5 Cardio Exercises

To get and stay fit, you should do cardiovascular exercise at least three to five days a week. Almost anything that gets and keeps your major muscle groups moving rhythmically for at least 10 minutes counts as a cardio workout, but a few types of cardio stand out for their convenience or versatility.

Water Fitness

Doing your cardio in water offers a number of benefits you just can't get on dry land. The water simultaneously offers resistance to your every movement and supports your body. The extra support and extremely low impact may allow you a wider, more comfortable range of motion. Swimming or any other type of water fitness, like water jogging or water aerobics, are excellent types of cardio for any fitness level, but are especially helpful if you have orthopedic injuries or other conditions, such as osteoporosis, that contraindicate higher-impact forms of exercise.

Running

Running occupies the other end of the impact spectrum. But if you can tolerate the repeated impact, an hour of running at 8 mph can burn more than 1,000 calories. Even if you can't sustain such a fast pace for an hour, you can drive your calorie burn through the roof by mixing high-speed intervals into your jogging workout.
Walking doesn't burn as many calories as running, but it's still a noteworthy cardio exercise because you can do it for free almost anywhere, and it's one of the best ways to gradually work up to first jogging, then running.

Inline Skating

Inline skating has a steeper learning curve than walking or running: You must re-learn how to propel yourself, turn and stop, all while balancing on the dry-land equivalent of ice skates. But if you're willing to invest in the basic equipment and a few lessons or practice time in a parking lot, you can burn almost as many calories as running. Once you master the basics, inline skating's speed can be exciting and, if you have access to smooth pavement or multi-use trails, you may be able to blend your exercise and commute into one activity by skating to school or work.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope nonstop for an hour might get boring, but this compact, inexpensive exercise equipment is perfect for fitting 10-minute or longer bursts of fitness into your day. Jumping rope is also a surprisingly effective calorie burner, blasting anywhere from 700 to more than 1,000 calories per hour depending on your body weight. You don't have to do complicated moves to burn calories: Just twirl the rope and jump at a brisk, steady pace. However, if you mix a few double swings, butt kicks or high knees into your routine, it'll help keep you entertained for longer.

Aerobic Kickboxing

Aerobic kickboxing is a respectable calorie burner — the American Council on Exercise estimates that a 135-lb. person will burn up to 450 calories in a 50-minute group class, and heavier exercisers will usually burn more calories. Although it doesn't burn quite as many calories as running, swinging punches and kicks for fitness is satisfying in other ways. In particular, the relatively aggressive, fast pace of aerobic kickboxing can be a great stress reliever.