Do you get winded climbing stairs? Have trouble keeping up with your kids or grandkids? Wish that you had more energy to power through your day? If so, it’s a good indicator that you need to either start doing some type of cardio exercise or else kick your current routine up a notch. Even if you can sprint down the block with ease, you’re not off the hook. Whether you’re young, old, male, female, healthy, ill, pregnant, or disabled, you should be doing some form of regular cardio exercise.

It is the cornerstone of any effective fitness program and a key to living a longer, more joyful life. What’s more, the payoffs are impressive—from lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer to helping to improve your sleep and mood. No matter your level of fitness, there are forms of cardio exercise you can do. Also called aerobic or endurance exercise, cardio is any activity that gets you breathing a little harder and increases your heart rate. Low-intensity activities (such as walking your dog or waltzing) count. So do moderate-intensity activities (brisk walking or Zumba) and high-intensity exercise (running or kickboxing). There are even exercise options for those who are frail or have limited mobility, such as hand cranks that are like bicycles you pedal with your arms and anti-gravity treadmills that enclose your lower body and the treadmill in an airtight bubble to reduce impact as you walk or run.

Some of the options, such as swimming or cycling, require specific equipment or locations. Others, like kickboxing or aerobic dance, might best be done in a class, but even for these activities,there are home options like DVDs, digital downloads, and, of course, the workouts in this report. And then there are cardio activities like walking or jogging that you can do just about anywhere. You could even walk around your office building, a hospital, or a mall, so there’s really no excuse!

This Special Health Report will help you find the perfect cardio routine—whether you are just beginning, need to freshen up a routine, or are ready to take your cardio workouts to the next level. For beginners or people with conditions that limit their mobility, there are three options to start with: a Basic Cardio Workout you can do in your living room , a Beginner Walking Workout , and a Pool Workout. If you’re looking to add some variety to an existing cardio routine, try our Cardio Dance Workout or Kickboxing Workout. If you’ve been doing cardio exercise and want to challenge yourself, try our Interval Walking Workout  or Step Workout . When you’re ready to move on, a Special Section will help you design your own program. No matter what form of cardio you do, you’ll be healthier.

Prepared by the editors of the Harvard Health Publishing with Lauren E. Elson, MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Instructor, Harvard Medical School  and Michele Stanten Certified Fitness Instructor, American Council on Exercise. (2023).

Stand up for your health

Structured workouts like the ones in this report are essential for optimal health. But you should also try to stand and move around more during the day, especially if you have a desk job. Sitting for hours on end can increase your risk of serious ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Sitting for more than six hours a day can increase your risk for these diseases and even early death by up to 50%. By contrast, you can lower your risks of all of these conditions simply by standing and moving more—even if you already exercise. That’s because routine movement during the day adds on to those benefits.

That was the conclusion of a large, long-term study of 92,000 older adults by researchers from the American Cancer Society, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. When those who were the least active replaced 30 minutes of sitting a day with light activity like leisurely walking, they reduced their risk of dying early by 14%. Their risk dropped even more, up to 45%, when they did moderate to vigorous activity like brisk walking or jogging. Similarly, other studies have concluded that routine, everyday movement helps cut the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

Why does prolonged sitting have such harmful health consequences? One explanation is that it relaxes your largest muscles. When muscles relax, they take up very little sugar (glucose) from the blood, raising your risk of diabetes. In addition, the enzymes that break down blood fats (triglycerides) plummet, causing levels of the “good” cholesterol, HDL, to fall, too. The result is a higher risk of heart disease. The evidence is so compelling that the latest Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that, in addition to getting regular workouts, adults should “move more and sit less throughout the day.”

• Cardio basics
  • The history of cardio exercise
  • The nuts and bolts—what, when, how much? 
• Cardio exercise and your heart
• Exercise is medicine 
  • Fighting disease
  • Adding more life to your years
• Safety first
  • Injury prevention guidelines
  • Tips for people with specific conditions
• Myths about cardio exercise
• The workouts
  • Terminology used in the workouts
  • Posture and alignment: Striking the right pose
  • Equipment
• Warm-up
• Basic Cardio Workout
• Beginner Walking Workout
• Pool Workout
• Cardio Dance Workout
• Kickboxing Workout
• Interval Walking Workout
• Step Workout
• Cool-down and stretches
• SPECIAL SECTION: Designing your own program 
• Resources
• Glossary

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