In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to neglect our health and wellbeing. However, taking care of ourselves should always be a top priority, and one of the best ways to do this is through regular exercise. In particular, cardio exercise has been shown to have many benefits for both the body and mind, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to improve their overall health and fitness.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of cardio exercise in more detail, as well as some tips for getting started with this type of physical activity.
Cardio Exercise Benefits
Some of the benefits of cardio exercise are:
- It burns fat and calories, making it easier to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
- It strengthens your heart, muscles and lungs, making them more efficient and reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.
- It boosts your mood, energy and brain function by releasing endorphins and other chemicals that make you feel good and improve your memory, concentration and creativity.
- It enhances your sleep quality, especially if the exercise is moderate to vigorous in intensity, as it helps you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper.
- It lowers your stress levels, as it helps you cope with challenges and emotions in a positive way.
- It protects your bones and joints, as weight-bearing exercises like walking, running or jumping help prevent osteoporosis and arthritis.
How much cardio exercise do you need?
The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week.
You can also do a combination of both. Moderate-intensity means that you can talk but not sing while exercising, while vigorous-intensity means that you can only say a few words before pausing for breath.
Some examples of moderate-intensity cardio workouts are brisk walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, and gardening. High-intensity cardio exercises include running, rowing, jumping rope, aerobics and HIIT (high-intensity interval training)
You can also use machines like indoor bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, steppers or rowers for indoor cardio workouts. The important thing is to choose an activity that you enjoy, and that suits your fitness level and goals.
Best Cardio Workouts
There are many types of cardio exercises that you can do to get your heart pumping and your blood flowing. Here are some examples of the best cardio workouts that you can try:
- Walking: Walking is one of the easiest and most accessible forms of cardio exercise. You can walk anywhere, anytime, at your own pace and distance. Walking is a low-impact exercise that is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. It can help burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, strengthen bones and muscles, and reduce stress and anxiety. You can increase your speed, distance, duration, or incline to make walking more challenging. You can also use a pedometer or an app to track your steps and calories burned.
- Running: Running is a high-intensity exercise that can help you burn more calories in less time than walking. Running can also improve your aerobic capacity, endurance, speed, power and agility. Running can help you prevent or manage various health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Running can also boost your mood, confidence and self-esteem. To start running, you should warm up properly, wear comfortable shoes and clothes, choose a safe route or terrain, and follow a progressive training plan that suits your goals and abilities. You can also use a stopwatch or an app to track your time, distance, pace and calories burned.
- Cycling: Cycling is another great form of cardio exercise that can help you burn calories, improve your cardiovascular health, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, strengthen your legs and core muscles, and enhance your balance and coordination. Cycling can also reduce stress and depression, improve your cognitive function and memory, and protect you from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Cycling can be done indoors or outdoors, on stationary or road bikes. You can adjust your cycling sessions’ resistance, speed and duration to match your fitness level and goals. You can also use a speedometer or an app to track your speed, distance, time and calories burned.
- Swimming: Swimming is a low-impact exercise that works all the major muscle groups in your body. Swimming can help you burn calories, tone your muscles, improve your flexibility and posture, enhance your lung capacity and breathing efficiency, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce inflammation and pain. Swimming can also improve your mood, mental health and well-being. Swimming can be done in a pool or a natural body of water. You can choose from different strokes, such as freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke or butterfly. You can also vary your swimming sessions’ intensity, distance and duration to suit your fitness level and goals. You can use a lap counter or an app to track your laps, time and calories burned.
- Dancing: Dancing is a fun and enjoyable way to do cardio exercise. Dancing can help you burn calories, improve your cardiovascular health, increase your muscle strength
and endurance, improve your balance and coordination, enhance your flexibility and range
of motion, boost mood and self-expression, and reduce stress and anxiety. Dancing
can be done alone or with others, at home or in a studio. You can choose from different styles
of dancing, such as salsa, hip-hop, ballet, or Zumba. You can also adjust your dancing sessions’ intensity, duration and frequency to match your fitness level and goals.
How to get started with cardio exercise?
If you are new to cardio exercise, start slowly and gradually increase the intensity, duration and frequency of your workouts. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any medical conditions or concerns.
- Warm up for at least 5 minutes before each workout, doing some light cardio and stretching exercises to prepare your body and prevent injuries.
