How Much Cardio is Enough?
There are too many benefits to cardio to list out. Cardio assists in warding off illness, strengthening your heart and cardiovascular health, increasing the flow of oxygen to your blood, releasing endorphins, boosting energy and mood and so much more. See, there are too many to list.
Cardio is very important but it should be a supplement to your training and fitness. It should not be the main source of exercise and it will not function as the sole ingredient to your fitness recipe. Weight lifting will be the most important part of your training. Cardio alone will not provide you with the results you are searching for.
The good news is, you can stop spending hours on the treadmill running yourself into the ground to lean out. The bad news is, you can’t cut it out completely.
If you’re not a big fan of cardio because you equate it to running, the best solution for you is to walk.
Focus on your steps per day first. Aim for 5-10k steps every day. Then, depending on your goals, add in low steady state cardio a few times a week. This could be walking on an incline treadmill, taking a couple walks outside each day or maintaining a low level on the stair climber.
Walk around when you wake up. A few ways you can easily incorporate this are by taking laps around the house as you brush your teeth, taking the stairs versus an elevator when they’re an option, parking further away from the door at the grocery store. Additionally, plan for more outdoor activities and move more often after meals.
Walking is beneficial for your heart and this is your sign to get up and walk more day-to-day.
Swimming, hiking, stair climbing, cycling and rowing are all forms of cardio that are not running or walking. Though you should really walk to maintain cardiovascular health, any of these other exercises will get your heart beating faster, too.