Ever set out to begin a new fitness routine and failed?

Many of us know this all too well.

It’s hard creating a fitness habit, especially when it’s an intense workout like cardio.

However, there are ways to make cardio workouts fun, engaging — and most of all, a long-lasting habit. Establishing such a habit would do wonders for your health, right from helping you tone your body, improve your heart performance and prevent several diseases.

Many cardio workouts can help you meet those goals and get you fitter in a short time. The key is finding a few activities you enjoy and sticking with them.

If you haven’t exercised in a while or have never exercised before, it’s best to start slow and build up gradually over time. And this blog post will help you get back in the swing of things!

Improve Your Physical and Mental Health with Cardio Workouts

Cardio workouts burn calories and help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism and burning more fat. If you’re active throughout the day, you’ll also expend energy even when you’re not working out. It also helps you burn calories, improve your fitness level and even prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Cardio workouts are essential to your physical health, but they can also be a great way to lift your mood. Cardiovascular exercise has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, improve sleep quality and help with weight loss.

Research has also found that people who engage in regular cardio exercise have higher levels of ‘feel good’ hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

If you want to lose weight or increase your physical and mental fitness level, then consider incorporating cardio workouts into your routine regularly.

How to Establish a Cardio Habit as a Beginner

Cardio workouts are essential to your fitness routine. They can be intimidating at first, but if you start slow and work up to more intense exercise as you get stronger and more comfortable with your routine, it will be much easier to stick with a cardio workout plan.

If you’re just starting with cardio workouts, here are some tips for establishing it as a lifelong habit:

Find Something That Fits Into Your Schedule

It’s easier to stick with something if it fits into your routine already. For example, if you have to walk from your office to the restaurant for lunch daily, try adding another 15 or 30 minutes of walking during that time. Or, if you’re used to going on long bike rides on Saturdays, try adding another ride on Sunday afternoons instead. This way, you won’t have to make any major changes to fit cardio exercise into your life.

Make It a Daily Routine

To successfully establish a cardio habit, it’s important to make it part of your daily routine. For example, if you want to go for a run after work every day, schedule it on your calendar, so it becomes part of what you do every day without thinking about it too much.

If you find yourself not exercising as much as you’d like, try changing your routine by doing something different or adding some variety into the mix — for example, going for a run in the morning one day and working out at your home gym the next day instead. The main motive of your cardio workouts should be to put your body to work no matter the type of exercise you’re doing.

Create an Environment That Supports Your Goal

If you start finding it difficult to find time to exercise between your busy schedule, consider making changes to your environment to aid you in staying active.

For example, you can have one designated spot in your home to store all your workout gear, so it is always ready to go. Or, you can add a foldable treadmill to your home office to work out whenever possible.

You can also set workout times with your family or friends to motivate you to work out even on days you don’t feel like it.

Start with Small Goals

Don’t try to do everything at once! If this is your first time incorporating a cardio workout, start with a small goal of just 10 minutes of walking every day after work. Now slowly combine that with treadmill workouts or ellipticals and increase your total cardio workout in a day to 30-45 minutes.

Set Realistic Goals

Start by setting realistic goals for yourself. Don’t expect to work out every day if you haven’t worked out in years — start with a few days per week and gradually add days as you get more comfortable with the habit.

You can aim to do 30 minutes of cardio per day at least four or five days per week, but try not to push yourself too hard too quickly. Overdoing it in the first few days can lead to injury and discouragement when you don’t see immediate results.

Invest in Proper Exercise Gear

You don’t need fancy equipment to get started with a cardio workout. In fact, walking outside is one of the easiest ways to get into a rhythm and establish the habit of regular exercise without spending any money at all!

But if you want some extra motivation or variety, there are plenty of equipment out there that can help make exercising fun again: like a simple home treadmill, elliptical or a spin bike which would give you the convenience of working out right from the comforts of your home.

Cardio Workout on the Treadmill

The best way to start a cardio workout is by jogging on the treadmill. Jogging is an effective way of getting into shape without putting too much stress on your body.

Treadmills help you burn calories by raising your heart rate with fast walking or jogging at high speeds for as long as you can handle it. The treadmill allows you to control your speed, distance and incline, so you don’t have to worry about going too fast or too far.

