercise. Below are the best cardio activities for blurning calories and getting in great shape and keeping fit.

Running
Running (or jogging) is one of best activities you can do. It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, it burns a lot of calroies, esespecially if you add hills and sprints. A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. Work out different "routes" to do in your area, and don't be scared about it. Some people feel self conscious, I know I did at first, but don't worry about it. And if you feel you won't be able to run for long, walk some parts of it and run for intervals. I generally run on flat areas, and walk uphills. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.

Cross Country Skiing
Whether you're on a gym machine or on actual snow, cross-country skiing is an incredible cardio exercise. What makes it so great is that it involves your upper and lower body, which means it doesn't take much to get your heart rate soaring. If you're not sure about cross country sking or don't have access to a track or machine, see the elliptical further down. A 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing. The downside is: it's HARD. Take your time and ease into it.

Cycling
Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you'll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

Elliptical
The elliptical trainer (or cross trainer as it's more commonly known) is a great way to build endurance while protecting your aching joints from high impact activities. Plus, if you use one with arms, it's just like using a skiing machine. It's also great for runners who can suffer from knee and ankle pains from the pavement. A 145-lb person burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

Swimming
Swimming, like cross-country skiing, is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you'll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you'll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don't have to worry about high-impact injuries. It's also great cross-training for other cardio activities.

Step Aerobics
Step aerobics is an aerobics class held at almost every gym, and is a hugely popular class. Step is a tough workout that targets your legs, bum and hips (you may also hear it referred to as "Legs Bums and Tums class") while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes (during high intensity sessions). Though it might look complicated, step is easy to learn if you start with a beginner class or video.

Rowing
This is an often overlooked machine in the gym because most people are confused about how it works. Vigorous rowing can really get your heart rate up while working your arms like crazy. Plus, it's probably not somethig you do very often which means you'll burn even more calories, as you're using muscle groups that you wouldn't normally use. In 30 minutes, a 145-lb person can burn about 300 calories.

Rock climbing
Rock climbing burns 380 calories in 30 minutes, but this in't an activity for everyone. Though you use strength and power with your arms and legs, rock climbing has a high learning curve and requires lots of special equipment and techniques so you don't hurt yourself.

Walking
If you put a little oomph into it, walking is a great exercise, burning about 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn. Make sure you walk briskly--pretend you're trying to catch a bus--and keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.

Handball
Similar to racquetball (but without the racquet), the side-to-side sprints will get your heart rate up as well as strengthen your legs. The learning curve is high, so plan on practicing a lot before you can even hit the ball. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calores in 30 minutes.

How long should I exercise for?

After you choose what to do, the most important element of your workout will now be how long you do it. You should work on duration before you work on anything else--it's more important than how fast you're going. If you're a beginner, be cautious and start with a few minutes, adding more time to each workout until you're up to 30 minutes.

The 'official' guidelines say to workout for an hour. If you don't have that kind of time, use whatever time you DO have, even if you have to:

    * Do mini-workouts throughout the day
    * Take a few minutes here and there for some stair-climbing or speed walking
    * Do all those things you know you should be doing: take the stairs, walk more.
    * Make the time. People who workout don't have more time than people who don't. Regular exercisers have learned how to prioritise their time and make exercise one of the top on the list. That hour of TV watching you do? You could be going for a jog. Plus, they know it makes life better, and know that soemtimes, all the you might not feel like doing it, once you get going you feel great, and afterwards you certainly do.
    * Do something...anything. if you think 5 minutes isn't enough time to workout, you couldn't be more wrong. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 40 minutes--every single minute counts so don't give it the I've-only-go-a-few-minutes excuse because I'm not buying it and you shouldn't either. Go offer to do that errand for your mum that she wants you to do and walk to do it. Go walk the dog for 20 minutes. Mow the lawn, vaccuumn. Yeah chores suck but your mum will love you for it, and it's good cardio you can do from home. It's not change-your-life give-you-the-hottest-body-ever cardio, but it's better than sitting on your ass, isn't it?

Note: doing too much cardio is a bad idea too. You don't need to kill yourself with hours of cardio--there is a point of diminishing returns, so keep it reasonable and don't forget to take some rest days.

How often should you exercise?

How often you workout depends on your fitness level and when you can make time. Beginners should start with about 2 or 3 times a week with a one day gap between each day.
These are general guidelines (note these guidlines are the amount of time you spend exercising.. which includes weights and resistance training as well as cardio.):

    * To maintain current fitness level: 2-3 days a week (at least 20 minutes)
    * To lose weight: 3-4 days a week (at least 30 minutes) or 3 days a week for 45mins to an hr.

