Cardio (or cardiovascular) exercise is one of the most commonly used forms of weight loss exercise. It’s also a great way to get in shape and improve your overall health.

It increases your heart rate and boosts your mood as it makes the brain release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Plus, it strengthens the immune system and improves blood circulation to help you stay healthy long term.

It Burns Calories

Many cardio exercises, including jogging, running and walking, can help burn calories. Depending on the type of workout you do and your fitness level, you may burn hundreds of calories in just one workout session.

The number of calories you need to maintain your body weight is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR). A higher RMR means more calories are burned during activity.

But it can also make it harder to lose weight. Unless you create a calorie deficit by eating less than you burn or exercising, it’s hard to lose fat.

Therefore, it’s important to eat healthy and incorporate strength training into your exercise routine. If you over-rely on cardio without dietary intervention, it can actually increase your appetite and make it difficult to maintain a calorie deficit.

You can burn a lot of calories in just a few minutes, but it’s better to work out for longer periods. This will improve your metabolism and give you more energy throughout the day.

It Strengthens Muscles

The heart is one of your most important muscles, and the cardiovascular system needs to be exercised regularly to stay strong. Cardio exercises strengthen the heart and its blood vessels, making it more efficient at pumping oxygen-carrying blood around your body with every beat.

It also increases your lungs’ ability to take in oxygen. This improves your ability to carry oxygen throughout your body, keeping you healthy and preventing disease.

You can start with a simple jog or walk, and then work your way up to longer sessions. If you’re unsure about your fitness level, talk to your doctor before starting a new workout plan.

Cardio can also improve your metabolism, which is the process of burning calories. This can help you to keep your weight under control long-term. Research has shown that cardio can increase your resting metabolic rate, or RMR, for up to 48 hours after you workout.

It Increases Endurance

Cardio is an excellent way to increase endurance, which makes your heart, lungs and muscles better able to supply oxygen to the body’s major muscle groups. It also improves your metabolic rate, which helps you to burn more calories after an exercise session.

Endurance training is often recommended for people who are on a weight loss journey, because it enhances your ability to burn fat while you’re exercising. It can help you to lose weight and keep it off, but you should be sure to follow a healthy diet and incorporate strength training in addition to cardio.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a popular type of cardio that alternates periods of intense exercise with rest. You can perform HIIT sessions as short or long as you like, with durations of anywhere from seconds to several minutes.

It Helps You Burn Fat

Cardio (short for cardiovascular) exercise gets your heart rate up and your oxygen flow higher to strengthen your heart and lungs, promote health, and burn calories. These exercises can be anything from running, cycling or dancing to swimming, stair climbing and playing an outdoor sport.

While some people do enjoy these activities, others can find them intimidating or even uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are other forms of exercise that can also boost your cardio and improve your metabolism.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) can burn more calories in a short period of time than slow, steady cardio. And it can be done more frequently than running, so you can fit it into your workout schedule.

The amount of cardio you need to lose weight varies depending on your goals and preferences, but most experts recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise per week. And remember to incorporate strength training into your workouts to maximize results.