Cardiovascular Alternatives

The main phrase people repeat when I suggest cardio for fat loss is, "I hate doing cardio." Most people don't enjoy it, that's one of the reasons so many people are overweight in this day. People think of cardio as running or jogging, but that's not the only way to get your heart rate up. There are lots of alternatives to doing cardio that I think most people overlook.

Bike riding is a very good way to get a cardiovascular workout. It may be more soothing depending on the time of year, but most people I know like riding bikes. You could go for a long bike ride, if getting your cardio done all at once is the best way for you. What I like to do is ride my bike to the places I'm already going for the day. That way you get your workout in, and you get to where you need to go all at the same time. If you are not advanced at riding a bike, I suggest sticking to low traffic areas that you are failure with. That way you don't come across heavy traffic or hills you can't handle. After a few weeks of riding, you should be good enough to wonder a little more.

Extreme sports are all great for a cardiovascular workout. These are sports such as skateboarding, rollerblading, snowboarding and much more. If you have never done any of these, it may take some time to learn. You don't have to do anything to extreme and get yourself injured, simply riding is good enough. I like to go spend an hour a day at the skate park; it's fun for me and I get a workout.

Hitting a punching bag will keep your heart rate up forever. I recommend this as a cardio workout, because it's a great workout, and everyone likes punching stuff. A punching bag is a great investment, and they are somewhat affordable for most.

Working in retail is one way to stay lean. I have been working retail for years now, and the amount of cardiovascular I get at work would not be possible for me to do on a treadmill. Those of us that work on the floor at Costco are at a sweating pace for five to eight hours out of the day, with only three breaks. It makes exercising after work hard, but you may not have to. I still go to the gym and workout with weights, but if you're only concerned with losing body fat, there would be no need for the gym.

With all the ways out there to get your cardiovascular workout, you should not have any excuse. The ways I discussed in this article are only a few good ways. Do some research of your own and find a workout you love.