What Counts As A Cardio Workout?

You've probably heard it everywhere: you have to get some cardio into your daily routine in order to burn fat and stay healthy. But what exactly counts as a cardio workout?

Cardio Workout Definition

In layman's terms, a cardio workout is pretty much any aerobic activity that gets you breathing faster and gets your heart pumping faster. Cardio workouts are divided into three different types, and these are low intensity, moderate intensity and high intensity workouts.

Low intensity workouts are those that slightly raise your heart rate, but still allow you to breathe pretty easily and carry a conversation without much effort. These include activities like walking, yoga, swimming, and so on.

Moderate intensity workouts, on the other hand, are those that moderately raise your heart rate and increase your breathing rate significantly enough to cause you to halt once or twice every time you speak a sentence. Examples of moderate intensity workouts are brisk walking, jogging, light aerobics, and some form of calisthenics.

Lastly, high intensity workouts are those that send your heart racing to about 70 or 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, and do not allow you to carry a conversation easily or at all. These include running, circuit training, high intensity interval training, jumping rope, and more.

What Counts As A Cardio Workout

Cardio workouts of any intensity count as a workout; so the real question here is what counts as a good workout. This varies according to the exerciser, but here are some general guidelines:

* For beginners to exercise, it is recommended to do at least 30 minutes to an hour of low intensity cardio every other day (or even better, daily) to get the body used to the exercise first.

* For those looking to lose weight by incorporating exercise, start with the beginner's regime above and slowly increase the intensity to moderate or high, but aim for 45 minutes to an hour of exercise every day. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the more calories you burn, and you will watch the fat slipping away.

* For general health, experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio three to five times a week.

So as you can see, the right amount of cardio for each person varies, but the more cardio one can get into their daily lives, the better. You don't have to get the required duration in a stretch; you can also break it up into smaller segments of time which you carry out throughout the day. At the same time, try your best to do more and keep moving all day!

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