Variations of Cardio

When women want to loose weight, the first thing that pops up in their mind is "I need to do like a hour of cardio." This "great idea" is by far the worst thing that you could possibly do.  Anything over a hour of cardio is too excessive. 30-45 minutes is all you need, especially if you are lifting weights. Steady state cardio is a constant steady pace that you are performing  by either walking on the treadmill or on the elliptical. Sure you are burning a few extra calories, but as soon as you stop steady state cardio, you quit burning the extra calories. Cardio is a great way to improve your endurance and overall cardiovascular health. But your cardio doesn't have to be just boring. There are several ways to make it fun, yet challenging! Incorporating HIIT (high intensity interval training) is  very productive because even after stop, you are burning calories as compared to steady state when you stop, you stop! You burn more fat and calories with HIIT.  The best thing about HIIT is that you can take it anywhere. Be Creative!  Take it to a stadium... Run all the way to the top as fast as you can and then walk down (this will be your recovery). Do like 10 rounds and BOOM, you are done! Also, you can get on a spin bike and sprint for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds. Repeat for 15-20 minutes. There are several ways to add some kind of HIIT to you cardio routine. Last but not least, PLYOS!!! Plyometric is the only kind of workout or exercises that will make me barf. True Story! Choose a few exercises and you can do either sets or a timed workout.

An example is: 4 sets of 15
Burpees x 15
Jump Squat x 15
Mountain Climbers x15 (per leg)
Jump Lunges x 15(per leg)
Rest for 1 minute and repeat 3 more times
OR
4 set per 1 minute
Jumping Jacks x 1  min
Pop squats x 1 min
High Knees x 1 min
Box Hop Overs x 1 min
Rest for 1 minute and repeat 3 more times.

It is always fun to get creative with your workouts. The thing about plyos and HIIT is that you can do them anywhere if you don't have access to a cardio machine. NO Excuses!!!  You just have to have the motivation to do it whether your on a business trip, home, or on vacation. Also, you can break up your cardio routine. Maybe do steady state cardio a few days a week and add a HIIT day and a plyo day. Its always good to keep your body guessing. And if you feel these are to aggressive for you, then maybe try Zumba, Spin, or kickboxing at your local gym. Group fitness classes can be fun if you have a great instructor. I hope this helps and stay tuned for my egg muffin recipe coming soon!