Cardio exercises or Aerobic exercise offer many benefits related to physical and mental health. It is one of the worthy exercises for weight loss. One can see changes from the first day of joining the cardio classes.
Studies have proven that cardio exercise can burn more than hundreds of calories in one day undoubtedly.
By doing regular cardio, one can also accelerate the heart rate and blood flow in one’s body. This high-intensity exercise is rewarding for good sleep and a healthy body too.
If you are ready to cut down your extra pounds, read the full article and grab the information about cardiovascular exercises.
What Should Be The Duration of Cardio Workouts?
According to the World Health Organization(WHO), if a person performs 10-15 min of cardio in his/her daily routine, it is more likely to burn calories and lose body fat.
If you are a gym-goer and work hard an hour regularly to get your desired body figure, include cardio exercises 4-5 days a week.
A light or moderate-intensity cardio workout can be performed every day, but HIIT body rest should be prioritized after exercising hard.
What Are The Best Forms of Cardio Exercises for Weight Loss?
1 . Running
Running steadily at a moderate speed at a regular pace can surely help to burn calories. Even if you do not have much time to invest in your body, only a half-an-hour run can be sufficient for weight loss. But for that, you need to work on speed, endurance, frequency, and strength building.
Equipment required
For women-
- a good sports bra
- compression leggings or shorts
- comfortable shoes and socks
For men-
- Shorts or track pants
- lightweight t-shirt
- comfortable shoes and socks
Instructions
1. Warm-up: Start with jogging, hopping, or jumping for 10-15 minutes. Increase your speed every 10 seconds and end the strides with walking.
After that, cool down and take a rest for a few minutes.
2. Interval of workout: You can start running on your treadmill or any running place outside your gym or house. On the treadmill, try to increase your inclination to 2-3%. If you have chosen to run outside the area, try to run by putting in all the effort till your leg feels tired and your breathing gets faster.
3. Interval of recovery: After running fastly, try to relax and get your breathing rate normal.
Repeat the workout and recovery intervals 5-8 times regularly.
4. Cooldown: after the workout, finish it with easy jogging and exercise because it allows your body to normalize the heart rate.
Benefits
- It can burn approx 200-500 calories.
- Strengthen the body muscles
- Make bones strong and healthy
2 . Cycling
Biking or cycling is one of the excellent cardio workouts. An hour of cycling can help you burn approx 400-500 calories. Exercising on the bike/cycle builds up your cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Moreover, it helps boost stamina and makes you feel energetic throughout the day.
Equipment required
Both men and women
- bicycle
- helmet
- water bottle
- towel
Instructions
1. Low-intensity pedaling: Start your cycling by pedaling for 5-10 minutes at a low intensity.
2. Moderate intensity pedaling: After 10 minutes, increase the pedaling speed slowly and continue for 5 minutes. In this, you might feel your breath getting a little bit heavier.
3. High-intensity pedaling: Continue your cycling by increasing the speed by pedaling at high intensity till you feel it is difficult to hold your breath.
4. Cooldown, Don't just directly pause your cycle/bike. Take your time and reverse your pedal intensity from high to low. And lastly, finish slowly.
Benefits
- Increase the flexibility of legs
- It helps in improving the body posture
- Strengthen the body muscles
- It also enhances the mobility of joints
3. Jumping rope/skipping
Playing rope is a popular game for children in school time. The great thing about skipping is it can help in losing weight. Jumping rope is beneficial in strengthening calf muscles and improving the elasticity of tendons and connective tissues of the body. It can also help in building your bones and muscles stronger and healthier.
Equipment required
Both for men and women
- Comfortable and flexible shoes
- Light-weighted and comfortable clothes
- sports bra( For women)
- A cotton/nylon rope with a handle
- towel
Instructions
Do jumping rope for 20 minutes. Include 2 minutes of break after every 4 minutes skipping or jumping.
1. First 4 minutes: do each jump for 1 min. Forward jump, backward jump, alternating jump, and side-to-side jump.
2. Second 4 minutes: Increase the intensity and repeat the jump for 4 minutes. Try to make long jumps.
Repeat the two steps till 20 minutes
3. Cooldown: Slow down the jumping intensity and Relax.
Benefits
- It helps to boost bone density
- Build calf muscles
4. Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a great total body exercise for weight loss for high-intensity cardiovascular exercises. Researchers have found that kickboxing is the best workout for getting in shape and toning the entire body.
Kickboxing makes your body slimmer, stronger, and healthier. This cardio exercise requires using arms and upper body to cross punches and throw jabs.
