When people ask me the general question ‘How do I get in better shape?’ I always refer to the term ‘fitness triforce.’ Full disclosure, I played a lot of the Zelda video game series growing up. The fitness triforce is weightlifting, cardio, and nutrition. All three of those components contribute to a person’s overall fitness and each one is vital for people wanting to get into better shape.
Cardio is particularly important for people over 40 years old because not only does it burn calories and help with weight loss – it can also improve cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular health is important at any age, but even more so the older we get since the risk of cardiovascular issues increases with age. For some people, doing cardio exercises comes naturally. For others…not so much. I personally fall into the latter category.
The first step in determining how often you should do cardio is determining what your goal is. Is it to boost your overall health in general? If so, consider a study from 2018 conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School which found that “for those otherwise healthy individuals who wish to run for cardiovascular health benefits, following the standard guidelines of 150 min of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 min of vigorous exercise weekly is recommended.”
However, if your goal is to lose weight, or your goal is to be able to complete a marathon or triathlon, you obviously have to come up with a more specified cardio regimen. For most people, cardio is performed to lose weight, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to ‘How often should I do cardio, and for how long each session?’ Someone who is aiming to lose 100 pounds is going to have to do more cardio than someone who is only trying to lose 10 pounds. Individual metabolism rates vary, and a person’s body type is another factor to consider. Furthermore, cardio alone is not necessarily enough to achieve weight loss, with nutrition also playing a vital role in the process. You can do vigorous cardio every single day, but if it is coupled with eating french fries and bacon-topped burgers every meal, the weight loss struggle will be very real.
With that being said, consider the results of a collaborative study from December 2024 conducted by international researchers affiliated with academic and research institutions in the United Kingdom and Iran that focused on aerobic exercise and weight loss. The results of the study are a great starting point for people to aim towards.
“The nonlinear dose-response analyses indicated that aerobic exercise at least 150 minutes per week was associated with clinically important reductions in waist circumference and measures of body fat; thus, aerobic training at least 150 minutes per week may be needed to achieve important reductions in waist circumference and body fat.” the researchers stated.
In his amazing book ‘The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding,’ Arnold Schwarzenegger states (on page 735) that “everyone should do some cardiovascular training because it’s good for your heart, lungs, and circulatory system” and that he did “some kind of aerobic training for at least 30 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week.” Arnold points out that people who “have trouble getting lean” should do 45 minutes to an hour 4-5 days a week.
One thing is for sure – doing some cardio will always be better than doing no cardio. But what is optimal for one person may not be optimal for the next person. Life’s ups and downs will impact how often people can do cardio. Physical limitations will obviously impact how often someone can do cardio, as well as what kind of cardio they can do.
Cardio comes in many forms. Find something that you like and do it often. Find ways to fit cardio into your weekly schedule beyond just jogging on a treadmill, such as swimming with your family, going on hikes with friends, riding bikes, etc. As I always say, the best cardio is the type of cardio that you will actually do, so find something that you enjoy doing (or at least can consistently tolerate!). Keep your expectations realistic and value progress over perfection to help ensure that you stick with it.
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article and this website are not meant to substitute for the professional advice of a doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer. This content is provided as an educational tool to help people on their fitness journeys. While we strive to research topics as much as possible and provide useful and accurate information to the best of our abilities, we also strongly recommend talking to your doctor, nutritionist, and/or certified personal trainer before starting any workout, therapeutic, or nutritional regimen, as each individual’s needs and situations vary depending on the person.