Trying to lose weight? Tired of dieting and sacrificing your favorite food, with little or no result? Well cardiovascular exercises are the answer. But how can cardio keep you lean, you might be wondering? Well, here’s why – When you perform cardio exercises, you are using up all the glucose in your blood. When you deplete all the glucose in the blood, then the body brings out the fat stored in the body, and burns it. This leads to decrease in cholesterol levels in the blood, reduces obesity, and improve the overall health of the person.

So now that you have a basic understanding of the benefits of cardio exercises, read on to learn the five best cardio exercises that will help make you lean.

But before we get to the exercises themselves, let us not neglect what you need to do just before them…

Warm-up and conditioning

You cannot afford not to warm-up before working out. A good warm-up is the basis for a great workout. It will delay fatigue, reduce injuries, and help you work out better.

And now, without further ado, onto the exercises:

Walking

One of the simplest and easiest cardio exercises, walking is something that you can start with immediately. Either you can choose to walk in an open park or ground, or you get on a treadmill. Both of these methods have their own advantages. Walking is a whole-body workout, stimulating every receptor at the feet, and helping you burn fat. Here is how you can start:

If you are walking in a park:

• Try slow, casual walking for one or two days till you get accustomed to it.
• If possible, try to walk for at least twenty to thirty minutes. This will help you understand your physical fitness levels.
• Then from the third day, start brisk walking. Walk for at least forty-five minutes. Do this for three times a week.
• Do not over step or overstrain. Taking small steps will be more effective.

If you are walking on a treadmill, the same pointers given above apply; but also try walking on an incline, which will help you burn fat faster.

Running

Another simple and easy to perform an exercise with minimum equipment, running is an active workout. But you have to be careful not to strain your knees and ankles. Injuries are something that you have to care about.

Here is how you can get started with running:

• Get the right gear in place.
• Join a club or a group of people who regularly run.
• Find a place to run outdoors like a beach or hill or race track.
• Start small with fifteen minutes of slow jogging on the first day.
• On the second day, stretch to thirty minutes.
• From the third day, increase your speed and go for running.
• Slowly increase your running distances.
• Take adequate nutrition.
• Maintain a journal.

Running helps you burn fat from your legs, thighs and lower belly, apart from reducing the overall fat percentage of the body.

Swimming

One of the best cardios, especially if you are someone plagued by injuries. Swimming is very beneficial for your joints and is also great when comes to becoming lean. Since this activity involves totally immersing yourself in water, it engages all your touch receptors.

Here is how you can get started:

• Find a swimming pool nearby.
• Book your slot.
• Find a trainer if you don’t know swimming.
• Start with freestyle.
• Swim for ten minutes on the first day.
• Gradually increase it to one hour by the end of the first month.

You won’t get the physique of a Michael Phelps right away, but you’ll certainly make a good start in that direction!

Cycling

Another full body workout that is a great way to burn love handles and belly fat. Cycling improves your stamina, reduces the fat content of the body, burns all the fat in your thighs and legs, and improves core strength.

Here is how you can start cycling:

• Get the right gear in place.
• Join a club or a group of people who regularly cycle or go on long-distance cycling.
• Find a place to cycle outdoors, like a beach or hill.
• Start small with fifteen minutes of slow cycling on the first day.
• The second day, stretch it to thirty minutes.
• From the third day, increase your speed and go for longer distance and duration.
• Slowly increase your cycling speed to that of a pro.
• Take adequate nutrition.
• Maintain a journal of your progress.

Boxer’s workouts

Last but not the least, take your cardio to a new and intense level by performing the workouts normally used by boxers:

• Ladder training
• Jump rope training
• Shadow Boxing and punching bag
• Tabata workouts
• Burpees
• Mountain climbers
• Jumping jacks
• High knees

Now that you know how to get lean, you really don’t have an excuse to stay bulky!