Equipment required
Both for men and women
- comfortable shoes
- exercise clothing
- gloves, punch bags, and hand wrappings( only for kicking bags)
- towel
Instructions
1. Do criss-cross jumping jacks for 20-30 secs.
2. Knee up for 30 secs.
3. Front jabs and front kicks for 30 secs.
4. Rest your body for 2 minutes.
5. Continue with 30 secs bob and weave
6. uppercut for 30 secs
7. Back kicks 30 secs
8. Take a rest for 2 minutes
Repeat and continue step1 to step8 for 4 minutes
9. Cool down and relax.
Benefits
- Make body muscle flexible
- Strengthen the bones and muscles
5. Swimming
Swimming is an excellent full-body workout. People of every age can do this without any risk. It is a cardiovascular fitness exercise to lose weight. Moreover, it also helps to build lean muscles effectively. A Daily 30-minute swimming workout can burn calories and help you get the desired body figure or shape. If you are the first to start swimming, make sure you are not alone. You should have your trainer for swimming activities.
Equipment required
Both for men and women
- swimsuit
- bathing caps
- goggles
- towel
- swim fins
Instructions
As a beginner, try a 500-yards swim workout
1. Start your swimming by Warming up 4*25 yards to free up your body.
Take the rest of 40 sec in between every 25 yards.
2. Continue 2*25 yards butterfly with two strokes of the left arm and the other two of the right arm.
3. Then 2*25 yards backstroke with two strokes of right and left arm both
4. carry on 2*25 yards breaststroke with one stroke and two kicks.
5. End it by 2*25 yards freestyle stroke catchup.
Benefits
- Help to strengthen muscles of the body
- Increase flexibility and mobility
- A Full body workout exercise
6. Burpees
It is a high-intensity interval training exercise to burn calories and rapidly lose weight. It can build muscles and reduce fatness at the same pace. For burpees, there is no need for any exercise kit. You can do burpees anywhere, either in your house or a park. In the beginning, you may feel discomfort in your body due to aches in your muscles. But with time, your body gets used to it and can help you lose unnecessarily excess fat in a short period.
Equipment required
Both for men and women
- Exercise clothing
- Comfortable shoes
Instructions
Four exercises are essential for burpees: jump, squat, plank, and push-ups.
1. Jump straight to the sky and come down slowly and softly.
2. To do squats, think about keeping your head in line with your tailbone, pushing your knees out wide. After that, drop your butt straight down to the ground while keeping your chest proud.
3. For the plank, place your hands on the ground in front of you with your knees wider. Keep your back horizontal flat. After that, try to jump your feet back. Make sure your shoulders are in line with your wrists in your plank mode.
4. Push-ups are the same as a plank but are moving. Bend your elbows to lower your body down, then straighten them to push your back up.
Benefits
- Keep heart healthy and stronger
- Reduce belly fats
- Improves flow of blood in the body
- maintain balance and coordination
7. Rowing
It is a full-body cardiovascular fitness exercise. If you are looking for new workouts and exercises, rowing can be the best option. Rowing not only increases stamina but also builds muscles and strengthens bones. You can add rowing in your workouts, but make sure you are not forcing your body to exercise more. It will only ruin your plan.
Equipment required
- Exercising clothes
- Comfortable shoes
- Towel
Instructions
1. Warm-up for 30 minutes
2. Follow the workout steps as
- 1 minutes rowing
- 1 minutes rest
- 2 minutes rowing
- 2 minutes rest
- 3 minutes rowing
- 3 minutes rest
- 4 minutes rowing
- 4 minutes rest
3. Reverse the workout from 4 min to 1 min
4. Cooldown by easy exercise and relax
Always focus on strokes of rowing. It should be between 25-35 in one minute. You should try to put up to 70-75% on rowing.
Benefits
- Strengthen heart
- Boosts immunity system
- Improves the level of stamina
8. Stair Climbing
It is the easiest exercise to do to burn your calories. Even if you are the busiest person on the planet, you can easily find stairs anywhere and anytime and be fit. It is a low-impact, weight-bearing workout to lose weight. According to fitness trainers, if one climbs the stairs for at least 30 minutes, he can burn 200 calories.
Instructions
Start your stair climbing with 50 steps.
Increase your weekly steps by 50 and see changes in your body.
Benefits
- Tone lower body muscle
- Improves blood circulation in the body
- Make your body flexible
Conclusion
Before including cardio in your exercise routine, don't forget to consult your doctor or fitness trainer. Take care that the exercise will only benefit you and is safe for you. Don't put too much stress on your body. Try to take a rest and sleep too.
Be consistent towards your cardio workouts, keep it simple and set your daily ambition to achieve it with flying colors. Avoid laziness because it will only harm your routine and ruin your weight loss routine. Surround and socialize yourself with others who are working on their weight.
References
https://www.wellandgood.com/burpees-for-beginners/
https://www.fitnessfactory.com/cardio-machines/stair-climbers/
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/best-exercise-to-lose-weight
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/a707685/best-cardio-for-weight-loss/
https://fitbod.me/blog/cardio-workouts-for-fat-loss/
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/best-types-cardio-workouts-weight-loss/
https://www.verywellfit.com/swimming-for-beginners-weight-loss-advice-3496001