It really depends on what exercise you do NOW. If you already exercise 2 days a week for 30 minutes, ad an extra day in there or 15 mins onto each workout. If you do no regular exercise, start slow. Do just 2 days a week for 2 weeks, 30mins per workout. Then for weeks 3 and 4, step it up to 45 mins per workout, or add an extra day. Then in weeks 6 and 8, build to 1 hr workouts, or add another day.

But yes, soemtimes, it can be hard to find the time. So don't be too hard on yourself if you can't, just find ways around it. Walk more than day, take the stairs more.. Then do it for however many days you DO have. if you only have two days to workout (and you'd have to work really really REALLY hard to convince me you can't find another day to exercise, but whatever), then that's what you do. it's certainly better than nothing at all, which is what some people do if they have a busy day - "well, i may as well not bother at all".

Keep in mind that if you can't follow the guidelines, you may have trouble reaching your goals. if you can't do the work required to reach your goals, you have two choices:

   1. Change your schedule/lifestyle/whatever to accommodate your goal, or
   2. Change your goal

it's totally up to you. There's nothing binding you to your goals and if you know you can't (or won't) do what it takes, then why lie to yourself? Admit what you'll really do and move forward instead of setting yourself up for failure with goals you know you aren't going to work for.

Exercise without knowing you're exercising..

Almnost everyone I talk to about this kind of thing agreed that the best kind of exercise is when you don't even realise you're doing it. When you're just doing an activity, chore, or sport and getting a great workout without even thinking about it. Here's a few:

Walking:
Yeah, it's been mentioned.. but just walking to the bus stop, getting off a stop early, walking the dog for your parents/neighbour, or going with a friend to walk theirs, taking your kid brother or sister out for a walk, walking to do errands.. just any extra walking you can incorporate into your day with help burn extra calories. Walking at a reasonably brisk pace can burn around 50 calories every 15 minutes.

Taking the stairs:
It's the old cliche but it's true, taking the stairs rather the the lift/elevator is such a small change but can help. It helps tone your legs and bum up a little and picks your heart rate up for a couple of minutes. It's not going to change your life, but it certainly won't kill you either.

Housework:
Hah, your mum will love you if you start doing more chores! off to dust or vacuumn, because 15 mins can burn around 40 calories. Just put some music on to make it a bit more enjoyable.

Clean the car:
It's cheaper, better for the environment and a great form of exercise. Put your back into it, put some music on, and maybe offer to do your parents too, and you'll get even more benefit! 15 mins of car washing can burn about 45 calories.

Cycling:
It's been mentioned in the Cardio section but make it fun and go with your friend or boyfriend.

Take up a sport:
Even if it's with school or whatever, or a class you take up with a friend. Here's a list of various stuff I found on a decent site:

Aqua aerobics (a class you can take at most pools/fitness centres/gyms)
Basketball
Baseball
Dodgeball
Horsriding
Football (soccer)
Hiking
Ice hockey/ice skating
Kayaking
Laser quest/laser tag
Swimming
Tennis
Yoga
Volleyball
Tae Bo
Spinning class
Squash
Kickboxing

Decorating:
Redecorate your room for the Summer, or offer to do a room you know your parents would like repainting. You can burn upto 150 calories every half hour, and it usually takes a good 3 or 4 hours to paint a decent sized room. It's more fun with a friend when you listen to music too.

Clean/Rearrange your room:
You could burn around 150 calories an hour rearranging and spring cleaning your room, and you feel tons better afterwards. Thisd could also be me, but when I feel more organised and I'm in a tider and mroe organised environment, I feel more motivated to go out and exercise or eat better. I know that souynds rediculous, but when I wake up and I'm in a nice, big clean space, I feel really refreshed and energised.

Watch TV!
Lol sounds rediculous, but whenever the ads are on between TV programmes, go get a glass of water or make a herbal tea, and walk around the house and up the stairs until it comes back on. It's hardly going to give you the body of a supermodel but a little bit of interval activity is great for general metabolism health.

Waking up:
When you wake up, before you do anything, try doing 20 crunches and 20 squats. It gets your blood sugar flowing and you feel that little bit more energised and a wake, and it'll help improve muscle tone and boost your metabolism for the day.

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