Top 13 Exercises for Cardiovascular Endurance

Cardiovascular endurance measures how well an individual can perform exercises which involve his or her whole body at moderate to high intensity for a long time. Improving one's cardiovascular endurance will make it easy for him/her to perform his or her daily tasks more efficiently. One can have heart failure in later life if one's cardiovascular health is not fit.

Thus, it is important to maintain good heart health. Keep reading if you want to know more about exercise for cardiovascular endurance.

Low cardiovascular endurance can happen due to many reasons. It can occur as a complication of atherosclerosis. On the other hand, it can also happen due to health conditions such as diabetes, structural problems present from birth, or an inflammatory process like myocarditis.

It can also result from high blood pressure, and often it shows no symptoms. Thus, it is vital for people to undergo regular screening and check-ups if they have high blood pressure.

The other causes of low cardiovascular endurance can be physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, and excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco. In addition to that, it can also be caused by stress, poverty and hereditary factors.

One can understand if he or she has low cardiovascular endurance if he or she experiences the following symptoms-

• Shortness of breath
• Light-headedness and dizziness
• Nausea and fatigue
• Pain or pressure in the chest indicating angina
• Cold sweats
• Pain or discomfort in the left shoulder, elbows, arms, back or jaw

1. Power Walk

Power walk refers to walking briskly and is a popular form of exercise to help recover from low cardiovascular endurance. One can start by simply stepping outside of one's house and picking up the pace while walking. One can opt for a treadmill if the weather is bad or one does not have a suitable place to power walk.

2. Regular Walk

If anyone is wondering whether he or she can start with this simple exercise, the answer is, of course! It is a great option for beginners who are just starting with their fitness routine. A 10-minute walk too can contribute to improved heart health.

3. Jump Rope

Jump rope is another simple cardio exercise that one can do just anywhere. Individuals can jump to the beats of their favourite songs by turning up a playlist while doing this form of cardio. One can just toss his or her jump rope in a purse, backpack or suitcase and be able to perform his or her 150 minutes of exercise per week anywhere, whenever he or she gets some spare time.

4. Running

Running is one of the best exercises for cardiovascular endurance. It is equipment-free cardio which is great for burning a lot of sweat and also building endurance. Moreover, as compared to walking, running can burn more calories.

However, running is more strenuous and has a high impact. Thus, it has a high chance of causing injury to the legs. So, one should be careful while running and only carry out this exercise as long as one's body permits.

5. HIIT or Bootcamp

For individuals with less time but in good shape, this cardio exercise might interest you. However, this is a vigorous exercise which involves boot camp-style workouts and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). These exercises include full-body workouts like jumping rope and push-ups, which are great for boosting one's heart rate.

6. Organised Sports

One need not be a sports person or even think of oneself as one. There are plenty of adult sports leagues which are filled with people who just want to have fun and be healthy. One can sign up for basketball, football, or soccer, anything that interests him/her. Running around a court or field is sure to make one's heartbeat increase, thereby helping in overcoming low cardiovascular endurance.

7. Dance

Dancing is a great way to do some cardio, get some sweat off and at the same time have immense fun. Dancing is not only restricted to Zumba or professional dance classes; one can simply dance around in one's own room. So, instead of waiting more, one can tune in to their favourite dance playlist and dance to their heart's content without being judged.

8. Swimming

Swimming is low-impact cardio which is efficient in increasing cardiovascular endurance while also being joint-friendly. However, if one is not completely confident in his or her swimming skills, one can grab a kickboard and try doing a few laps. This will help him/her exercise both his or her legs and abs.

9. Cycling

One can fit cycling into his or her day as a form of cardio in multiple ways. He or she can choose to cycle to the grocery store instead of taking a car or motorcycle. He or she can also choose the stationary bike in the gym for cardio instead of walking on the treadmill. One can also learn to cycle and ride it on the house's lawns or in the garage.

10. Hula-Hooping

Anyone wondering if Hula-Hooping is an inappropriate thing to do as an adult and probably did it when he or she was younger is wrong. It is a fun activity and also available in adult sizes which can help one unleash his or her inner kid. Just swinging the hips around increases the heart rate and improves core strength.

11. Stairs

Climbing up and down the stairs is a great way to start sweating and increase the heart's pumping. This is also a very convenient way to do cardio because stairs are just present everywhere. However, one must also remember to stay safe while climbing up and down the stairs as one might slip and fall and even get fractures.

12. Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks is another great home exercise for cardiovascular endurance since it requires no equipment. One can do this activity anywhere, anytime, and it can get one's heart rate up in a very short span of time. One can do it anytime, be it early in the morning after waking up or while waiting for lunch to get ready.

13. Burpees

Burpees are another high-intensity full-body workout that can get the heart pumping faster in no time. A burpee exercise focuses on building muscle strength and improving cardiovascular and lower and upper body endurance. It strengthens one's legs, abdomen, arms, chest, hips, buttocks, and shoulders.

A sedentary lifestyle, along with other risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and abnormal values for blood lipids, are major contributors to low cardiovascular endurance.

Thus, if one does not take the necessary steps to reduce these factors, the chances of having a heart attack or any other cardiac event like a stroke can increase. Regular exercise, however, has shown favourable effects on established risk factors for these diseases.

For example, cardiovascular fitness exercise helps reduce blood pressure and promotes weight reduction. It can also reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood, raise good cholesterol levels and impact the total cholesterol levels.

Patients who have diabetes should regularly exercise as it favourably affects the body's ability to control glucose levels in the blood by using insulin properly.

Although the effect of exercise is small on a single risk, the effect of moderate and continued exercise is impactful on overall cardiovascular health. Apart from that, one also needs to make necessary lifestyle modifications such as reducing smoking, proper medication uses and proper nutrition to improve cardiovascular endurance to the maximum.

Apart from knowing the exercises to improve cardiovascular endurance, one should also know about the exercises which negatively impact it. Individuals who are already suffering from any existing heart condition should follow certain safety precautions. They should not start any new exercise program without a doctor's consultation.

Moreover, they should start with short-duration and low-intensity exercises to see how much they are able to do. Overdoing any exercise would be harmful to one's health and can lead to serious medical hazards.

If one feels any discomfort, shortness of breath, chest heaviness, or giddiness, one should immediately stop exercising and consult a doctor instead.

The precautions that one should take while exercising with low cardiovascular endurance are-

• One should wait for at least 90 minutes after eating a meal and then start or participate in aerobic exercise.
• Focusing on warm-up and cool-down is important.
• One must remember to take enough rest while doing the exercises. However, laying down after the exercises might reduce one's tolerance. Thus, it is best to rest by sitting.
• Individuals having low cardiovascular endurance should not overdo any exercise. They should remember to gradually increase their exercise levels with time at a steady pace.
• One should not exercise if he or she is sick. Instead, he or she should wait for it to heal and then return to the exercise routine.
• Individuals should schedule exercise as a part of their daily routine. One can try planning to do exercise at the same time every day and build a habit of exercising.

In conclusion, this is all about exercises for cardiovascular endurance. Along with a proper exercise routine, maintained lifestyle and good food habits, one can strengthen his or her cardiovascular endurance. However, ones who are already having low endurance should first consult a doctor before starting any routine.