Author: Alena Mokryzcki
In the context of health, getting physically active is a great place to start!
Fortunately, not having access to a gym or fitness facility doesn’t have to get in the way of reaching your fitness goals! Treadmills and ellipticals aren’t the only way to get your cardio in. In fact, there are tons of at-home cardio exercises that can help you work up a good sweat and having fun while you’re at it! We’ve put together 7 at-home cardio exercises to help you get inspired and create an at-home cardio workout that suits your needs.
As always, it’s important to only do the exercises that you feel safe and comfortable performing! If you have any current or injuries, or any other factors that may prevent you from safely performing any of the exercises, or if you are simply unsure, consult a doctor or physical therapist beforehand.
Cardio exercise you can do at home:
- Jogging in place
- Running up/down the stairs
- Dancing
- Squat jumps
- Jumping jacks
- Jumping rope
- Burpees
Cardio Exercise #1: Jogging in place
Pick a spot in your house to jog in place. You can jog in place for 30-60 seconds to start, slowly increasing the amount of time based on how you are feeling over time.
Cardio Exercise #2: Running up/down the stairs
If you want to jog while also incorporating steps, you can use your stairs to run up and/or down. You can do this for a set time or pick a number of times to run up/down. You can start by doing this for 1 minute or 5 times, depending on how you want to measure this exercise. It is important to go at a pace that feels comfortable and safe to you. Also, if you are only comfortable jogging up the stairs, you can do that and then walk down the stairs.
Cardio Exercise #3: Dancing
If you enjoy dancing, this is a great cardio workout! Find music that you would like to dance to or maybe even follow along to a dance video. In terms of how to measure the duration of this exercise, you can determine what feels right to you. For example, you can select a specific number of songs to dance to or aim for a specific length of time.
Cardio Exercise #4: Squat jumps
Start in a squat position and then jump as high as you can, and land in a squat position again. Start out small, and do this 10-15 times. You can then increase the repetitions or the difficulty such as by trying to jump higher or squat lower (while making sure not to bend your knees past 90 degrees).
Cardio Exercise #5: Jumping jacks
Jumping jacks can be done anywhere in your house and is a great option. Select a place where you have room to do this, and then decide on what amount feels right to start with. You can then slowly build off of that over time.
Cardio Exercise #6: Jumping rope
Jumping rope is another great option. You can either jump rope for a specific length of time or try to aim for a certain number of jumps. Keeping track of the number of jumps is a great way to measure your progress if you would find that motivating to do.
Cardio Exercise #7: Burpees
This is a great full-body exercise. There are a few steps to perform a burpee. To start, you will be in a standing position. You will then move into a squat position with your hands on the ground. Your feet are then kicked back into a plank position with your hands on the ground. After that, you return your feet into a squat position and then stand up from the squat position. Starting out, aim to do a set of 10 repetitions. You can then increase the number of sets based on how you feel over time.
At-home cardio workout
All of the above exercises can be done on their own, or you can pick and choose some of these cardio exercises to complete in a circuit.
Here’s an example 20 minute at-home cardio workout circuit using these exercises:
Warm up: 1 minute jogging in place.
Circuit: Complete the following circuit 3 times through:
- Walk / run up and down one flight of stairs
- 5 burpees
- 10 squat jumps
- 20 jumping jacks
- 1 minute jump rope
Cool down: Pick your favorite song and dance it out!
To start getting physically active, sign up for your 14-day Noom trial today!