If you’re new to using treadmills, start walking at a low speed for 10 minutes. Gradually increase your speed until it’s challenging but isn’t too intense for your body. You can also increase the incline on the treadmill — this will make it harder for your legs to move and help burn calories and fat quickly and increase your body’s blood circulation, stamina and endurance.

If you’re new to working out, it’s best to start with small amounts of cardio on the treadmill and build up gradually. A good rule of thumb is to do at least 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week.

Cardio Workout on the Elliptical

The elliptical trainer is a wonderful piece of cardio equipment. It’s low impact and provides an excellent workout for your heart and legs. You should have no problem fitting in 30 minutes on the elliptical daily.

Using an elliptical machine involves stepping onto moving pedals while holding onto handles that move along with the pedals. Your feet move back and forth over the pedals while you lean forward slightly at the waist with your hands gripping the handles close together in front of your chest area. This position helps engage your abdominal muscles while you’re working out, so they help stabilize your spine and reduce stress on your joints.

Elliptical machines provide an excellent full-body workout that’s tough enough to keep your heart rate up without overworking any particular muscle group. And because ellipticals allow users to control their resistance levels independently from one another, it’s possible to make a workout easier or harder depending on what feels best on any given day.

It’s also a good choice for older adults who can’t run as fast or far as they used to because it allows them to exercise at their own pace without worrying about falling or becoming exhausted during their workout sessions.

Simple Cardio Workout at Home Without Heavy Equipment

For those who can’t afford to go to the gym or simply hate working out in a crowded area, here are a few simple cardio workouts that require no fancy equipment:

Jogging in Place: Jog in place for 30 seconds, then walk for 30 seconds. Repeat for 20 minutes. This is an easy way to get your heart rate up without traveling anywhere or buying equipment.

Stepper: You can use a mini stepper to do a short, high-intense workout at home. It’s very simple to use. All you need to do is alternatively place your feet on the stepper one after another in quick steps gaining speed continuously.

Inchworms: Start with your hands on the floor and walk them forward until they are straight out from your body (like a push-up). Then walk them back toward yourself until they are straight out again, but don’t push yourself too hard — this exercise works best if you’re moving slowly and deliberately as you go through each movement. Do 10 reps total with each set of movements going forward and back.

Jumping Rope: Jumping rope is another excellent form of cardio exercise that you can do anywhere at any time with just some jump ropes. Jumping rope forces your entire body into action and increases jumping ability, making it one of the most effective forms of resistance training!

Jumping Jacks: Jumping jacks are one of the simplest exercises you can do without equipment. This exercise helps to increase your heart rate and burn calories by raising your metabolic rate. Furthermore, it improves your balance, coordination, and aerobic fitness.

Cardio Dumbbell Workout: Stand straight with your feet together and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing inward. Bend at the waist and knees to lower your body until it is almost parallel with the floor. Repeat this motion for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds before repeating another 30-second set for three sets.

Mixing Up Your Cardio Workouts

You’re probably familiar with the following scenario: You walk into the gym, hop on the treadmill and start running. You do this for 30 minutes and then leave.

After a few weeks, you’re bored with running, so you switch to cycling. After a few weeks, you get tired of that too. And so it goes until you eventually give up on exercise altogether.

If this sounds familiar, you must mix up your cardio workouts!

To keep both your body and mind engaged, it’s vital that you vary your cardio workouts from time to time. This will also give your muscles more time to recover between sessions. In addition, it will help prevent boredom from setting in before you even start exercising!

Add variety to your workout routine by alternating between different activities each week. For example, one week could be all about running, while another week might focus on cycling or swimming instead. You can also rotate between different types of equipment at the gym, such as treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowing machines, etc.

Running on a treadmill is an excellent cardio workout because you can control your speed and incline for an added challenge. You can also walk outside if the weather permits or use an elliptical machine at low speed, mixing in with a high-intensity workout on the treadmill. If neither of these options is available, try riding a stationary bike indoors so you can still maintain control over your speed and intensity level while working out indoors.

Make your cardio workouts interesting, fun and enjoyable by varying your workout routine, exercises and equipment.

Cardio equipment at Acme Fitness