Are you looking for ways to improve your cardiovascular health? When it comes to cardio exercises, there is a seemingly endless list of choices. With so many workout options to choose from, finding the right one for your body may require a bit of trial and error. Fortunately, if you end up loving more than one, you can always rotate between workouts to avoid boredom and burnout! Below are three great cardio exercises you can try in order to kick off your search for your favourite heart-pounding, health-promoting workout.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is a fun way to add a little creativity to your cardio training! Because it requires minimal equipment, jumping rope is a great heart-pumping exercise if you’re short on space or if you travel extensively and can’t pack a ton of training gadgets. While jumping rope may not be appropriate for everyone, it offers the following tangible health benefits:
- coordination improvement
- strengthening of the muscles of the lower legs
- improvement in muscle elasticity
- strengthening of the heart
- circulation improvement
If you’re new to jumping rope, you can begin by incorporating steady-state jumping into your workout. As you master the movement patterns and feel more comfortable using a jump rope, you can begin practicing more advanced moves like double-unders to further improve your coordination. Keep in mind that high-impact exercises like jumping rope may not be suitable for people with degenerative conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis.
Running
Running is perhaps the most widely practiced of all cardio exercises – and for good reason. This hugely popular form of training has been around for thousands of years, with documented running races dating back to the Middle Ages. With its impressive list of health benefits, it’s no wonder this staple exercise has stood the test of time. What can running do for you? Here are just a handful of running’s many health benefits:
- helps maintain a healthy weight
- increases circulation
- improves bone strength
- strengthens joints
- improves coordination
- strengthens muscles (including your heart)
Depending on your location and the time of year, you may want to take your running outdoors to enjoy the fresh air and scenery. As you’re running outside, it’s important to keep in mind the different pedestrian safety rules in order to prevent an accident from happening or other serious problems. Consult your local laws for more information on pedestrian safety, and always be sure to wear bright, reflective clothing to stand out among traffic.
Biking
Biking is a wonderful low-impact cardio exercise that is appropriate for almost everyone. Even if you suffer from degenerative joint or bone conditions, you can still enjoy biking because it does not place excessive force on the body. With biking, you get all of the same benefits of other cardio exercises, including weight management, improvements in heart health, muscle strength improvements and enhanced coordination, among others. If you know your lower body simply cannot handle the repetitive pounding of jumping rope or running, biking may be the perfect exercise to improve your cardiovascular health.
When it comes to cardio exercises, the list of potential health benefits is enough to get almost anyone up and moving. Maintaining good cardio health is critical for continued longevity and well-being, so make sure you’re getting up and moving on a daily basis!
