Transform Your Fitness with This At-Home Cardio 101 Routine
Cardio training is one phrase that you might have frequently heard when you learn about fitness and athletic training. This type of training helps to boost cardiovascular or heart health and is also an amazing solution to different fitness problems including chronic heart conditions and body fat issues.
These exercises are mostly simple but require precision for the best results. Today's blog will help you understand the different components of cardio training that you require to focus on and perfect to get the best results and keep up your heart health in your busy life.
1. How often should I do cardio?
Getting cardio exercises can be difficult as it requires consistency to improve. However, medical experts and trainers recommend that one should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercises on an elliptical cross trainer or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week. This equals 10–15 minutes of high-impact training and at least 20–25 minutes of moderate-impact cardio each day. You can perform these exercises five times a week, but avoid overdoing it and space out your sessions throughout the week to allow your body the time it needs to heal and restore energy.
2. How intense should your cardio be?
It is important to understand the basics of cardio workout because it can greatly impact health. Cardio workouts give the best results without posing any danger to the health when they are done with care and the right intensity. Experts suggest that the ideal intensity for a cardio session is between 50% and 60% of your maximal heart rate for at least 20 minutes. If you can't hold up, don't force yourself; you'll improve if you can be consistent. You can take the talk test to determine the intensity
- Moderate exercise - if you can talk but can't sing while undertaking an activity.
- Intense action - even if you are only able to speak a few words with extra effort.
- Exercising too hard - if you feel almost breathless and can't talk while doing your activity.
- Not exercising hard enough - if you can sing without any effort while, say running on your home treadmill.
3. How long should each cardio session be?
When it comes to progressing in a cardio workout, there are no hard-and-fast rules. It is okay to extend the session by a few minutes per week if you have mastered the amount of time you are presently spending. We must ensure that we always maintain proper posture and form before we begin to increase the intensity. Don't hustle into it; start gradually and work your way up in terms of both time duration and workout intensity.
Why is Cardio Beneficial for Your Body?
Now that you know about the essential things to keep in mind while performing cardio exercises, here is a list of advantages to convince you to add cardio training to your daily fitness routine
- It helps to regulate the functioning of the heart and makes your heart strong so it doesn’t require as much effort to pump blood.
- Burns out excess fat and calories making weight loss easier.
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Increases your endurance by encouraging the intake of oxygen which helps the lungs and body to function better.
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Reduces the risk of chronic heart conditions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
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Elevates your mood, as the increased blood flow releases happy hormones and reduces stress.
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After a good cardio workout, your body is tired thus, it helps you to sleep better.
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Improves your physical form and boosts your confidence.
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It is a fun way to work out and lose those extra calories.
List of Best Cardio Exercises to Add in Your Routine
Cardio training is not just about cycling or running, there are a variety of fun exercises that you can add to your fitness regime as a cardio workout. All of these workouts range from moderate to high intensity exercises that you can practice at home or at your gym.
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Walking – The most leisurely and the best way to start including cardio in your daily routine. You can either walk outdoors or invest in the best treadmill for home for training at your own convenience.
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Running – This one is effortless too, but you need to take some precautions and don’t try to over-exert. Progress slowly and steadily in terms of increasing your pace and distance.
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High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – Short intervals at maximum intensity followed by short periods of rest in between reps. It is one of the most efficient full-body workouts to burn fat and calories.
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Bike Riding or Cycling – Cycling targets the leg muscles, thus building them and simultaneously managing the cholesterol levels that affect heart health.
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Stair Climber – it employs more muscles than walking. With every continuous stair climbing session of 10 minutes, you can burn up to 100 calories.
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Jumping Rope – This fun yet simple workout is a great way to burn calories and regulate the functioning of the body by lowering sugar levels.
Tips to Consider While Choosing Your Cardio Exercise
- Don’t perform an exercise just because it burns more calories do something you enjoy and you’ll end up doing it for long enough to burn enough amount of calories
- Choose an exercise that you can do a good number of times a week or something you’ll look forward to each day that will make fitness enjoyable
- Once you get into the routine and are efficiently doing the current set of exercises, it is time to increase the duration or intensity or perhaps try some new high-intensity cardio
- Keep things easy please don’t complicate things, don’t try to compete with anyone but yourself, and keep on improving you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you have a good and perfectly calculated cardio training routine, you can make your heart healthier and live longer. Just like too much of anything is bad, over-exerting in exercises can be harmful too. Strike a balance between your body's requirements and fitness goals.
If you dislike going outside for workouts, you should consider investing in the best treadmill in India. Help you solve your weight management and heart health issues at home. With your training equipment around, you can workout anytime, that too without stepping out of your comfort zone.
