5 No Equipment Beginner Cardio Workouts

Beginner Cardio Workouts

1. Stepping in place.

Step in place while swinging your arms for 10-15 minutes. This is a easy workout to do while watching tv and it will definitly increase your heart rate and make for a good workout! After your time is up make sure to stretch (especially your calf muscles).

2. Walking the stairs.

Harvard Medical School reports that stair climbing is an effective way to lose weight and keep it off, since the people who walk up stairs, even at a slower pace, burn calories 3x faster than when walking at a faster speed on a normal surface (livestrong.com). If you have a fight of stairs at work, home, school, etc, start using them for workouts. At least 3 days a wk set aside 5 to 10 min working your way up to 30 minutes.

3. Exercise videos.

These days there are all kinds of cardio workouts on dvd or provided through you cable plan. Find something that interests you (Pilates, yoga, dance, hip hop, etc) and get started 3 days a wk working your way up in time.

4. Jump Roping or Jumping Jacks.

You can use a jump rope or do jumping jacks. To start out you can alternate the jumping and walking in place. Example: walk in place for 5 min then do jumping for 30 sec to 1 min then back to walking in place. Jumping burns calories fast and tones your muscles.

5. Dance to the music.

Challenge yourself to dance to your favorite songs. Start out with dancing through one whole song then work your way up to 3 or more songs in a row. This is a routine that can be enjoyable and fun for you and your family.