Move Your Way
Each week, you should try to get at least 150 minutes total of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise to maintain health and wellness (check out my previous post “Using Target Heart Rate to Monitor Exercise“ to learn how to calculate your target zones and monitor your heart rate during your exercise).
There are a number of ways to get in that 150 minutes of exercise!
Many gym-goers enjoy what’s called Steady State Cardio—this is any repetitive exercise that you do for an extended period of time while maintaining more or less the same speed or resistance. This allows you to keep your heart rate in your target heart rate zone.
But there are a lot of other ways to get your heart rate up and count towards your 150-minute weekly total. Any activity that gets your heart rate up into your target heart rate zones for an extended period of time counts!
Day to day tasks like cleaning, housework, gardening, and yard work can be great ways to get your exercise in—with the added bonus of taking care of your home! One of my clients achieves her 150 minutes every week just by working in her garden.
Playing sports recreationally is another great way to get active and socialize as well! Many of my clients are in recreational sports leagues, or they play “pick up” games with their friends often.
There are also a number of recreational activities that you can do to count towards your cardio. Where I live in North Carolina, there are many greenways and trails to stroll or bike along in my free time.
Some hobbies are also quite active! Woodworking, horseback riding, surfing, swimming, and taking dance classes are all examples of hobbies you can do to engage your mind and body.
If you enjoy the activity, you’re much more likely to actually do it consistently.
Just remember, the only requirement is to get that heart rate up and you’re set :)
If you are interested in fat loss, keep in mind that some activities burn more calories than others. For example, going on a light stroll for a half-hour can burn between 74 and 116 calories, whereas walking at a fast pace can burn between 192 and 302 calories. The more muscles you use and more vigorous the exercise, the more calories you will burn doing that activity. Click the button below to see a comprehensive list of different activities and their average calorie burn:
About the Author
Jayd Harrison is a personal trainer and content creator. She helps people to build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with her online coaching programs and social media content. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch and follow on social media.
