In today’s high-pressure and fast-paced world, it is extremely challenging for people to strike a balance between work, home, family, friends, and everything else that goes with it. Moreover, time is a scarce commodity for most of us.
Hence, they struggle to find time to exercise or remain fit and healthy. Read on to know why and how 30 minutes of cardio a day is enough for a healthy lifestyle and what you can do to stay fit while keeping your hectic schedule in mind.
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What is cardio exercise?
Aerobic or cardio exercise is any exercise that is done for a prolonged period, generally 15-60 minutes. It is very effective in burning calories and is essential for weight loss and fat loss. It improves your overall health, increases longevity, and keeps you fit. There are many types of aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling, swimming, yoga, dance, etc. If you are looking to lose weight and improve your cardiovascular health, you’ll want to perform aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, five days per week.
Cardio is a general term for exercise that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe harder. It can be anything that gets your heart pumping and blood flowing faster, like walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, or climbing stairs. If you hit the gym regularly but don’t see the results you want to see—whether it’s losing weight or toning up—consider adding cardio to your routine.
30 minutes of Cardio a day is enough for a healthy lifestyle
We need to remember that 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise is not going to make you fit. However, it is enough to make you healthy. The idea is to spend 30 minutes on moderate-intensity cardio exercise like running or jogging.
When you do that regularly with a healthy diet, you can shed excess weight, reduce the risk of a heart attack or a stroke, increase your lifespan and improve your overall fitness. But that is not all! When you perform cardio regularly, your body produces endorphins.
Endorphins are hormones that make you feel happy and relaxed. Your mood improves and you can fight depression better. You get better sleep and are more focused at work.
3 Cardio Exercises that take only 30 minutes
1. Running
This is an outdoor cardio exercise that is simple and easy to do. You can perform this exercise in your neighborhood or at a nearby park. If you can withstand the heat, you can even do it in the summer.
Running is one of the best cardio workouts to lose weight. It is also good for your knees and hips. For beginners, 30 minutes is enough to get the benefit.
This is an outdoor cardio exercise that is simple and easy to do. You can perform this exercise in your neighborhood or at a nearby park. If you can withstand the heat, you can even do it in the summer.
2. Swimming
If you are looking for low-impact cardio exercise, swimming is the best exercise for you. You can do it for a long time without any strain on your knees and hips. It makes your upper and lower body strength. It is useful for people of all ages and fitness levels.
3. Cycling
Cycling is one of the best cardio exercises to lose weight and improve your health. You can do it inside or outside the city.
There are many indoor cycling studios across the world where you can do cycling. Cycling is a moderate-intensity cardio exercise and a 30-minute session is enough to lose weight and improve your health.
2-Minute Morning Activity To Stay Fit and Healthy
One great way to squeeze in a quick cardio session is by doing an activity right when you wake up in the morning. One good example is by doing jumping jacks.
They’re quick, and simple and can be done anywhere, whether it’s in your bedroom or living room. Jumping jacks provide a great way to get your heart pumping and blood flowing, so you are ready to tackle the rest of the day.
Plus, you’ll be surprised at how much energy you have throughout the day when you start it off with an energizing morning activity. If you do three sets of 30 jumping jacks, you will be done with this quick activity within two minutes. Plus, you can do it while you are watching TV or reading a book, so you don’t have to worry about fitting it into your schedule.
Reasons Why You Should Start Doing 30 Minutes of Cardio a Day
A good cardio workout will help improve your endurance and make exercise feel easier. You’ll also torch more fat as a result of doing cardio on top of strength training. Here are reasons why you should start doing 30 minutes of cardio a day:
Cardio makes exercise feel easier.
New exercisers often find that starting a regular fitness routine is challenging—even if they are just doing a few simple strength-training exercises. After a few weeks, you’ll notice that your muscles will become stronger and you’ll be able to lift more during your workouts.
After a few months, you may find that your fitness routine starts to feel easier. This is normal: you’re getting stronger and building more endurance. But if you’re not doing any cardio, you won’t be giving your body the full workout it needs. Cardio workouts like running or cycling will get your body moving faster and breathing harder, giving you a more intense workout than you would get from only lifting weights.
You’ll lose more weight with cardio.
If you are trying to lose weight, cardio is an absolute must. Weightlifting will help you build muscle, which is great for your body, but increasing your body’s metabolism and burning more fat isn’t one of the benefits.
Because cardio exercises make your body work harder, your metabolism will start burning more calories. Cardio also helps you burn more calories even after you’ve finished exercising, which is why it’s often referred to as “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” (EPOC). The more intense your cardio routine, the longer and more calories you’ll burn.