- Cool down for at least 5 minutes after each workout, doing some gentle cardio and stretching exercises to relax your body and prevent soreness.
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after each workout to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that fit well and support your feet and ankles.
- Listen to your body and stop or slow down if you feel any pain, discomfort or dizziness. Do not push yourself too hard or too fast.
- Rest at least one day between each workout to allow your body to recover and repair itself. Do not overdo it or overtrain.
- Track your progress by keeping a log of your workouts, noting how long, how hard and how often you exercise. You can also use a heart rate monitor, a fitness tracker or an app to measure your heart rate, calories burned, distance covered and other metrics.
- Have fun and enjoy the benefits of cardio exercise!
Cardio vs Strength Training: Which Is Better for You?
Cardio exercise is not the only type of training that can benefit your health and fitness. Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is another important component of a well-rounded workout routine.
Strength training involves using weights, machines, bands or your own body weight to create resistance for your muscles. This helps them grow stronger, bigger and more defined.
Some of the benefits of strength training are:
- It builds muscle mass, which increases your resting metabolic rate (RMR) — the number of calories you burn at rest. This means you burn more calories throughout the day, even when not exercising.
- It improves your bone density, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
- It enhances your posture, balance and coordination, which prevents falls and injuries.
- It boosts your confidence, self-esteem and body image as you see positive changes in your appearance and abilities.
- It supports your joint health, as stronger muscles provide better support for your ligaments and tendons.
How much strength training do you need?
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing strength training at least two times per week for all major muscle groups. You should aim for 8–12 repetitions per set for most exercises. You can increase the weight or resistance as you get stronger.
Some examples of strength training exercises are:
- Squats
- Lunges
- Deadlifts
- Bench press
- Shoulder press
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Rows
- Pull-ups
- Push-ups
You can also use machines like cable pulleys, leg presses, chest presses or lat pulldowns to target specific muscles. The important thing is to choose exercises that challenge your muscles and that you can perform with proper form and technique.
How to get started with strength training?
If you are new to strength training, start slowly and gradually increase the weight, sets and reps of your exercises. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any medical conditions or concerns.
- Warm up for at least 5 minutes before each workout, doing some light cardio and stretching exercises to prepare your body and prevent injuries.
- Cool down for at least 5 minutes after each workout, doing some gentle cardio and stretching exercises to relax your body and prevent soreness.
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after each workout to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that fit well and support your feet and ankles.
- Listen to your body and stop or slow down if you feel any pain, discomfort or dizziness. Do not push yourself too hard or too fast.
- Rest at least one day between each workout to allow your body to recover and repair itself. Do not overdo it or overtrain.
- Track your progress by keeping a log of your workouts, noting how much weight, how many sets and how many reps you do for each exercise. You can also use a tape measure, a scale or a mirror to measure your body changes.
- Have fun and enjoy the benefits of strength training!
So, which is better for you — cardio or strength training?
The answer is both! Cardio and strength training have different but complementary benefits for your health and fitness. They work together to improve your cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal, metabolic and mental well-being.
Ideally, you should do both types of training in a balanced way that suits your goals, preferences and schedule. For example, you can do cardio on some days and strength training on others, or you can do both in the same session by alternating between them or doing circuit training.
Cardio Exercise for Health and Fitness: Final Words
Cardio exercise is a great way to improve your health and fitness, as it has many benefits for your body and mind. You can choose from a variety of cardio exercises that suit your preferences, goals and abilities. You can also combine cardio exercise with strength training for a balanced and effective workout routine. The most important thing is to find a type of cardio exercise that you enjoy and that you can do regularly. Remember that any exercise is better than no exercise, so start where you are and work your way up from there.
Sources:
: 13 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise: Why Cardio Fitness Is Important
: Benefits of a Cardio Workout – Cleveland Clinic
: Health Benefits of Aerobic Exercises and Cardio Training – WebMD
: Cardio: Everything You Need to Know About Cardio Exercise – Verywell Fit
: Aerobic exercise: Top 10 reasons to get physical – Mayo Clinic
: Cardio vs Strength Training: Which Is Better for You? – Nike.com
: Cardio vs. Weight Lifting: Which Is Better for Weight Loss? – Healthline
: Cardio vs. Strength Training: Is One Better than the Other? – Bulletproof