Ditch the Treadmill: Here's How to do Cardio at Home
If you are an amateur in the fitness industry, you might hear the word "CARDIO " more often, which shorts for cardiovascular exercises. Roll your eyes around the gym, and you will see everyone doing their regular cardio exercises. Why though? Is it just another hype, or is there anything that cardio actually offers? Well, cardio's benefits can't be summed up in just one blog because it provides countless benefits to the human body; but to cut it short, you can say that cardio is the ace card of any fitness routine.
If you regularly do cardio in the morning, it will help you feel energized and pumped up. Cardio regulates the oxygen supply in the whole body. Cardio gets your blood pumping and generates heat in the body. If you want to lose weight, cardio will be your friend. To stimulate weight loss, you can have some detoxification water or plant-based weight loss drinks post-exercise, just like andMe's Green and Lean drink that consists of Ayurvedic richness and antioxidants. This drink detoxifies your body and reduces body acidity without causing any side effects.
But if you are wondering about getting up early and going to the gym here, we are with some of the cardio moves you can easily do at home.
Cardio moves at home:
High knees:
High knee exercise involves running in one place, so you can do this exercise even in minimal space. High knees help your hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps and improve balance, muscle endurance, and coordination. Also, if you continue this exercise with high intensity, it will reduce lower body weakness.
How to do:
- -Stand with your legs and arms on your sides
- -Lift one knee to your chest
- -Lower the leg and repeat the same for the other one.
- -Pump your arms up and down alongside.
Butt kicks:
Butt kicks are the opposite process of high knees. Instead of lifting the leg in the front, you have to lift the leg towards the backside. Butt kicks increase hamstring contraction and make it more flexible. In addition, this dynamic stretching and cardio exercise improves glutes and reduces body fat.
How to do:
- -Put your arms on the side and stand with your legs together.
- -Lift one heel towards your butt.
- -Lower your foot and repeat the process with the other one.
- -Keep going on with alternating heels.
Lateral shuffles:
This agile exercise improves your heart rate and side-to-side coordination. The lateral shuffle targets the hips, thighs, calves, and glutes. This cardio exercise strengthens the lower body, boosts metabolism, and stimulates fat burn.
How to do:
- -Stand with your hip-width apart.
- -Bent knees and hip.
- -Slightly lean forward and brace your core.
- -Lift the right foot and push off the left one.
- -Move right while keeping the form.
- -Place your feet together and keep shuffling to both sides.
Jumping Jacks:
Add jumping jacks to your morning exercise routine and get pumped up for the whole day. This classic cardio helps stretch the entire body and regulates your heart rate. In addition, jumping jacks improve bone health and aid weight loss. Along with building muscle strength, Jumping jacks also help reduce stress.
How to do:
- -Stand with your legs together and arms at the side.
- -Slightly bend the knees.
- -Jump and spread your legs.
- -Lift your arm overhead.
- -Jump back to the centre and keep repeating the process.
Toe taps:
If you do not like going for high-intensity exercise, you can go for low-impact exercises like toe taps. It helps you to feel energized and curb calories. You can start slowly and slightly increase the pace. Toe taps help improve your heartbeat, speed, balance, and foot-handling skills and strengthen lower body muscles.
How to do:
- -Stand in front of a step.
- -Rest one foot on top and toes facing down.
- -Quickly switch your feet and continue with alternating feet.
Squat Jumps:
Regular squats target the lower body, and squat jumps can turn them into a classic cardio workout. In addition, squat jumps help to boost core strength like the glutes, abdominals, hamstrings and lower back. You can add this cardio exercise to your aerobics routine to improve mobility and balance.
How to do:
- -Start with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- -Bend your knees and lower into a squat.
- -Swing back your arms.
- -Quickly swing your arms upwards and jump.
- -Land gently back in a squat.
Lunge jumps:
Lunge jump is a combination of jumping with standard lunges, and it will get your heart pumping. Jumping lunges is a high-intensity lower body exercise that helps reduce calf muscle cramps and increase the flexibility of your hamstrings. Also, it is beneficial exercise for your cardiovascular system.
How to do:
- -Bent both the knees at a 90-degree angle.
- -Shift your weight forward.
- -Brace your core and pull your shoulder down.
- -Swing your arm back.
- -Then swing it upward and jump.
- -Keep switching legs simultaneously.
Burpees:
Burpee is an essential cardio exercise involving pushups followed by a leap in the air. Burpees stimulate the calorie-burning process and provide a full body workout. In addition, burpees help improve cardio fitness, blood flow and cholesterol level and reduce blood pressure and heart attack risk.
How to do:
- -Stand with your shoulder-width apart.
- -Squat and place your hands on the floor.
- -Jump your feet back into a plank.
- -Complete one pushup.
- -Jump into a squat.
- -Jump up with your arm upwards.