Good Cardio Workouts at Home

Cardio Workouts

To get a good cardio workout from home you should exercise 3-5 times a week for 30-40 minutes. It is important that the activity you are doing requires effort on your part and increases your heart and breathing rates. Each exercise session should include a warm up that includes stretching, the exercise activity and a cool down session.

Aerobic Activities for a Good Cardio Workout

Today's exercisers have many choices in how they do their cardio workouts with the variety of exercise machines, aerobic activities and exercise videos available. Aerobic activities make the heart and lungs work harder in order to meet the oxygen demand of the body. It also helps the body circulate its oxygen through the bloodstream. Many activities will give you a good cardio workout at home.

Cardio Workouts without Exercise Equipment

Walking is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to get a good aerobic workout. Although it is not done at home, your walk can start and end at your home. Other types of activities that are based from home are bicycling, running, rollerblading and jogging. Aerobic activities that you can do at home include:

• Dancing
• Aerobic dance – jazzercise
• Aerobic Striptease
• Belly dancing
• Stair climbing
• Swimming and aquatic exercise if you have a pool
• Jumping rope
• Kickboxing
• TaeBo
• Pilates cardio

Exercise Machines and Tools that Provide Cardio Workouts

Many types of exercise machines provide the body with a good cardio workout and can be easily used at home.

• Elliptical machines - also known as cross trainers, steppers or stair steppers
• Treadmills
• Stationary Bikes
• Stair steppers
• Rowing machines
• Spinning workouts
• Theracycle
• Rebounders and mini trampolines
• BOSU ball
• Resistance cables, cords and bands
• Step platform

Videos and DVDs for Good Cardio Workouts at Home

Exercise videos and DVDs are great resources to use at home. They not only offer instruction in various methods and techniques, they also make your exercise sessions fun. From belly dancing to Pilates cardio routines to salsa dance cardio workouts, there are aerobic videos for all exercise tastes and styles. The following is only a small sampling of the videos and DVDs available online for you to use at home for a great cardio workout.

• Collage Video offers 142 aerobic exercise videos including The Firm: Cardio Dance Fusion, Denise Austin’s Burn Fat Fast Cardio Blast and Dance with Lisa: 5-Day Latin Dance.
• Dance off the Inches – Fat Burning Belly Dance, Crunch: Super Charged Kickbox Party and Dance off the Inches: Hip Hop Party are featured on Anchor Baby Entertainment.
• Dance X Everybody’s Workout with Kenn Kihui
• Billy Blanks TaeBo
• Get Inspired offers a great selection of exercise videos including Elle Glam Fitness Complete Cardio Dance Inspired Workout, Urban Heat and Groovin with the Groovaloos Hip Hop Volumes 1-3.

The Importance of Cardio Workouts

A good cardio workout is very important for overall health and fitness. The overall health benefits of a good cardio workout include:

• Strengthen the heart muscle
• Strengthen the lungs
• Maximizes the amount of oxygen your body takes in and improves circulation
• Increases the number and diameter of small blood vessels
• Weight loss
• Reduces body fat
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke
• Lowers blood pressure
• Improves blood fats
• Reduce the risk of some types of cancer
• Reduces the risk of type II diabetes
• Activates the body's immune system
• Increases endurance and stamina
• Increase bone density
• Improves flexibility
• Increase energy level
• Increase confidence, self-image and self-esteem
• Releases the body's endorphins
• Reduce stress
• Relieve tension
• Relieve depression temporarily
• Relieve anxiety temporarily
• Provide better sleep
• Improves muscle tone
• Improves balance

Final Thoughts

For those people that are not comfortable or cannot afford to join a gym or take exercise classes there are many options for them to get a good cardio workout at home.