The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends healthy individuals under age 65 do moderately intense cardio exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or vigorously intense cardio exercise for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. Beyond its impact on weight loss, cardio exercise also has numerous health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, stress relief, better sleep, more energy, a lower risk for health conditions such as heart disease and cancer, and an increase in bone density. There are several ways to incorporate cardio exercise into your daily schedule.
Walking
Walking is an excellent form of cardio exercise and perhaps one of the easiest to do, especially if you're just beginning an exercise program. You can burn about 180 calories in only 30 minutes, while including challenges such as walking on an incline or down a hill, intervals of sprinting or even pushing a baby in a stroller can increase that calorie burn, according to ShapeFit.com. To lose belly fat, increase your speed. University of Virginia researchers discovered that while women who walked at a faster pace than their counterparts who walked at a more moderate pace burned the same number of calories, the speed walkers lost more belly fat.
Bicycling
According to HealthStatus.com, depending on speed and resistance, a 150-lb. person who cycles at a moderate pace for 30 minutes can burn almost 300 calories, and it's the perfect exercise if you don't like the constant pounding of your feet on pavement. It also is a great endurance-building exercise. To protect yourself from injury, your knees in particular, make sure to adjust the seat correctly, and to avoid back strain from sitting crouched over to grab the handles, keep your arms loose. If you are just beginning, stick to roads or trails that you are familiar with and are not difficult to maneuver.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the best cardio exercises because it works every muscle in the body, is easy on the joints and does not cause some of the injuries commonly seen from high-impact aerobics or weightlifting. In addition, it is a huge calorie burner. According to HealthStatus.com, a 150-lb. person swimming freestyle at a moderate pace for 30 minutes burns about 206 calories. In addition, learning to swim the four different strokes—butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle—will not only enhance your physique, but swimming also will keep your internal organs, particularly your heart and lungs, healthy.
Jogging
Unlike running, jogging is not a vigorous exercise, but still has the same cardiovascular benefits. Jogging allows you to go at your own pace, making it more likely that you will continue for longer periods of time. According to Dr. Rose Windale, health and wellness coach, jogging releases endorphins into the body, which are also known as "happy hormones," as they often cause a feeling of euphoria within the body. In addition, jogging will boost your metabolism, which will enable you to continue burning calories even after you are finished, and may even have a positive effect on your self-esteem, as you begin to take pride in your ability to go greater distances.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is a simple exercise you can do almost anywhere. Jumping rope works major muscle groups including shoulders, arms, legs and abdominals, and burns a ton of calories. Jumping rope also enhances coordination and agility, and is also a great exercise to build or maintain healthy bones, according to the National Institutes of Health. And, according to fitFAQ.com, jumping rope can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour, and is an inexpensive way to exercise. As with other types of exercise, start slow and go at your own pace and gradually incorporate different jump rope workouts into your routine.
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