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Cardio is essential if you want to get fit. Without good cardiovascular endurance, it means that you struggle to do pretty basic things. A short sprint suddenly has you gasping for air, and you have to take breathers when you walk for an extended period. The annoying this is that most cardio consists of running. As a result, it’s so dull; hence, a lot of us neglect it!
So, here are three cardio ideas that won’t bore you to death for a change:
Boxing
You might look at boxing and think of it as a sport that just involves two people beating each other up. But, it’s actually one of the best things to do for cardio. If you stop and analyze a boxing fight, you’ll see that there’s rarely a time where someone isn’t moving. Both people are always moving their feet and dodging and weaving. Then, factor in how much effort it takes to throw a punch. You use so many muscles in your body, then think about throwing multiple punches at once! It all adds up to a total body cardio workout. The best thing is, you don’t have to get in the ring with anyone; just use a punching bag at your local gym. If you can’t find one, then shadow boxing still works, and here’s a good workout idea for you to try:
Salsa Dancing
Dancing is such a fun way to get a cardio workout in without needing to set foot on a treadmill. There are plenty of dance styles out there, but salsa dancing is one of the most cardiovascularly rewarding. As it mentions on the Arthur Murray dance studios website, salsa dancing is very energetic and fast-paced. As such, you’re constantly moving around, getting your heart rate up, and breaking into a sweat. It’ll probably amaze you how many calories you burn in a half hour salsa class – and it’s just plain fun as well! You meet new people, learn how to dance; there’s a great vibe when you go salsa dancing.
Circuit Training
For me, the worst thing about your regular cardio exercises is that they’re boring. Usually, you’re just running for some time, or sitting on a bike. So, this is one of the reasons why I love circuit training as a source of cardio. Circuit training is where you basically have a few exercises that you cycle through in a row. You can either do a certain amount of reps per exercise or do them for a specific amount of time. The idea is that you do all these exercises with no rest in between, then you have a short rest period at the end of the set. It’s intense, and your heart will be pounding after just a few rounds. Keep going until you physically can’t, and you’ll burn loads of calories. To help you get started, here’s a circuit you can run through:
If you’re struggling to do any cardio because it bores you to death, then try out these three ideas. There’ll be no more boring treadmill runs, and a whole load of calories will be burned!
