Most of us who are trying to lose weight try out different ways to do so – from dieting to indulging in some form of physical activity. For people who are trying to shed extra pounds, we agree it’s not an easy fight, but it’s still do-able. Have you tried cardio exercises yet? There’s no need to hit the gym to do so and no fancy equipment is required either. Also, there are less chances of sustaining injury doing cardio exercises. Cardio exercises work on large muscles of arms, legs and hips, increasing the heart rate and breathing, and in return, you get to burn calories. They are mostly free hand exercises and are sometimes grouped under the category of free hand exercises called aerobics. Cardio exercises are apt for people who want to exercise at home where one doesn’t have sufficient room/space for installing heavy gym equipment. In this post, we have listed out 8 Cardio Exercises to Do at Home for Weight Loss:
1. Skipping: Let us start with a simple cardio exercise that I am confident all of us fondly remember from our childhood days. Who amongst us has not played with the skipping rope? There was time, before the onset or should I say the onslaught of video games and tiktok on smart phones that people used to derive their recreational pleasure from simpler and of course healthier choices of games. It is a very simple and by far one of the most effective cardio workouts and greatly improves your health along with reducing your weight. Do you know skipping can burn up to 1000 calories per hour. However, beginners can start with 100 jumps, then gradually move to 200 skips, and finally 500 skips in a day. Skipping burns calories, improves bone density, and benefits cardiovascular health.
2. Sit ups: A rather popular variety of aerobic exercise and rather potent one to shed unwanted fat, sit ups come highly recommended. It is completely hands free and doesn’t require any assistive instrument or prop for execution. All you need to do is lay flat on your back on a mat placed on the floor and then you put your hands behind your head and while keeping your feet straight, sit up and then go down and repeat this simple process at least 50 times per session with 2 repetitions per day. It is targeted to reduce fat around the belly to give it a slim and toned look.
3. Running the stairs: From Kareena Kapoor to Sara Ali Khan, every actress worth her salt has included going up and down the stairs to lose weight. Climbing stairs is known to be quite effective in increasing cardiac activity and improving overall health. It is a great way to burn fat and reduce weight. This one too does not require any type of props or instruments and is totally hands free. You just need to run up and down the stairs of your house or office and if you develop the habit of doing so on say 8 flights of stairs per day, you will not only lose weight but will also gain a lot of stamina and your cardiac output will surely exhibit significant improvement. A word of caution however is that this one is not suitable for those who have knee injuries or suffer from any sort of knee related problems and it is not advisable for super senior citizens either.
4. Static jogging: This form of an exercise is a modified version of jogging with one major difference – you do not go anywhere. You stand at a place to perform this cardio exercise, and there’s no need to go around a park in circles early in the morning. All you need to do is stand on a mat, and then start jogging at a steady pace for at least 30 minutes per day at the same place. This might look odd but is proven to yield great results and guarantees both weight reduction and increase in stamina and improvement of overall health.
5. Jumping Jacks: Of all the cardio exercises that I have discussed so far, this one’s my favourite. Not only is it effective in reducing weight and improving cardiovascular health and building great stamina, it is jolly good fun to do. Jumping jacks basically involve you standing on a mat at home and then you are required to jump to a position or orientation such that your legs are spread wide out, with you hands touching each other over your head in a clap – and then you jump back to your position where the legs are close together with your arms resting by your side. You can do this for like a 100 times per session per day once you get the hang of it. It is totally free hand, rather effective in combating the ill effects of obesity and is fun to do as a bonus of sorts. You can start with doing 25 jumping jacks in 3 sets.
6. Dancing: Since basically any workout that essentially gets your heart rate up meaning making it pump more blood and circulate the same in your system without any risk nor in any abnormal fashion is a cardiac exercise – and if it is done free hand – well then we call it a cardio workout. And if looking for some fun while working out can act as the added incentive that will get you guys and gals to do it on a regular basis well then we need to look no further for dancing is a sure way to achieve all these goals and more. Just turn on the music and dance to a rhythmic number and you will start to lose excess weight and build muscles in no time. It is however advisable to watch a few instructional videos on dancing the fat away for a more structured regime and best results.
7. Burpees: Any article on aerobics and cardio exercises cannot miss burpees. It is quite popular and rather effective exercise with high success rate. To do burpees, you first need to get to the squat position on the floor and then you jump to the plank position and then you again jump back to squat and back again to plank – you repeat the process. And although it sounds easy, it is not so easy to do. It takes time for you to develop the core body strength and stamina to get used to doing this on a regular basis. So do not be discouraged if you can’t do more than 2-3 the first time. Stick to it and you will surely get results.
8. Push-ups: We end with a cardio exercise that is time tested and has been around for years and is a wonderful cardio exercise without question. Here you need to lie face flat on the mat on the floor and place your palms flat on the floor close by your shoulders and at a distance beside your ears and then you lift your body up and down with your hands acting as support. It is perfect for building up your core body strength as well as losing those pesky pounds. You get into the habit of doing this like 50 push ups per session per day and you will improve your cardiovascular health and lose unwanted weight in no time without an iota of doubt.
Well dear readers, I hope you found this article useful, informative and to your liking. Kindly share your thoughts and queries (if any) in the comments section below. Stay pretty and healthy my beloved readers.
