After a vacation, it’s the perfect time to step up your exercise routine with more cardio. What cardio exercises are the best? I can give you some of the best cardio exercises to get your heart and lungs in shape.

Why is this important?

Well, aside from burning fat, cardiovascular fitness is important for your heart health. Heart disease not only affects the heart, but also the vessels of the body. Peripheral vascular disease can cause joint pain and fluid retention in the tissues. The best way to prevent this from happening is to keep your body healthy.

If you are looking for cardio exercises, here are some of the most effective ones.

Aerobics – As the name implies, you use oxygen to improve your fitness level. As you improve, your heart rate and blood pressure will decrease while increasing tissue oxygenation. That means less lactic acid buildup in your muscles, which causes cramps and muscle pain. But aerobics is a general name for several types of activities: kickboxing, dance, step aerobics, and more. Many of these are so effective because they make you work in intervals, changing the intensity of your workout to keep up.

Bicycling – This can be done outside or inside (think Spin classes). This is a low-impact, high-energy workout that takes you up hills and back down again by adjusting the tension on your bike. Music keeps you moving even when your legs want to give out. Outside, you can ride a bike and even ride a mountain bike. Some friends of mine have been biking recently and they all seem to be getting thinner.

Swimming: Swimming is a low-impact exercise that isn’t hard on your joints and can burn a significant amount of fat if you do it in intervals. For example, you could swim at a medium intensity for two minutes and run for 30 seconds. Swimming freestyle, backstroke and butterfly turns require power and good lung capacity. Just remember, if you’re a beginner, you’ll increase your ability to swim farther and faster the more you practice.

Jogging: Jogging is one of the best exercises in terms of calories burned. For those who have knee problems, they can get the same jogging workout on the elliptical trainer. Get your heart rate up without all the wear and tear on your joints.
 
Walking – This is one of the best overall exercises and is often recommended by health and fitness organizations, especially for beginners or new to exercise. Pumping your arms increases the involvement of your heart and lungs. It strengthens your whole body and burns calories.

If you are looking for some cardio exercises that can burn some fat, give them a try. Remember to try interval training by changing the intensity and watch the weight come off.