Who said cardio could only be done at the gym?
Any exercise that makes your heart and lungs pumping is cardio. You don’t need fancy equipment or machines like a treadmill or Elliptical to do cardio when it can be done easily at home without any equipment and will give you the same results.
Cardio exercise is a great way to promote heart health, increase stamina, strengthen muscles and lose fat.
Just doing 30 minutes of cardio every day can help you burn 500 extra calories each day, resulting in 3500 calories burned in a week, which amounts to 1 pound of fat. So doing just 30 minutes of cardio daily can help you lose 4 pounds (2 kg) of fat every month.
Here are 10 Best Cardio at Home Exercises You Can Do
1. Burpees
Burpees is a challenging exercise that works many of the major muscle groups in your body.
Including burpees in your workout routine can benefit you by promoting your heart and lungs health, improve blood flow and lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
You don’t need any equipment for this exercise. All you need is enough space to do the movement and your own body weight.
How to do it:
The most straightforward way to explain a burpee is to think of it as a pushup followed by a jump squat.
2. Jump Rope
During covid-19 lockdowns, jump rope was the most popular workout at home as it provided similar results you would get from running outside.
Very few exercises burn calories like a jumping rope. Just 30 minutes of jumping rope can help you burn anywhere between 300-500 calories, depending on your body weight.
If you do not have a jump rope, you can still do this exercise by imagining you have an invisible jump rope and doing all the exact movements.
3. Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks is excellent for strengthening muscles in your lower body, including your: calves, quads, glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings.
Since this exercise doesn’t require any equipment, you can do it anywhere. So, for example, you can start jumping first thing in the morning or while you’re waiting for your dinner to finish cooking or when you have been sitting for a long time and need your blood to start flowing.
4. Squat Jumps
Another excellent cardio exercise that you can do at home without any equipment is squat jumps.
Squat Jump is a great exercise to tone the muscles in your thighs and glutes and get rid of cellulite.
How to do it:
As the name implies, you start out in a squat and then jump up, trying to reach as high as possible, and then land back in the squat position. This exercise has a high impact, especially on your knees, so care is needed when you are a beginner or suffering a knee injury.
5. Dancing
Dancing can be an enjoyable way to get a full-body workout and lose extra pounds without feeling drained or tired.
Just put on some music and start dancing. Anything that gets your heart pumping exercises your cardiovascular system, and specific dance moves also help build muscle.
If you are unsure which dance moves you should do to lose weight, watch a video on youtube of hip hop, Zumba or Latin dance.
6. Running the Stairs
Climbing stairs is an incredible way to get your heart pumping and your body sweating. If you live in a one storey building and don’t have any stairs at home, you can just find a step and go back and forth on it as it would also give you similar results to climbing stairs.
Climbing up one stair burns about 0.75 calories, while climbing down burns 0.25 calories, so if you climb 20 stairs in a minute, you can burn approximately 500 calories in 30 minutes.
7. Jogging in Place
You do not need to go outside or use the treadmill to get the benefits of running; just jogging in a place in your home provides the same benefits, including strengthening your immune system, reducing depression, and boosting weight loss.
8. High knees
High knees might seem like an easy exercise to perform, but doing a few sets of this high-intensity move gets your heart pumping, activates your lower body and core muscles, and leads to a quick sweat.
Since this exercise requires running in place and no equipment, you can do it easily anywhere.
How to do it:
- Stand with your legs hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
- Lift right knee toward your chest.
- Lower your leg and repeat with the left knee.
- Continue alternating knees, moving your arms up and down.
9. Butt kicks
Butt kicks are simple to do, and they can be done about anywhere.
They are the absolute opposite of high knees, So instead of lifting your knees up high, you’ll raise your heels up toward your butt.
This exercise works perfectly with your hamstring muscles and glutes, and it can also help get rid of cellulite.
How to do it:
- Stand straight with your legs together and arms at your sides.
- Bring the right heel toward your butt.
- Lower your foot and repeat with the left heel.
- Continue alternating your heels and moving your arms.
10. Mountain climbers
The mountain climber, also known as running planks, is an intense full-body exercise that primarily targets the arms, shoulders, quads, and core. If you’re new to this exercise, start slow and gradually pick up the pace.
How to do it:
- Start in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
- Keep your back flat and core engaged.
- Lift your right knee toward your chest.
- Switch legs, pulling one knee out and bringing the other knee in.
- Continue alternating legs.