8 of the best exercises for cardio

You may already be familiar with the best exercises to improve your cardio, and you may even do them from time to time, but the secret is in sticking to it.

This is a great sport for strengthening your cardio, as the intensity varies depending on speed, terrain, wind speed and direction.

• To improve your cardio health, gradually increase your speed and add hills to your route.
• During the winter, you might like to try taking a spinning class (indoor cycling).

Swimming is one of the best exercises to improve your cardio, as it uses all the body’s muscles.

• To optimize your workout, try a new swimming style, swim with just your arms or swim laps holding a kickboard to make your legs work harder.

Just as with swimming, cross-country skiing works the entire body. In fact, it’s one of the best cardio workouts.

Brisk walking and running are the most accessible workouts. You can do them just about anywhere, and you don’t really need any special equipment other than a good pair of shoes.

• Increase your pace or lengthen your stride to improve your fitness level.
• You can also train on steeper terrain.

An elliptical trainer approximates the movements of a runner while limiting the impact on the joints. A rowing machine helps to strengthen lots of different muscles. Both machines are ideal for increasing your cardiovascular endurance.

The main goal of aerobics is to strengthen the cardiovascular system, making it one of the best exercises to improve your cardio.

• Aerobic dancing, step aerobics and kickboxing are all great ways to get fit.
• You can even do aerobics at home by putting on some inspiring music and doing jumping jacks, lunges, a few of your best dance moves, and a bit of cross walking (bringing the left elbow to the right knee and vice versa).

Jump rope is just as accessible as walking, except that it’s easy to do indoors at home.

• In addition to working your calf muscles, skipping rope burns lots of calories and is great for the heart and lungs.
• Jumping rope on a regular basis can actually reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A great way to improve your cardio is to do interval training. This kind of workout alternates periods of high- and moderate-intensity exercise. You can do this anywhere, by alternating walking with running.

For the best results, you have to get your heart rate up for about 30 minutes, three times a week. And for maximum effect, work towards increasing the intensity of the exercise to the point where chatting becomes difficult. Enjoy your workout!