12 Great Cardio Workouts You Can Do At Home


Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, is essential for good health. It gets your heart rate up, making your blood pump faster. This delivers more oxygen throughout your body, which keeps your heart and lungs healthy. 

Regular cardio exercise can also help you lose weight, get better sleep, and reduce your risk for chronic disease.

Being an advocate of home workouts, you don’t need to hit the gym or go for a run outside to get your cardio exercise done. There are still plenty of cardio exercises you can do at home, with little space and no fancy equipment is needed.

Follow me as I list some of the best cardio workouts that you can add to your exercise regimen without having to leave your home.

Beginner moves to get you warmed up

If you’re new to cardio, these moves will help you warm up before the real deal starts.

High Knees 

This exercise involves running in place, so you can do it anywhere with minimal space. Stand with your legs together and arms at your sides. Lift one knee toward your chest. Lower your leg and repeat with the other knee. Continue alternating knees, pumping your arms up and down.

Butt Kicks 

Butt kicks are the opposite of high knees. Instead of lifting your knees up high, you’ll lift your heels up toward your butt. Stand with your legs together and arms at your sides. Bring one heel toward your butt. Lower your foot and repeat with the other heel. Continue alternating your heels and pumping your arms. 


Jumping Jacks 

For a full-body workout, add in some jumping jacks. Doing jumping jacks for 10 minutes straight can burn around 100 calories. This classic move works your entire body while increasing your heart rate. Stand with your legs together and arms at your sides.  Bend your knees slightly. Jump and spread your legs wider than shoulder-width, lifting your arms overhead. Jump to center. Repeat.

Toe Taps 

This is an easy, low-impact exercise that can be done on a curb or lowest step of a staircase. Stand in front of the curb or step. Rest one foot on top, toes facing down. Quickly switch legs to bring the other foot on top. Continue alternating feet. As you get used to the movement, move left or right while doing toe taps.


Intermediate Moves To Increase The Intensity

Squat Jumps

Another great cardio exercise that you can do alone or as part of a cardio circuit is squat jumps. As it name implies, you start out in a squat and then jump up, trying to get as high as possible, and then land back in the squat. It is high impact, especially on your knees, so care is needed when you are a beginner or if you are suffering a knee injury.

Skipping

Do you have fond memories of skipping as a kid? Well, you can bring that into your workouts by skipping at home. Skipping is often considered the best cardio workout and is used for cross training by many athletes because it’s a total body work out. You can do it almost anywhere with just a simple skipping rope you can buy in many locations, which is why it is a great cardio workout at home. If you skip for only 20 minutes, you can burn about 220 calories. Although you might have memories of jumping for long periods of time as a kid with no problem which might not be the same as an adult, you also want to work your way up to the full 20 minutes.

Running The Stairs

Another cardio workout at home is stair running, as long as you have some stairs nearby. Stair workouts help you build strength and power in your lower body and gets the heart rate pumping. Challenge yourself with mini intervals by alternating between a regular stair run and sideways stair run to burn more calories even after your workout. Make sure you have the best workout shoes so you can also perform the stair exercises.

Standing Alternating Toe Touches 

This exercise works your arms, core, and legs, making it great full-body cardio move. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Brace your core. Lift your right leg straight up. Simultaneously raise your left hand up and over, reaching toward your right toes. Repeat with your left leg and right hand.


Advanced Moves To Keep Things Interesting

When you’re ready for a challenge, try these advanced cardio moves. Each exercise involves greater coordination and multiple body movements.

Mountain Climbers 

The mountain climber is an intense full-body exercise. If you’re new to the move, start slow and gradually pick up the pace. Start in a plank with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight. Flatten your back and brace your core. Lift your right knee toward your chest. Quickly switch, moving your right knee out and lifting your left knee in. Continue alternating legs.

Burpees

Burpees might be the dread of Cross Fit pros, but they do provide a killer cardio workout in a short period of time. You do not need any equipment or a lot of space, making them a great cardio workout at home. To do a burpee, alternate between a plank position and jumping forward in the air. Make sure that your hands are flat on the ground and your back straight. In just 10 minutes, you can burn more than 100 calories. We recommend starting slow and working your way up to 10 minutes or more to avoid injury.

Bear Crawl Push Ups 

Squatting to the floor, walking the hands out to do a push-up, walking the hands back and standing up... like a bear. They get the heart rate way up while building strength and endurance. This move is tougher than it looks and the intensity accumulates quickly. 

Inchworm Crawl 

During the inchworm, the motion of walking your hands and feet forward will put your heart and muscles to work. Stand with your feet together. Brace your core, bend forward at your hips, and reach your arms toward the floor. Keep your knees straight but relaxed. Set your fingers on the floor, softly bending your knees. Plant your feet and slowly walk your hands forward into a plank with your hands under your shoulders. Stiffen your core and do one pushup. Slowly walk your feet toward your hands. Reach your arms forward and repeat. To make it harder, do more than one pushup. You can also skip the pushup altogether for an easier move.


How To Maximize Your Workout To Get Beautiful Result

Follow these tips to reap the benefits of cardio without getting injured:

  • Warm up: Start each session with a 5- to 10-minute warm-up. This will increase your blood flow and relax your muscles, lowering your risk of injury. 

  • Cool down: Instead of abruptly stopping your workout, slow down during the last 5 to 10 minutes. 

  • Invite a friend: Exercise is always more fun with a workout buddy. 

  • Aim for 150 minutes: Over the course of the week, aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity. You can spread this out over time by doing 30-minute sessions five days a week.

Please consult with your physician before starting any new fitness plan.                     



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