Love it or hate it, cardio is a necessary element for a well-rounded fitness regimen. Cardio promotes cardiovascular and mental health, and it helps you live longer. It also helps you manage and prevent type II diabetes and maintain glucose levels and a healthy weight.
Cardio is an exercise that increases your heart rate and often involves working many major muscle groups simultaneously. It’s typically recommended that you aim to get at least 150 minutes of cardio activity each week, which works out to about 30 minutes five days a week. These same experts also recommend including resistance training at least twice a week and stretching daily to maximize the benefits of exercise.
While you can incorporate cardio into your routine in many ways, you may wonder if some cardio-centered sports are better than others. Because cardio comes in so many different forms, there’s no single answer to which is the best. Instead, it’s far more important that you find a cardio activity that you enjoy. When you enjoy your cardio sessions, you’re far more likely to stick with them and get more cardio exercise over a lifetime than you would by prioritizing one that gets your heart rate up but that you dislike.
The ten sports listed here are fantastic options for getting cardio in while still finding enjoyment. Each sport moves multiple major muscle groups, an important part in increasing your heart rate, and helps you reap the health benefits mentioned above.
1. Power Walking
For those who love to walk, stepping up your pace to become a power walker could be a natural fit for your exercise plan. It also has the benefit of being a low-impact option, meaning it is gentler on your joints. You can power walk without any additional tools. The most important thing to keep in mind is your form. Keep your posture upright and straight, engage your core, and gently swing your arms with each step.
2. Running
While running fills some people with dread, for others, it’s an engaging and rewarding sport to engage in. It’s something you can easily create goals to work towards, and like power walking, it requires no major equipment aside from a decent pair of running shoes. Many runners not only enjoy the feeling of meeting goals they set out for themselves but also find their runs put them in better moods and allow them to relieve stress and frustration.
3. Swimming
Another low-impact sport that elevates your heart rate is swimming. It’s an exercise that uses all your major muscle groups, from your lower body to your upper body, allowing you to get a full-body workout with minimal strain on your joints. For many, diving into the water to swim a few laps is an enjoyable way to get a workout in.
4. Cycling
Cycling is an incredible cardio activity that can help you burn hundreds of calories in a half-hour session and work many of the large muscle groups.
One of the great things about cycling is that there are many ways you can incorporate it into an exercise routine, such as heading outside with your road or mountain bike, hopping onto a stationary one, or attending a spinning class.
5. Rowing
Rowing is another full-body cardio activity that many people find appealing. It also has the benefit of offering resistance training at the same time you’re increasing your heart rate, making it a highly effective sport for reaching your fitness goals. You can row solo with a rowing machine or join a rowing crew where you can enjoy the physical activity and the social benefits of surrounding yourself with others.
6. Tennis
Tennis and other racket sports, like squash or racquetball, get you moving your whole body by having you serve, swing, and run across the court. You’ll even work on your agility and coordination as you rush to hit the ball. One of the main appeals of tennis is that you get to exercise while playing a game.
7. Soccer
A popular spectator sport worldwide is soccer, but even if you’re not a superfan, it may be worth lacing up a pair of cleats and running onto the soccer pitch yourself. This sport will have you moving your body while fueling your competitive drive and building team camaraderie.
8. Boxing
A high-intensity sport that will work the muscles of your core, arms, and legs is boxing. This sport will also help build endurance, balance, and coordination. Plus, it’s an effective and fun way to reduce stress. It’s recommended that you start with a boxing class to learn the proper techniques and form to avoid injuring yourself.
9. Basketball
Dribbling, layups, and running from one side of the court to the other all engage different muscle groups, hone your coordination and agility, and, of course, increase your heart rate, making basketball another option for a fun cardio session. Like soccer, it also comes with some competitiveness and camaraderie that will keep you engaged and coming back to the court.
10. Hiking
Trekking up mountains over uneven terrain and obstacles in your path through hiking is another way to enjoy cardio.
Hiking works major muscle groups like your legs, glutes, and core and often involves navigating different elevations. These factors combine to elevate your heart rate, offering you a workout with enjoyable scenery and time outdoors.
Honorable Mentions
There are also many activities you can incorporate into a fitness routine to include cardio, even if they don’t officially qualify as sports. These include activities such as hula hooping, trampolining, and Pilates. These can be fun ways to move your body and increase your heart rate, and you can count them towards your daily 30-minute cardio requirement.
Conclusion
Just as there are many solutions on the market for gaming online, pursuing hobbies, or finding entertainment, these ten sports show that there are also many solutions for adding cardio into your routine without it feeling like a chore—and remember, the best sport for cardio is the one you’ll enjoy doing and want to return to as often as possible.
