Do the Cardio You Love

JillianMichaels.com

Doing your first cardio workout can be a little overwhelming, particularly if you're doing it at a gym. There are rows and rows of different machines to choose from. Do you walk, row, step, or climb your way to fitness? Which is best?

The answer is, any of the above. You should do whatever you enjoy the most — just make sure you're pushing yourself and keeping your heart rate at 85 percent of maximum. Sure, some machines are more effective than others. But if you dread and avoid certain exercises, it will be harder to motivate yourself, right?
Make sure to keep it fresh — if you've been doing the treadmill for a while, switch to the stepper for a few weeks. If you have access to only one type of cardio machine, you can change the way you use it every once in a while so that you avoid the workout plateau and keep yourself challenged and motivated.

Another Tip: No Gym Needed
Jumping rope and doing jumping jacks are excellent forms of cardio that you can do anywhere. It takes time to build up endurance for jumping, though, so try doing intervals at first — jump one minute, rest the next, and so on. You'll find that by jumping, you'll burn calories and tone your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Try different types of jumps to target different leg muscles. When jumping rope, try kicking your butt (I'm serious!) or bringing your knees up as high as you can in between jumps. The possibilities are endless with this simple activity.