Build your endurance in 30 minutes by trying this cardio workout with Head Coach Briana and Coach Marciea.
Boost your mood through the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals released by your brain. Help you sleep better at night. Reduce arthritis pain and stiffness through joint movement. Help prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Frequency of Cardio Workouts
The short, non-scientific answer to how often to do cardio workouts is to do more than you probably think you should and more than you really want to or have the time for.
The longer answer is that it depends on your fitness level, schedule, and goals. If you want to be healthy and aren’t worried about losing weight, getting in 20–30 minutes of moderate activity every day can do you some good. But, for weight loss, it’s a whole other story.
And it’s not just about frequency. It’s about intensity as well. If you only do moderate workouts, you can probably workout every day. But, if you do high-intensity interval training, you may need more rest days in between workout days. The bottom line is that it’s better to have a mixture of the two so that you’re working different energy systems and giving your body something different to do so you don’t burn out.
Cardio Intensity
Once you’ve gotten used to exercising (and are up to 30 minutes of continuous movement) you can start working on your intensity. How hard you work is a crucial factor in your workout because of:
- Calorie burn: Intensity is directly related to how many calories you burn.
- Ease of monitoring: A heart rate monitor or the perceived exertion scale makes it easy to monitor your exercise intensity.
- Time savings: Raising your intensity burns more calories when you’re short on time.
- Variation: Intensity is an easy part of your workout to change without having to find a new exercise to do.
Guidelines for Cardio frequency
The frequency of your workouts will depend on your fitness level and your schedule. The general guidelines are:
- For general health, try moderately-intense cardio 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, or vigorously-intense cardio for 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. You can also do a mixture.
- For weight loss and/or to avoid regaining weight, you may need to do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to meet your goals.
- To maintain a healthy body weight, you need about 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week.