

How to Track the Intensity of Your Cardio Workouts The benefits of regular cardio exercise include: In fact, cardio workouts should be a part of every person’s fitness routine, whether or not they’re trying to lose weight. Even if you don’t notice changes in your body right away, that’s not a reason to give up on cardio. While cardio workout routines are an excellent way to burn calories and lose weight, it’s also important to recognize that cardio exercise also provides a huge amount of additional benefits. While it’ll usually be over in 15 – 30 minutes, get ready to feel the burn! A Quick Note on the Other Benefits of Cardio Workouts High-intensity workouts are short and painful. Beginners need to take things slow to help their bodies adjust to a new workout routine. High-intensity workouts are not for everybody. In a nutshell, this means your body will have to work hard to restore your body’s normal oxygen levels after your workout is complete, meaning you’ll be burning calories even after you head home from the gym. When you work out at a high intensity, you’ll put your body into a state of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). High-intensity exercise also creates a special weight-loss compounding effect known as EPOC. It makes sense, right? You’ll burn more calories running for ten minutes than jogging, and you’ll burn more calories jogging for ten minutes than walking. The higher the intensity of your workout, the more calories you’ll burn per minute. There is a link between workout intensity and calorie burn.

There is another way to perform cardio routines for weight loss. Understanding the Link Between Intensity and Weight Lossĭon’t have enough time each week to devote five hours to cardio workouts? Understandable. How much cardio should you do to lose weight? One study found that 300 minutes (or five hours) of moderate physical activity per week helped participants lose weight, (though the amount of physical activity needed for you to lose weight will vary depending on your current physical fitness and the intensity of your activity). Your heart has to work harder to pump oxygenated blood into your muscles, which means a higher calorie burn. By the time you grab the leash again, you may feel your heart pounding in your chest. If your dog sees a squirrel and bounds away, tearing the leash out of your hand, you may need to run to catch up to your furry friend. For example, you’ll probably notice that your pulse picks up after you’ve been walking the dog for five or ten minutes. When you exercise, your body needs to burn more energy to keep up.


Your body uses energy (aka calories) to breathe, moderate your body temperature, digest food, and keep your heart beating. You burn calories all the time, even while you sleep. How Do Cardio Workouts Help You Lose Weight? However, a cardio workout routine is meant to raise your heart rate into your target heart rate zone where you will burn more fat and calories. Walking your dog around the neighborhood.Many different activities can be considered cardio exercise, such as: What Is Cardio Exercise?Īccording to Very Well Fit, “Cardiovascular exercise is exercise that gets your heart rate up.” Here’s what you need to know about the power of cardio fitness, along with examples of the best cardio workouts for beginning, intermediate, and advanced exercisers. Losing weight the right way (i.e., no crash dieting) won’t be fast or easy, but it can be done with the help of cardio workout routines. Cardio workouts, along with the right nutritional choices, can be a great tool to burn calories, slim down, and live a healthier life. A recent Gallup Poll found that over 50% of Americans would like to lose weight.
