Cardio for People Who Hate Cardio

Welcome, or welcome back!

Today I want to talk a little about cardio. What does it mean? How do you do it? How much do you really need? At the end, I will lay out a plan that maximizes results while minimizing time, for people who want to include cardio in their lives, but don't want to center their whole identity around running/biking/swimming.

We all know those cardio bunnies, those lovers of the elliptical, those spin class maniacs, and we love that energy. We also know those endurance athletes who bike, run, or swim for hours a week, and we admire their commitment. But not everyone is able or interested in devoting hours to an active hobby.

If you are one of those people who just wants to get a little more exercise without losing your identity to it, this is for you!

What Is Cardio?

Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio, is any physical activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for a sustained period. It's often called aerobic exercise because it relies on the efficient use of oxygen to fuel your muscles. Common examples include brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, and dancing.

What Cardio Does for Your Body?

Cardio is essential for overall health, primarily because it strengthens your cardiovascular system—your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. When you do cardio, your heart has to pump more blood to deliver oxygen to your working muscles. Over time, this makes your heart more efficient, meaning it can pump more blood with each beat, even when you're at rest. A lower resting heart rate is a key indicator of improved heart health.

Beyond its effects on the heart, regular cardio provides numerous benefits:

• Improves Circulation: Cardio makes your blood vessels more flexible and can help clear arteries by increasing "good" cholesterol (HDL) and lowering "bad" cholesterol (LDL), which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.

• Boosts Metabolism: It helps you burn calories and can aid in weight management by using stored fats and carbohydrates for energy.

• Enhances Lung Function: By making your lungs more efficient at taking in oxygen, cardio improves endurance and reduces shortness of breath during daily activities.

• Supports Mental Health: Cardio releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. This can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

• Lowers Chronic Disease Risk: Regular cardio significantly lowers your risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

How Can You Incorporate Cardio into a Busy Week?

This is the stinger, the excuse I hear every day, even from myself. "Life is hectic, work is busy, I'll do it when things calm down."

I get it. But here is the thing. It does not have to take over your whole life. Here are some tips I would give clients with problems getting their cardio in:

1. Walking is king. And queen. It is great cardio, requires no special equipment beyond comfortable clothes and shoes, and you can do it outdoors, increasing your sunlight and fresh air intake. If you hate cardio, just go for a darn walk. Don't overcomplicate it. You can also walk and multitask. You can walk on a treadmill and watch your favorite show. You can walk in your neighborhood and listen to a podcast or audiobook. It will be fun, and relaxing, and you don't have to go anywhere or wear anything special.

2. Make it as easy as possible. Remove friction. If you want to take a class but keep finding yourself glued to the couch, set yourself up for success. Choose the easiest time, the lowest cost, the least equipment. Keep your equipment, if needed, in an accessible spot so it is easy to grab and go. If planning your workout is the hard part, just put it on autopilot. You will walk this time, you will take a class at this time slot.

3. Put it in your calendar. Set reminders. If your health is truly a priority, it should have a slot in your calendar right along with your hair appointments, meetings, and errands.

4. Walk after meals. This is a double benefit, because it improves your blood sugar throughout the day and reduces risk of developing diabetes. If you get a half hour lunch, pack a quick meal so you can take the last ten minutes to walk around your office. Ten minutes a day, three times a day, will get you 99% of the cardio work you need. After dinner, take a walk with your family! Modeling healthy behavior will set up your partner, children, and pets for better health as well as yourself.

5. Something is better than nothing. I'm going to outline how much cardio you SHOULD be getting for optimal health, but ANY cardio is better than no cardio. If all you can do is a handful of short walks, that's ok! You will still get many of the benefits of cardio from those few minutes. One session a week? Great! Maybe with time you'll be able to bump up to more. Only have time on the weekend? Ok! That weekend hike or bike or swim will carry benefits into your work week.

Optimal Plans for Weekly Cardio

According to the CDC, you need to be getting 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio a week. High intensity counts for double, but high intensity also requires more recovery and planning. You can take a walk on your lunch break, but you can't do a HIIT circuit, change, shower, and show up for work with energy for the rest of your work day.

Here are a couple of plans that will get you to 150:

Plan 1, for the person who loves walks, hates high intensity: Walk ten minutes after at least ten meals a week (100 minutes). Take a long walk on the weekend (50 minutes)

Plan 2, for the person who needs to maximize time: Walk ten minutes after at least 7 meals a week (70 minutes), two 20-minute high-intensity interval sessions (40 HIIT minutes, 80 minutes toward the 150 goal)

Plan 3, for the person who has a couple big blocks of time, and just wants to get it over with: Three 50-minute walks or cardio classes a week, or two walks/classes plus one 20 minute HIIT session (150 minutes, or 140 minutes)

But remember, these are optimized, not realistic! Any activity is better than 0, and if you are only able to get in those 10 minute walks once a day, you are still going to get many of the benefits of cardio. So don't let the inability to find 150 minutes in your week stop you from doing the 30 minutes of cardio that you CAN fit in.

I mentioned HIIT several times. I'll be writing up some more information on what that means very soon, so if you are interested in saving time with some high intensity work, keep an eye out for that!

As always, if you have questions, or want to work with me to build a customized plan for training, reach out! I'm always available through my email, pearl.howell.fitness@gmail.com