Cardio at home
 

I have got a wonderful memership at the Asheville YMCA, and am loving it! Problem is, I don't always have time to make the drive into downtown, so I'd like to find ways to fit my cardio in at home. Unfortunately, I live on the top floor of an apartment complex, so things that traditionally come to mind (like jump rope) are not very practical. I thought about step areobics but I'm not sure how much I'd like that, and I wouldn't want to buy equipment for an exercise I don't know if I'd like or not. Any cardio videos you guys have that you just love? Has anyone got any ideas? Thanks!

Well, since you live on the top floor, go up and down the stairs a few times.

Go outside and go for a brisk walk around the block.

Try a pilates video. Although they look like they don't do much, it can get the heart going.

Yeah, you can't beat stairs for a workout! And walking outside is wonderful - unless it's raining, of course.

Jump rope is one of my favorites, if you don't mind doing it outside.
Couldn't agree more.

What's the ideal amount of time for cardio? 30 minutes minimum, 3x a week? What about intensity? Mix in some sprints or is light jogging for 30 mins ok? I'm just trying to improve overall health, increase metabolism (ok, lose the gut is my main goal).

I walked around for hours a day (stop and go, brisk at times) all summer long. Mostly sightseeing and hiking type of activity, all over Europe and the Middle East in the summer heat. Later on in the summer, I worked out at a dojo and it winded me (1/2 hour of exercisng, running etc around the dojo, then the last 1/2 hour of jujitsu stuff). I got pretty winded after throwing ounches and kicking during the sparring (it was full contact).

What about 1000 jumping jacks at home, say 3X a week?

Jump roping is my new favorite exercise. Something is just mesmerizing about it. I count my reps which keeps me motivated. I try to do about 1000 a night.

Also, make sure to get a leather one with ball bearing handles, otherwise the rope gets twisted and it's a big pain.

I think you need 30 minutes minimum plus warm up and cool down. The lower intensity days should probably be longer. They say that walking briskly for an hour (a mile every 15 minutes) is great excercise, especially to lose weight. Hi-intensity is good once a week or perhaps 3 times over two weeks.

I use a Nordic track during the worst winter months. Good workout and used Nordic track skiers are usually cheap and plentiful.

Release a live chicken into your kitchen, then try to catch it. Do this every other day for 30 minutes.

Thanks for the responses guys, I do appreciate it. I think I will pass on the chicken thing...for now. So, do you think 1000 jumping jacks is high intensity enough?

That depends on your general physical condition. How many jj's can you do without stopping?

Good question: I'm not sure. Everytime I've done it, it has been part of a larger routine/workout regimen. At least 30. What if we tried to calculate time? So if it's one jj per second, 1000 jjs would be around 16 minutes or so. Maybe 2000 jjs would give me the 30 minutes of high intensity workout 3x a week.

Well don't just do jumping jacks. They tend to be hard on your knees after a while, and they are also kinda limited. Do you have (access to) a pool?

The best part is at the end of the month you have a nice lean chicken ready for the eating :thumbsup:

Now that is a great suggestion!! I used one years ago to quit smoking. Still have it and still use it to keep things interesting.

On the jumping jacks - the intensity level is entirely up to you. Slow is low and fast is high. The only sure way to know would be to use a heart rate monitor. I suspect 30 minutes of those things would get quite boring.

You might mix the JJs with chicken chasing!!:lol: :lol: :lol: