We all know that exercise is vital to staying healthy, and we often hear about how cardio or aerobic workouts are a key component along your fitness journey. Afterall, they provide a host of benefits including the likes of losing or maintaining weight, reducing health issues such as heart disease, lowering blood pressure, boosting your mood, aiding in positive sleep patterns, improving brain power, and so much more.
However, when someone mentions cardio, we automatically think of running, which while some people enjoy it, many people dread the thought of putting on their running gear and heading outside in the cold Irish weather or hitting the treadmill! For those of you that feel that way or just simply want to spice up your workout routines, our blog is going to run through some alternative cardio workouts that allow you to reap all the benefits that running achieves without having to set foot on a treadmill!
Cycling
The most obvious of alternative to running is cycling! Whether you invest in an outdoor bike or hit the spin bikes in your local Aura, there is no denying the benefits cycling provides to your cardiovascular health. A massive upside to cycling in comparison to running is that it is low-impact and people of any age or fitness level can take part in it! In particular spin bikes allow you to alter your speed, resistance level, distance travelled, plus much more, all from the comfort of your gym, and you can add to the fun by joining a local spinning class to be put through your paces by a fitness instructor.
Swimming
Another common physical activity that many people don’t think of as cardio is swimming. While swimming is often thought of as a stress-relieving exercise, it can also provide you with many of the same benefits of running, depending on the style of swimming you partake in. However, even more so than cycling, swimming is a fantastic low-impact form of exercise as an alternative cardio workout to running and can aid people with mobility issues or injuries in keeping fit! As well as that, swimming is a full-body exercise, meaning that you can tone up all your muscles in one go, while improving your overall fitness and having fun with a variation of strokes!
Rowing
Keeping along the trend of low-impact cardio workouts, rowing, whether it be indoor or out, offers a full-body workout that boosts your cardio levels. While you row on an indoor rowing machine you push through your legs and pull with your arms, providing toning for both, all while embracing your core. This form of cardio can be more effective than the likes of running or cycling as more muscles are engaged at any given time! No matter your experience in the world of fitness, rowing is a great exercise to include in your routine, as you can take it at a pace and intensity that suits your fitness goals!
High-Intensity Interval Training
Stepping aside from the low-impact workouts, you’ll find your high-intensity interval training workouts or HIIT for short! These workouts can be a mix of exercises, or differing paces or intensity on machines like the spinning bike, whereby you perform an exercise as quickly and powerfully as possible, without compromising form, before taking a short break ahead of repeating the process over again. For example, a great cardio exercise is the burpee, so you could perform as many burpees as possible in a minute, then take a minute to rest, before performing another minute of burpees, etc. The less time between sets of your exercise the harder it will be, but you’ll gain more benefits in terms of fitness, and you can build on this as time goes on!
Boxing
Boxing is not only an amazing way to improve balance and coordination but also has the added benefit of being a very useful exercise to get your cardio in! There are different methods to boxing too, whether it be hitting the punching bag, or taking part in a boxercise class. Either way, you work on your endurance and cardio fitness as you build your full body fitness. It is a fantastic exercise to strengthen the connection between mind and body too, which allows you to manage stress, while getting those cardio gains!
Step Aerobics
When most people hear step aerobics, they assume it is for older people, but the reality is that it is a brilliant way to boost your cardio fitness no matter what age you are! There are step classes available, whereby an instructor brings you through your paces with a low-impact workout, which is great for your muscles. Although, if you prefer to work out on your own or at your own pace, it can be great to create your own playlist and step to your hearts content! Like several of the exercises mentioned above step aerobics not only provides the cardio benefits but also improves your balance, coordination, and much more.
Stairs Climbing
Before you get worried, we aren’t suggesting you walk or run up and down your stair’s multiple times! Instead, using the stairs machine in your local Aura will allow you to build your cardio fitness. The stairs machine is a great way to not only get your heart rate up, but also allows you to work and strengthen some of the major muscles groups in your body. The more advanced you get, the more you can up the resistance, and intensity on the machine, until you reach a level of fitness, you’re happy with!
Elliptical
These are the machines you see in most gyms, but you’re not sure whether you should try them or not! Essentially, the elliptical has many similarities to running, but is far more friendly to your joints and provides a full body workout. As you swing your arms and legs, you get the pulse racing, and improve your cardio levels throughout. Many elliptical machines also come with pre-programmed workouts, meaning they are particularly friendly for beginners!
Skipping
If you’re looking for something you can do almost anywhere to maintain your cardio fitness, then look no further than skipping! While you may not have held a skipping rope since primary school, the cardio benefits of the exercise are similar to that of running, so you might just want to pick it up again! As well as boosting your cardio levels, skipping strengthens the muscles, improves coordination, boosts your metabolism, and much more. As mentioned above it is also easily accessible, meaning you can skip in the gym, at home, outside, or even bring your skipping rope on your next holiday to get in some cardio during your down time.
Dancing
Last but not least, we recommend introducing a little bit of dance into your fitness routine! You can find local dance classes that might include Zumba or salsa, or even having a dance to your favourite tunes can be an excellent way to burn calories and boost your heart rate. While it may not be as effective as some of the other exercises mentioned on our list, it can be a brilliant way to stay fit while having fun! Plus, you can add a bit of dance in on top of some of our suggestions to really enhance your fitness regime.
Our Final Thoughts
So, there you have it, 10 alternatives to running that can help you build your cardio fitness! Even if you love running, don’t be afraid to switch things up every once in a while, and try one of our suggestions, or even add them to your fitness routine! No matter what you choose, keeping on top of your cardio health is vitally important to protecting your body against a number of physical problems, while also boosting your headspace too! There are plenty of other ways to boost your cardio fitness, but these are just a few to get you started and get the blood pumping around your body!
How Aura Leisure Can Help
At Aura Leisure we provide a number of fitness classes that can help you work on your cardio fitness, whether it be our Step Classes, Spin HIIT Classes, Boxercise Classes, or more, there’s bound to be something for you! While, if fitness classes aren’t for you, our state-of-the-art gyms are full of equipment to get your heart rate up and help you build your fitness with our incredible team of fitness instructors on hand to help you!
Meanwhile, if you are more interested in the swimming side of things we have amazing swimming pools with options available for both members and pay as you go customers! Or if you’re looking to get started in the water as means of keeping fit, our expert team of swim teachers are here to guide you through our swimming lessons which are available for people of all ages and abilities or you can try out our Aqua Aerobics Classes too!
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