There are some girls that can only get through a cardio workout only if they have their iPod, a stack of Hello! magazine's and a phone beside them. I am all for it if it helps you get through it! For me, if I have good tunes on my iPod then I am good to go!
But if you are starting to get bored and tired of reading about Miley Cyrus, or your body has stopped responding then it's time to change it up.
And if you are asking why you should be doing cardio again then think of increasing your endurance so that when walk up a set of stairs in your high heels, you won't be out of breath.
Also, if you want to get lean, cardio is a MUST. So here are five options for you!
Sprints
You can do these inside or outside. Inside of course on the treadmill and outside on a flat terrain. If you are going to run sprints here is some advice. Start slow! Sprints are pretty intense and will get your heart right up there in the max numbers. Start simple: do a quick 10 second sprint, then walk back. Repeat for as many times as this feels comfortable. Then next time build up to 15 seconds etc.
Hills
Hills are awesome for your butt. Just think about it. Each step you take, dig your heel into the ground and feel your butt muscles activate. That is why as trainers we recommend incline on the treadmill if you want to work your bum! But if you are outside, then it's a different story and it will be much much harder as now you also have to fight the force against you which is eliminated on the treadmill.
Stairs
Omg this will get your heart going! If you live in a house then you can do this right in your home. Doing stairs will also tone your butt especially if you are putting emphasis as you push-up to step up through your heels.
Jumping Rope
While most of us were pretty awesome at skipping rope when we were kids, a lot of us have forgotten the power of the rope! This continuous jump will get you sweating. Aweome workout for the heart. Here is how I suggest you do it. Start by doing 50 skips then break for 30 seconds. Repeat 5-10 times or whatever feels comfortable for you.
Body Weight Exercises
Is this a cardio or is it a toning exercise? Well, kinda both. Depends on how many you do and at what speed. To get a cardio workout then be sure to not use any weight and do a higher number of reps, say 20 or 30 and a moderate to faster speed. If you use weights and go slow then of course you are going to be toning that muscle. If you want to lose fat and tone then be sure to mix a combo of the two together. Yep you will feel a burn but you will also get your heart going which means you are burning fat.
So there you go. The best part is, you don't need any equipment for any of these workouts so be sure to do them at some point.
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