10 cardio exercises for boosting the weight loss

Cardio exercise is most likely the most popular form of physical activity while trying to lose weight. It increases the metabolic and heart rates thus effectively fight the stored fat you want to get rid of. Another great benefit of cardio is that there are plenty of options to choose from and you are not always required to get some accessories or visit the gym.

Following are the best 10 cardio exercises you can add to boost the weight loss and reach your goals faster.

What exactly is a cardio exercise?

Cardio exercise (also known as Aerobic Exercise) is a specific type of physical activity that increases your heart rate and keeps it up for the desired amount of time. The intensity of the exercise should be between 60% and 85% of your maximum heart rate because with such intensity your body is able to cope with far more effectively. If you’re new to cardio, you should start with a 20-minute workout and increase the duration and intensity as you improve your stamina and endurance.

Tennis

Tennis is a great outdoor activity (mostly) that will help you to burn some extra calories while having fun with your opponent. It also improves your stamina, speed, and strength. You should be able to burn between 600 and 900 calories during the one-hour workout.

Swimming

Swimming is a great calorie burner if you take is serious. If you swim just leisurely, you will not burn any significant amount of body fat. But if you add speed, you can burn up to 300 calories per 30 minutes, so one hour of swimming and you’re down by around 600 calories, which is pretty good. Swimming style also matters – the butterfly is better burner than breaststroke.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing or any other martial art is one of the best calorie burners out there because you are moving the whole body and stretching the muscles. It is also more fun as you are doing many different movements and not just one like when running or walking. You need to invest a little bit into accessories, but this cardio exercise is definitely worth it. It will improve your endurance and help to shed those excess pounds.

Zumba

This dance-based cardio training consists of interval and aerobic training thus offer you to burn a large number of calories during the session. You should burn around 500 calories per hour depending on your age, body weight, and the overall condition.

Hiking

This low-intensity recreational activity can improve your health, burn some extra calories and relieve stress. Even though it can’t be compared to most of the other cardio-based training, it is ideal for those who want to relax and stay active at the same time.

Crossfit

Crossfit is a relatively new exercise program developed by Rebook that uses every part of your body and is executed at high intensity. If you want to improve your physical skills, gain strength and lose weight, Crossfit is definitely the way to go. You will need plenty of accessories, so you better hit the gym.

Circuit training

Circuit training consists of a bunch of aerobic and anaerobic exercises that are performed in a circuit with minimal rest in-between. You take longer rest when the whole round is over. Because the circuit training is flexible, you can easily create your very own high-intensity routine using the accessories you have available. This form of workout is great to improve your stamina, gain some muscles and most important to burn a lot of calories.

Stairs climbing

Stairs exercises are great for toning up your lower body and increasing your stamina. This type of workout might be boring but is extremely powerful and easy to perform an out-of-the-gym cardio routine. If you are busy or you had a hectic day, a few minutes on the stairs will allow you to get rid of some extra calories. You can also make the stairs exercise a part of your circuit or high-intensity interval training.

Jogging

Jogging is one of the most popular ways how to stretch your whole body and shed those unwanted calories. In order to burn as many calories as possible during the session, try working at least at 8 mph. You can also add some weights or seek for rough terrains to make it more challenging.

Belly dancing

This basically women-only activity is a funny and sexy way how to stay in shape. You can easily learn it by yourself using youtube or by using some other guidance. Belly dance will aid in weight loss and boost the fat burning ability of your body.