Cardiovascular exercise helps build lean muscle.
Cardio and strength training exercises each work different muscles, and both are essential for maintaining a healthy body and helping you reach your fitness goals. After a few months of regular exercise, you’ll notice that your body is getting stronger and leaner.
Cardio exercises tend to target your leg muscles, which is where most people carry their extra weight. When these muscles are stronger and fitter, you’ll burn more calories every day as a result. Leaner muscles don’t just look better—they are also more effective at burning fat throughout the day. On top of that, strengthening your leg muscles with regular cardio exercises like cycling or jogging is a great way to avoid injury and start feeling confident in your athletic abilities.
It clears your head and relieves stress.
If you hit the gym regularly, you might notice that you start to feel less stressed out and more at peace with life. Why? Because the human body responds to stress by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which are your body’s way of getting you ready to fight or flee.
If you don’t regularly work out, though, these hormones remain in your system, making you feel stressed and anxious. Exercising regularly will help you get rid of these hormones, making you feel calmer and more relaxed in general.
It’s a great way to stay fit and healthy.
Daily cardio exercise is essential if you want to stay healthy as you get older. The more intense the cardio routine is, the more benefits you’ll get out of it, but even just a few minutes of walking a day will help keep your body strong and fit.
Regular cardio exercises have been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, increase your longevity and help prevent certain cancers. When you regularly exercise, you’re also less likely to develop diabetes, and osteoporosis and suffer from certain mental illnesses like depression.
You’ll have more energy throughout the day.
If you are doing a regular cardio exercise, your body releases endorphins, also known as “feel good” hormones. Regular cardio exercises will help you stay energized and focused throughout the day, even if you have an early morning or a late night. You’ll feel more awake, less tired, and more ready to take on whatever challenges life throws your way.
You can always increase the intensity.
Not sure where to start when it comes to cardio? Start with a level that’s comfortable for you. As you get more comfortable with your routine, you can always increase the intensity.
A good rule of thumb is to increase the level of intensity as you get more comfortable with your routine. For example, if you are walking for 30 minutes, try adding some incline to increase the intensity.
It doesn’t require equipment.
Great. You can do cardio almost anywhere. On rainy days, there is nothing better than being able to pop in some headphones and walk around your neighborhood.
Even on the hottest days of the year, you can do indoor cardio and stay cool. With a little creativity, you can also turn everyday activities into cardio exercises.
You can walk or bike to work, climb stairs instead of taking an elevator, or head to the park with your kids. And if you are looking for some extra motivation, try adding a podcast to your walk or ride.
It's a no-brainer and easy to fit into your schedule.
On top of all the benefits of doing cardio, it is also easy to fit into your schedule. Every day, you probably have time for a quick walk, jog, or bike ride. If you’re crunched for time, you can do just a few minutes of cardio and still get some of the benefits.
You can also easily fit in a quick cardio routine on days when you don’t have time for a full workout. And if you’re worried that you’ll get bored doing the same thing day after day, you can mix up your routines, try different cardio exercises or combine cardio exercises with strength-training exercises.
It’ll help you breathe and speak easier too.
Exercising regularly can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even some cancers. Cardio can help strengthen your heart, making it pump blood more efficiently, which can help prevent heart disease.
It can also help strengthen your lungs, which can help your breathing if you have asthma or chronic bronchitis. It can also reduce the risk of developing respiratory issues, like sleep apnea, which can help you breathe and speak more easily.
Conclusion
When it comes to cardio, most people think the longer and more intense the better. But a shorter and more intense workout doesn’t necessarily yield better results. Shorter, high-intensity workouts can be much more effective when it comes to burning fat and increasing your metabolism.
The best way to get fit is by doing regular cardio exercises for 30-40 minutes per day, 5-6 days a week for a month. You can increase the intensity or duration of the session according to your fitness level. You do not need to spend hours in the gym to get fit.
If you have a hectic lifestyle, 30 minutes of cardio a day is enough to get fit. Now that you know why 30 minutes of cardio a day is enough for a healthy lifestyle, you can incorporate this healthy habit into your daily routine. Stay fit, stay happy!
Next time, don't forget to add a cardio exercise to your routine even just for half an hour. You'll see even greater health benefits from your workouts, including boosted energy and mood, better sleep, and reduced stress.
Make sure you warm up and cool down properly before and after your workout. Also, drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet before and after your workout. These things will help you see faster, better results. Put on some upbeat music, grab your favorite workout gear and get going!
