The Best Form of Cardio

My fitness journey definitely didn’t begin in an ordinary way at all. COVID had just hit, I wasn’t sure what to do, and I didn’t have any friends around to motivate me. Not only that, but all of the gyms shut down and I was left nearly hopeless. I knew that I wanted my first step in this process to be completing more cardio each day, but I felt like I had no options besides running around my neighborhood in the freezing cold temperatures wearing those short shorts that every jogger seems to wear. That was until I realized that we had our peloton bike sitting upstairs.

I quickly became fascinated with the bike, as it would take you on differently structured rides with a variety of different instructors you could choose from. I struggled at first, but after a few rides, I began pushing myself to burn more and more calories with each ride. Whether it was 15, 30, or 45-minute rides, I felt like I was on top of the world. However, after about 2 months, I realized that I had lost a lot of energy that I once had to make it through my days. I was sluggish most of the time, and I didn’t even want to hang out with friends. I finally decided that it was time to change what I was doing.

While I was losing weight, it came with an obvious cost. At the time, my brain wasn’t able to realize that there was a much better solution to this issue. I was so caught up in doing intense cardio because I assumed that was the only way I’d see progress. But staying active is so much more than just doing extreme bike rides. On average, walking 10,000 steps a day burns an additional 500 calories! I was shocked when I first heard this, but it’s true. A simple stroll around your neighborhood or a hike with friends can be plenty of cardio for a day, and you can enjoy it while you do it!

That’s what I found to be the most important part of this whole process. Once I realized that cardio didn’t need to be a struggle, my whole mindset changed. It shouldn’t be about pushing yourself to the limit; it’s all about finding the best form of cardio for you.