Working out at home has made exercise more convenient, giving them the flexibility to work out at whatever time’s suitable for them and offering more choices of activities to do (via SWNS Digital).
It gives more confidence to try new activities at home rather than in the gym.
Still, it’s not always easy to know what exercises to do. Home treadmills and stationary bikes are increasingly popular, and they’re a significant investment in your health (via Fortune Business Insights).
But you have many other options that don’t cost as much or require as much space.
Here are a few simple cardio workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Stair climbing
You can utilize any set of stairs to get your heart pumping, burn calories, and build leg strength. According to Allina Health, walking up stairs burns between 530 and 835 calories per hour, depending on your body weight. That’s more than what you’d burn running at a pace of 5 miles per hour for the same amount of time (via Harvard Health).
Stairs come in different varieties, so you have to work with what you’ve got. If you live or work in a high-rise, you can just climb from bottom to top. Depending on the height of your building, one ascent could make up your entire workout! Or, you can climb up, go back down, and repeat. The descent would be a recovery period, making your stair-climbing workout a type of interval training. Interval training alternates periods of vigorous effort with periods of recovery. Theoretically, this allows you to push yourself harder during the work periods and get more done in less time. Interval training has been shown to get the same results as steady-state cardio workouts but in less time (via Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism).
If you have a shorter flight of steps, as most homes feature, you can still use them to get in a great workout by running up and down, stepping two stairs at a time, hopping up single steps on one or both feet, hopping up double steps on one or both feet, or doing a combination.
Hula-hooping
This nostalgic activity is now a trendy workout class at the nation’s hottest fitness clubs, such as Equinox and Crunch. According to research by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), hooping — as it’s called by those in the know — burns an average of 7 calories a minute, or 210 in a 30-minute workout. That’s close to the amount a 155-pound person burns using a stair-stepping machine or hiking cross-country in 30 minutes (via Harvard Health Publishing).
Hooping doesn’t just involve circling the hoop around your waist. There are a variety of moves you can do in a hula-hooping workout that can incorporate all the major muscle groups in your upper body, lower body, and core (via ACE). That makes it not only an excellent cardio exercise, but also a full-body workout than can strengthen your muscles, improve flexibility, and enhance balance. The rhythmic nature of the workout can also be very relaxing for the mind.
Once you get the basic moves down, you can also invest in a weighted hula hoop to add more challenge to your workout. In a study published in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research in 2015, women who engaged in six weeks of weighted hula hooping significantly reduced their waist and hip circumference measurements and their waist-to-hip ratio.
Treadmill workouts
Home treadmills offer many benefits over those at the gym. There are no time limits on how long you can use them, as there are in some very busy gyms (via Treadmill Reviews); you’ll never have to wait for the treadmill to be available; and you’ll never have to deal with a treadmill soaked in someone else’s sweat. Mid-range and top-tier treadmills are often “smart,” which means they connect to Bluetooth and to the internet (via Digital Trends). You can watch your favorite shows while you’re walking or running, which definitely makes time fly by.
As for workouts you can do on your treadmill, there are a ton of options. Sprint training is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and it offers many benefits, including reduced blood pressure, improved insulin sensitivity, and decreased belly fat and body weight (via the American College of Sports Medicine). The best part about HIIT: you can get just as good a workout in less time than steady-state walking, jogging, or running (via ACE). A simple treadmill sprint workout starts with a 5-minute warm up at an easy pace, then alternates periods of 30-second sprints at an all-out pace with 30- to 60-second recovery periods at a fast walk or jog for a total of 20 minutes.
Cardio body weight exercises (calisthenics cardio)
Good old calisthenics has made a comeback over the years, and for good reason: It provides an effective workout that you can do anywhere with no equipment. These easy-to-learn moves can be modified to be made easier or more challenging depending on your fitness level. Plus, many of them also build full-body strength (via BarBend).
Jumping jacks are an old favorite and a great place to start your workout. You probably already know how to do them without thinking: Just jump up and down, alternating your feet landing in a wide stance and a narrow stance, and clapping your hands together above your head on alternate jumps (via The New York Times).
Next, try burpees (via Healthline). Jump a few inches off the ground raising your arms up overhead, then land on both feet with your knees bent and sink into a squat. Place your palms flat on the floor and jump your feet back so your body is in a plank position. Do a push-up, then jump your feet forward to your hands. Spring up, jumping your feet off the ground again and raising your hands overhead. As you land, come right back down into your next repetition.
Mountain climbers are another great choice (via Runner’s World). While in plank position, bring your right knee up toward your chest. Quickly bring it back and switch, bringing your left knee up to your chest. Continue to alternate at a moderate pace.