Written By Dipti B.
Category: Health & Fitness
Fast paced, digitalized, full of stress, demanding, are some of the adjectives we use to describe our lives today. A highly demanding job, work-life balance and your daily routine leave you no time for yourself let alone going to the gym for cardio.
Meals are taken on the go, and there is little or no time to relax. All these factors take a toll on our body and slowly by slowly you see yourself going flabby and the scale readings going up.
However, it is not too late to go from flab to fab. Just ten minutes a day will do wonders for your body, not to forget your self-esteem. Realistically speaking, ten minutes is not a lot to ask for a fit and healthy body and life.
What Is Cardio?
Cardio is any exercise that will raise your heartbeat, which in turn will help you burn calories and subsequently lose weight.
No workout is complete without a few cardio exercises, and these are must whether you are looking to lose weight, keep fit or just maintain good health and a toned body. For those who have no time or have got into the rut of passing out in front of the television every night, these ten minutes will rouse you and your body back to vitality.
Less is more as far as exercises are concerned. Every little exercise you do goes a long way in keeping you fit and healthy. There are various cardio exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home, without investing in any specialized equipment.
Since you are looking for a short cardio session, it is better to opt for a High-Intensity Interval Training, also known as burst training.
“Every little exercise you do goes a long way in keeping you fit and healthy.”
Examples of Burst Training Exercises
Below are a few useful exercises that you can mix and match for optimum results:
1. On the spot running
Run on the spot keeping your knees high and at a fast pace.
2. Jumping Jacks
Jump to a position with the legs spread, and the hands touching above the head, and then return to a position with the feet together and the arms at the sides.
3. Rope jumping
Bring the child out of you and go down the memory lane with a jump rope while you burn some calories.
4. High jumps
Put your arms above your head and jump as high as you can on the spot. Count how many you can do in 3 seconds.
5. Squat Pulses
Widen your legs aligning your feet with your shoulders. Squat low and move up and down. Continue doing this exercise till your thigh muscles start screaming. Ensure that your knees do not go past your toes.
6. Cycling
There is nothing more refreshing than a cycle ride first thing in the morning. Breathe in the fresh crispy cool morning air whilst you work out your body.
7. Walk and Sprint
Walk for 30 seconds then sprint for the next 30. Continue till your muscles start feeling the strain. This will usually happen after about 10 such sets.
In fact, by the time you reach the fourth set, your muscles will start giving in. However, it is best to persevere this stage as the results are worth it.
8. Infinite Pushups
Work in sets of ten – ten pushups, then rest for 30 seconds. A workout that can be done anywhere.
9. Jog and sprint
Instead of walk and sprint, you jog and sprint. It might be an idea to start with the walk and sprint and slowly graduate to jog and sprint.
10. Infinite squats- King of Exercises
workout. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips, with toes pointed to about 15 degrees outward. Your spine should be straight, head pulled back, shoulders back, chest raised, and have a slight arch in the lower back.
Keep your knees in line with your feet as you squat. Your body and core should be tight all the time. Squats will help in strengthening your entire body, all your bones and muscles and increase flexibility. Every major muscle group in your body is exercised when you perform a squat.
The more you do, the more fat you lose, which in turn means a gain in muscle.
11. Push and squat
Pushups and squats are working hand in hand to work most of your body. Ten push-ups followed by ten squats and again till you can do no more.
A cost-free and ideal way of venting out your frustration, while working out your body. A burpee is also known as a squat thrust. It is one of the most effective yet challenging exercises. A burpee trains almost every muscle in your body, including your core, legs, and chest.
Benefits of Cardio Workouts
Cardio exercises are good for everyone, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete. Some of the main benefits of cardio exercises include:
- Increase in energy levels
- High self-esteem
- Powerful set of lungs with a strong heart
- Reduction of stress levels
- Weight loss and toned body
- Increase in bone density
- Relief from anxiety and depression, albeit temporarily
- Better sleeping habits
- The younger generation will have a role model to look up to.
- Increased confidence on how you feel and look
- Improves your sex life
- Helps to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol
- Decreases your chances of having a heart attack or being diabetic
Conclusion
Start by doing a couple of ten-minute sessions a week and as you get used to the exercises, try and do them every alternate day, but no more than four times a week.
This way your body gets healing time too. If you find that you are not breaking out into a sweat anymore, then it is time to push yourself or change your routine.
As your fitness improves you will be able to do your routine for longer, and that is why you need to continuously keep on challenging yourself to keep that optimum level of fitness. Cardio for 10 mins a day is a good start, isn’t it?
So, go ahead and make a commitment to yourself that you are going to get fit and make it a part of your daily routine.
