Although it may seem like jumping on a treadmill or going for a walk and working up a light sweat will lead to quick weight loss, it won't. Slow, low-intensity cardio is helpful to build a foundation for more serious fat-burning cardio. You can start with 3 days a week of 30 minutes of light cardio, but then you should add a couple of days and vary your routine.
"We know from training research that to improve at all levels of fitness you must change the stimulus," says Len Kravitz, PhD in an article for Experience Life Magazine. "Mix it up with slow days, fast days, interval-training days, and training on different pieces of cardio equipment, such as the elliptical, treadmill, stairclimber and bike."
Continually hitting your body with something new and incorporating periods of moderate to high intensity cardio will rev up your metabolism and help you lose weight quickly.
Step 1
Start with 2 to 3 days a week of cardio on your favorite cardio machine at the gym or stay home and follow along with some DVD workouts. Walking or jogging around the neighborhood also works. Be consistent for 20 to 30 minutes without stopping.
Step 2
Add 1 to 2 days a week of 30 to 40 minute cardio sessions after a few weeks of regular exercise. Bump up your intensity level as much as you feel prepared to do. Use a different machine or do a different activity on these new days.
Step 3
Add interval training to your routine on 2 to 3 days once you have adjusted to the 5-day cardio program. Do 30 seconds of high-intensity bursts of exercise followed by 30 to 60 seconds of recovery at a low-intensity. Use the Perceived Rate of Exertion scale to measure intensity. A zero is complete inactivity and a 10 is sprinting up stadium stairs. A 3 or a 4 is light intensity, 5 to 7 is moderate and 8 or 8.5 is high. Do not go higher. Do light to moderate cardio days on your non-interval training days.
Step 4
Keep switching up your cardio methods every 3 to 4 weeks by using different machines or activities. Swimming, cycling, hiking, jumping rope, playing sports, cross-country skiing and cardio classes are all options.
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