10 cardio workouts for beginners every woman should know

Even if someone is a complete beginner, there are plenty of ways to get a good cardio workout in without jumping into something too far outside her comfort zone. A woman can ease into it by doing less-intense exercises and gradually working her way up to more intense workouts. Someone can also try low-impact cardio to reduce the amount of stress and impact on her body.

What Is Cardio?

Cardio means doing aerobic exercises. Cardiovascular exercise is any physical activity that increases the heart rate to a higher level. With this type of exercise, the individual must breathe harder and faster in order to take in more oxygen. For this reason, cardio is one of the best forms of exercises for weight loss.

10 Cardio Workouts for Beginners

These 10 cardio workouts for beginners will help women get started on the right foot no matter what their goals are!

1. Walking

Walking is a great way to get started with a cardio routine. If women are new to exercise and haven't been active in a while, start out at a slow pace for 10-20 minutes and gradually increase the time each week. They need to consider walking in the morning or in the evening if they're beginners looking for the best cardio vascular workouts!

Begin training at a slow pace and gradually increase the speed over time. Walking/jogging is a brilliant choice for people who want to get fit without too much exertion. More so, walking is a low-impact cardio workout that someone can start with right off the bat, whether she's just getting started or has been working out for a while. It's also great if she has joint pain or a history of injury.

2. Stationary Bike

This is another good choice for beginners because someone can go at her own pace. Most gyms have a variety of stationary bikes, so choose one that feels comfortable to a woman. Some bikes allow women to control how much resistance they are pedaling against and others may get preset at various levels of resistance, like easy, moderate, or hard. Women may want to pick a setting that feels challenging but not too difficult.

To execute this workout, a woman will need to cycle on the stationary bike for 20 minutes without stopping. She will also want to make sure she has a towel handy in case she sweat too much. Make sure the towel is not soiled prior to using it, as it may get dirty from perspiration if not cleaned regularly.

3. Treadmill

This is another piece of cardio equipment people can find at most gyms. The treadmill allows most women to set the speed and incline so the workout can be as easy or difficult as someone wants it to be. A beginner should start on a flat surface and at a slow walking speed (about two or two-and-a-half miles an hour). After a few weeks, a person can escalate either the speed or the incline or both to make her workout more challenging.

4. Swimming

For people who cannot walk over 50 yards without getting tired, swimming is a splendid choice since the body continues to burn calories even after she leaves the pool. When walking/jogging, keep increasing speeds until someone can't go any further. When swimming, women don't have to worry about this because the water itself is going to help them continue burning calories.

5. Rowing

Rowing is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories, as well as improve cardiovascular fitness and bone density. Women also don't need any special equipment or gym facility; just head outdoors and start rowing. During someone's free time, she can try rowing as a cardio workout strategy. By doing so, women improve their health and fitness without straining.

6. High Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT)

High Intensity Interval Training involves bursts of intense activity followed by short periods of rest, which refer to someone's heart rate and other aspects of her body, such as her breathing. Research has shown that HIIT workouts are the most effective at burning fat and calorie-intensive muscles, and can improve athletic performance in both athletes and non-athletes.

The best way to warm up your muscles is to simply start moving. Choose a movement that will get all of her muscles moving in the same direction, such as jumping jacks, high knees, or jumping rope. Through high intensity interval training, most women can strengthen their muscles!

7. Strength Training

Strength training is another form of a cardio workout in which a woman works on your body's muscles to increase muscle mass and strength. Strength training can get performed using free weights or weight machines, but some people prefer one or the other based on preference, as well as their overall health status.

However, someone should decrease the intensity of strength training by decreasing reps. If women are doing a cardio workout that uses high repetitions (such as 20 or more), they need to decrease the number of repetitions (usually from 20 to 10).

8. Elliptical Machine

Ellipticals are another brilliant piece of equipment that women can use without ever having to leave their house. This "elliptical" machine will give them a better workout than the one they'd get on an elliptical at the gym-and women don't even have to leave their house! She'll burn more calories doing this workout than jogging in place (which also works her lower body).

9. Jump Rope and Squat Jump

When most women were kids, they used to jump rope all the time. It was their favorite way to burn off energy, and they still use it from time to time, for instance, when a woman is watching TV with her husband. Jumping rope is a great cardio workout for beginners because it works multiple muscles in her legs, including her calves and glutes.

Jump rope workout is also a great way that a woman can incorporate cardio into her routine without adding more stress to her joints. This jump rope workout burns calories and improves balance while reducing impact on women's knees.

10. Jogging

Jogging is a low-impact exercise that's great for beginners. It's easy on her joints and helps her get used to exercising. The downside is that it can be boring, so if she's not looking for a long-term workout, jogging might not be the best option for a woman.

This is an activity that's good for both indoor and outdoor settings, as long as you have space to run (and lights to see at night).

Final Thoughts!

Undoubtedly, there are several manageable cardio workouts that beginners can try out. In the end, it's vital to find cardio workouts that most women enjoy and will stick with. By sticking to a cardio routine, she will reap the benefits of getting in better shape and helping improve her heart health.