Mission Monday – Cardio Exercises

Are you a complete exercise beginner? Try some Low Impact Cardio Exercises!

Because I know I am and I really don’t like it, I also know that starting is hard. And sticking to it can be even harder. Even though it doesn’t have to be.

So, I want to make it easy for you with some low impact cardio exercises.

Regardless of where you are or how long it’s been, you can still get back to working out. The plan is to start with one small goal. And more than anything, you need to have regularity, to build that exercise routine.

Tips for Cardio Workouts 

Be sure to watch your intensity. You can use the talk test. Ask yourself if you can speak comfortably. If the answer is yes, you’re at a low intensity. If the answer is no, you’re at or above a Level 5 on the recognized exertion scale.

Adjust the workouts according to your fitness level. Add more time or reduce the workout time as needed.

The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) helps you track intensity on a scale of 1 to 10.

• RPE Level 3: You are comfortable but you are breathing harder than when not exercising.
• RPE Level 4: You are now beginning to sweat a little, but you can still carry on a full conversation without any noticeable effort.
• RPE Level 5: You are now less comfortable, you are sweating more but you can still talk easily.
• RPE Level 6: Now talking is more difficult, you are a little breathless.

Starting a new workout regimen is never easy. It takes a difficult balance of keeping your enthusiasm up due to the sway between not making progress and working out too hard too soon.

“Slow and steady wins the race”

The best way is to start easy and try to test yourself a little bit more with every workout. Let me show you some low impact cardio exercises that will help you to get started,

1. Jog in Place Jacks: 

The easiest way to do this is to start a very slow and light walking in place with a slow jumping jack like motion with your arms. As you progress, change your walking motion to marching, jogging, high knees, or jumping jacks, increasing your arm movement speed as you increase the difficulty of the leg movement.

2. Windmill Steps: 

The beginning level of this exercise is a simple sidestep, letting your trailing leg come behind you with a slight tap, as well as adding the large circular arm swing. As you want this to be harder you can drop your hips lower to the ground, adding a squatting position. Increase the step width and speed until you substitute the motion with a lateral jump rather than a step.

3. Static Squat + Punches: 

Starting with a very shallow squat and a punching motion without any extra weight, only hold your squat for a few seconds before coming up continuing your punches. As you progress stay down longer (until the maximum time), squat lower, and start using dumbbells with your punching motion. Do not, however, speed up your punches, especially if using extra weight.

4. Static Lunge + Curls: 

Start with a shallow lunge with your feet relatively close together and either very light dumbbells or possibly only arm weight for your bicep curls. As you progress, lunge deeper and with your feet further apart and increase the amount of weight you use with your curl. Do not increase the speed of your curl.

5. Static Lunge + Tricep Extension: 

With this lunge position only the front leg is bent and the rear leg is extended straight. Start with a shallow lunge and little to no weight in your hands. When you want more of a challenge, increase the depth of the lunge and the distance between your feet as well as the amount of weight you are using for your tricep extension. Do not increase the speed of your tricep extensions.

6. Fingertip to Toe Jacks: 

Start with a slow leg lift reaching to your toes each time then increase the height of the leg lift as well as the speed of the leg until you are actually hopping back and forth from leg to leg with only one foot on the ground at a time and moments when both feet are off the ground. At this pace, you will need to alternate one hand going up while the other is coming down.

7. Stutter Step: 

The easiest version of this exercise is still hard but start with all of your weight in one leg with only a slight bend (or even keep it straight), placing the opposite leg back only a few inches behind you and driving the knee up in front of you slowly as you bring your hands down. Increase the depth of your squat on the supporting leg while extending the moving leg further and further behind you. At the same time, start increasing the speed of which you move your arms and leg.

These low impact cardio exercises are the ideal starting point for beginners. It has been closely planned out to have awareness into low impact exercises that raise the heart rate without causing stress to the joints.

Check out my other post on Weight Loss and Mission Mondays!

You will be glad you did!

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