Cardio
Aerobic/cardiovascular exercise, or cardio for short, targets your heart. In addition to improving your heart health, it also provides benefits to many other areas in your body as you'll need to work multiple muscle groups in order to perform aerobic exercise. While the good news is that cardio can be great for your entire body, the bad news is that most people hate doing it because they hate running. It doesn't have to be terrible, however, as there are a couple of variations that might make it easier and more fun for you. There are a few options that can make running easier and more fun, and they only need about 20-30 minutes of your time, 2-3 times per week...
Some find running unappealing because it exhausts your entire body and you have to keep doing it for quite some time. This is because most people train for endurance, but that's not necessary. Interval training is an excellent alternative that essentially involves working much harder for a shorter period of time. (Interval training applies to more than just running, of course, but that's another topic for another time.)
There are several ways of doing interval training but here's one example to give you an idea:
A light jog for a few minutes to get moving (2-5 minutes).
1 minute of high-speed running, then 1 minute of low-speed jogging, repeated 5-10 times (depending on your stamina).
A 5 minute light jog to cool down (or more if necessary).
While you're technically running about as fast as you can for that one minute, you only have to maintain that intensity for a very short period of time. You immediately get a break afterwards. Instead of enduring 30-60 minutes of sustained running, you only have to endure short bursts. For some, this is preferable.
Each burst can vary in timing as well. For example, some structure their intervals like a pyramid, so you start small, peak in the middle of the intervals, and then slow back down towards the end. For some, interval training may sound like complete hell, but if you've never been able to stick to long distance running you may find it easier to accomplish and the results
more quickly rewarding.
Lower Body
With cardio, core, and upper body exercise underway it can sometimes seem a little excessive to work your lower body. In many ways, you will be working muscles that other exercises have already targeted. That said, you'll be neglecting multiple areas if you don't bother with your lower body specifically. Here are a couple of exercises you'll want to do to make sure you're not leaving anything out.
Squats
Squats are a great, simple exercise to strengthen all sorts of good stuff including your legs, lower back, hips, buttocks, and even bones. So long as they're performed correctly, they're an excellent way to target the majority of the muscles in your lower body. So how do you squat correctly?
Stand up straight with your feet firmly planted on the ground approximately shoulder width apart. To help maintain a straight back as you perform the exercise, it's a good idea to focus on an object directly ahead of you at eye level.
2. Contract your abdominal muscles as you bend your legs at the knees. Either stretch your arms out ahead of you, lightly position your hands behind your ears or hold your arms at your side as you slowly lower yourself into a squatting position. Lower your body to a position where your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Much like push ups, a squat is a comprehensive exercise that you can do pretty much anywhere. This makes it easy to fit in a set whenever you have some spare time. If you want to make it to 200, the 200 squat program is a good way to get there. If you're looking for something a little less daunting, simply try three sets of 20 squats to start, performing additional squats during the last set if you can manage. Continue to work your way up whenever the exercise gets to be easy. Remember, you won't build additional strength if you don't continue to push yourself as you improve.
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