Are
you tired of jogging? Your knees and back are sore all the time? Are
long runs even necessary? Nope. There are other ways for you to do
cardio.
Not everybody likes running, and even if you do it’s still good to change things up once in a while.
Need some ideas for cardio workouts? We've got them here. Read on then get moving.
Circuit or interval workouts
There
are lots of these kind of routines so you won’t have to look far to
find one that suits you. Many of them are fast too, for an added
bonus. These can be done using any cardio machine, jumping around in
your basement, in a pool, or out on your bike. Do the ones that you
enjoy most and alternate them.
Interval
workouts use a warm-up that runs for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then it’s
time to go hard and fast with high intensity bursts of full-tilt work
and then short periods of very moderate work. Repeat until you’ve done
your sets (aim for 20 to 25 minutes excluding the warm up and cool down,
and including the short periods of rest/moderate work). After a few
of these workouts, you can really start to mix them up and be creative.
Do a cool down for 10 minutes after these sets to flush out the lactic
acid that builds up in the high intensity bursts.
At the Gym
Don’t
overlook the group classes that most gyms offer. Maybe a dose of
spinning, a few sessions of boot-camp, or cardio kickboxing will shake
your world up.
Sports
What
about the sports you ‘never get around to’? Consider hitting some
games of tennis, shooting hoops, racquetball, or taking up some mixed
martial arts or joining a soccer or basketball pick up team.
Get out of Here
Depending
on the season there’s always something to do outside. Have you
tried wake-boarding yet? How about cross-country skiing? You won’t
believe how much of a workout an hour of snowshoeing will give you.
On a More Practical Note
There’s
always a lot to be done in and around the house. Raking can get the
pulse-rate up. Consider making that snow shoveling chore into your
workout. And get out and walk a lot!
Finally,
does a great cardio routing need to take at least 30 minutes? Not if
you go hard and fast (see the article on HIT.) Intensity and interval
training is great and saves a lot of time. Research shows that this
type of cardio workout offers just as much, maybe more, cardio benefits
as long boring runs can.
I used to do intensity workouts on a stationary bike in the morning. It was a great way to get a good workout in quickly, and I could do it in my pajamas before hitting the shower and getting ready for work. I think it's time for me to buy a new bike for my basement and start up those sessions again!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about chores being a good way to burn extra calories. These days, people get so used to doing everything as easily as possible, with as much automation as possible, but the more we do manually, the more calories we burn. I make a point of using a push broom instead of a leaf blower, for example.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I try to squeeze in more walking whenever I can--I arrive 10 minutes early for an appointment, park a few blocks away, and walk. Getting a pedometer can be motivating, too.
Circuit training is one of those things that's actually more easy than we realize, as your post points out. With summer coming, it's a great time to get back into team sports--or maybe take lessons and learn something new. My friends have been trying to get me to play softball for a while now. Plus I've been wanting to take tennis lessons and brush up my game--I used to play as a kid. Thanks for the inspiration. :)
ReplyDeleteI am another fan of interval training. I like exercises I can do for free, like playing pickup basketball at the park and jogging around the neighborhood or at the school track.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always full of solid ideas!
It can be hard to stay motivated in poor weather. Now, in the summertime, I have no trouble getting out to walk. But in the winter...! I'm thinking of buying a treadmill for walking indoors this winter. I wish I were a fan of going to the gym, but it just has never worked for me.
ReplyDeleteVery good article. A person can learn a lot from this article.
ReplyDeleteYou have mentioned some very good points.