Cardio Exercise
Regular physical activity that includes cardiovascular exercise, often called cardio, can lower your lifetime risk for cancer. It also lowers your risk of other diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Learn more about cardio exercise, its health benefits, and practical ways to add it to your life.
What is cardio exercise?
Cardio exercise is any exercise that gets your heart rate up.
Exercise is a type of physical activity, but it’s not the same as just being active. It is something you do on purpose to get healthier and stronger, like walking, running, swimming, or lifting weights.
Cardio is short for cardiovascular. Your body’s cardiovascular system is made up of your heart, blood, and blood vessels.
Cardio exercise gets your breathing and heart rate up. It makes your cardio system healthier so your body can do a better job of delivering oxygen and nutrients and getting rid of cellular waste.
What are some examples of cardio exercise?
Examples of cardio exercises include:
- Running
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Brisk or fast walking
The difference between moderate and vigorous cardio exercise
You might hear cardio exercise described as moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity. Studies show that both moderate and vigorous cardio exercise can help you live longer.
Moderate-intensity exercise
Moderate-intensity exercise is anything that makes you breathe as hard as you do during a brisk walk. During moderate cardio exercise you'll notice a slight increase in your efforts to breathe, but you will still be able to carry on a conversation.
Vigorous-intensity exercise
Vigorous exercise is more intense and generally uses large muscle groups. During vigorous cardio exercise, your breathing efforts will increase noticeably, and it may be difficult to carry on a conversation.
Measuring the intensity of your workout
You can measure the intensity of your exercise by how much effort it takes to talk during your workout. This is called a talk test. Here is how to use a talk test to measure the intensity of your workout:
- Moderate-intensity exercise: You can say words and speak in full sentences. Your breathing is a little heavier than it might be on a casual stroll.
- Vigorous-intensity exercise: You can say a few words, but they may be choppy and short. Your breathing is noticeably heavier than it might be on a brisk walk.
If vigorous-intensity exercise doesn’t feel good for you, you can do moderate-intensity exercises and try to work your way up. However, moderate-intensity exercise still has good benefits.
How much activity should I get each week for cancer prevention?
To help lower your cancer risk, the P站视频 recommends the following amount of activity. These recommendations are based on the latest scientific information to help reduce the risk of developing cancer.
For adults, each week
- At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or
- At least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or
- A combination of these
Getting even more activity is ideal.
For children and teens
- At least 1 hour of moderate or vigorous-intensity activity each day
What if I can’t do cardio exercise?
If moderate or vigorous cardio isn’t possible for you right now, there are health benefits to light-intensity activities as well.
It’s also important to limit the time you spend sitting or lying down, such as time spent on your phone, computer, or watching TV.
Safety tips
If you do them safely, cardio exercises have more benefits to your body than risks.
When to check with your health care provider: If you have chronic illness or have risk factors for heart disease, you should check with your health care team before starting any cardio exercise program. Most children and adults can safely do cardio exercises without checking with a health care provider.
Preventing injury: Injuries can happen because of incorrect form, not warming up before exercising, and not cooling down afterward. By following a few practical guidelines, you can keep your cardio exercise fun and safe.
- Warm up to lower your chance of getting hurt.
- Drink plenty of water before, during, and after cardio exercise.
- Eat a small pre-workout meal with carbs and protein about 1 hour before your workout.
- Don’t overdo it. Listen to your body.
- If you are still unsure or worried, ask your health care provider or a certified personal trainer what activities are right for you.
How to add cardio exercise to your life
- Set realistic goals, like walking 20 minutes a day for 3 days each week before adding more minutes to your walk.
- Make a schedule for workouts, just as you would for an appointment.
- Start slowly with moderate cardio exercises. Little by little, increase the length of your workouts, how often you do them, and the intensity of your exercises.
- Do activities you enjoy or would like to try, like walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing.
- To stay motivated, join a group, find a workout buddy, or go to fitness classes like Zumba, spin cycle, yoga, pickleball, or aerobics. There are also many free fitness classes online.
- Stand up and fold laundry while you watch.
- Do a few simple exercises like jumping jacks, walking in place, or stretching in front of the screen.
- Make a new rule: no sitting during commercials.
- Use an exercise bike, walking pad, or treadmill. Do arm curls, squats, lunges, and crunches while watching.
- Mop or vacuum fast enough to get your heart pumping.
- Have young children or pets at home? Playing with them is a great way to add more cardio.
- Yard work and gardening also strengthen your arm, leg, and back muscles. Pushing a lawn mower, raking leaves, shoveling, and other outdoor chores can be an effective workout.
- Use stay-at-home time for projects you’ve been putting off. Cleaning out your closet is another way to be productive and active at the same time.
- Keep moving during conference calls. Stand up and pace, or stay seated and do leg lifts, knee lifts, and toe curls. Keep a set of weights under your desk for bicep curls. Do standing push-ups against a wall. Also, a walking pad can be used with a desk riser.
- Take a short walk during lunch or in place of a coffee break.
- Set an alarm on your computer or phone to remind you to take an activity break. For example, take a 1 or 2-minute standing or walking break every hour.
- Find free prerecorded workout classes online to do during breaks.
No matter what type of exercise you choose, the important thing is to get moving. Set your mind to it and look for opportunities to be more active throughout your day. You can do as little as a few minutes of exercise at a time. Just make sure to do this several times a day.
Get more ideas in Exercising at Your Desk or at Home.
- Written by
- References
The P站视频 medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
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Smith DL, Fernhall B. Advanced Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed. Human Kinetics; 2023
Last Revised: October 24, 2025
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